MSI GeForce RTX 5090 owner reports melted 12V-2×6 adapter

Another complaint has surfaced on Reddit from an MSI GeForce RTX 5090 owner: the stock 12V-2×6 power adapter reportedly melted right inside the GPU’s socket and now won’t come out. The user says the system ran on an MSI X870 Tomahawk with a Seasonic TX-1600 PSU and used MSI’s bundled yellow-and-black adapter.

The trouble didn’t start overnight. A few months back, random black screens appeared under load when using the native Seasonic cable, even though Windows kept running in the background. The owner then switched to MSI’s included adapter, and for roughly three months the card behaved without incident—a lull that only makes the eventual failure feel more unnerving.

This week the situation escalated: Windows stopped detecting the RTX 5090, the monitor wouldn’t wake on the discrete GPU, and a closer look revealed heat damage on the upper part of the connector. The plug now feels essentially fused to the card, the user noted.

It’s not the first report of its kind: users have previously flagged melted connectors specifically on MSI adapters. The broader 12V-2×6 issue has been known for a while, yet incidents tied to MSI are cited far more often than with other brands. A recent close-up examination added to the unease, suggesting that one sample of MSI adapters and PSU cables may differ in the thickness of the contact metal. Taken together, the pattern is hard to ignore and is likely to draw even more scrutiny to these parts.

Experts continue to recommend that RTX 5090 owners stick to high-quality PSU cables, avoid adapters where possible, make sure the plug is fully seated, and routinely inspect the connector for discoloration or deformation. Sensible steps, even if they can’t eliminate the risk entirely.

The affected user has already contacted MSI and is sending the card in for diagnostics. They also say similar posts are often removed from the official NVIDIA subreddit, which is pushing these discussions into alternative communities.