16-pin power connector problems are not going away, new cases hit NVIDIA and AMD cards
We have two recent cases of 16 pin power connectors burning, and in one case the connector also melted. These are not the only incidents out there, just the ones we found the most interesting.
The 16 pin connector, the modern 12V 2×6 design, is now used by both NVIDIA and AMD. On the AMD side, it is showing up more often thanks to Sapphire and ASRock leaning into the newer connector on some models.
Yup, I don’t even know what to say. I have warranty of course and am not too worried.
But let me tell you. This is awful. Killed my power supply and no other 600w cable is gonna connect since it melted off inside.
Gonna need to figure out a way to solve this in the future..
— Normal-Industry-8055 (RTX 5090)
A Sapphire representative recently talked about this design and said that even if the connector is fully fixed, it will still carry the stain and negative feedback. He also claimed that the known cases so far were tied to the power supply or adapter, not the GPU itself, referencing the RX 9070 NITRO series. That makes this feel like a fourth case, with one user reporting an RX 9070 XT Nitro+ on a Corsair RM850e, using a 2×8 pin pigtail setup, “inserted nice and sturdy,” after about eight months of use.
Another incident involves the Gigabyte AORUS Master, one of the most expensive cards in its class. The report claims the cable and connector melted on both sides, not just a scorched plug or a browned cable. The user said warranty should cover it, but the damage looks ugly: both the GPU side and the PSU side appear affected, and the 600 W cable reportedly melted into the power supply connector.
Nitro+, 2×8+pig tail, Corsair 850e, inserted nice and sturdy, ~8months old(ordered at the beginning of April)
— EKB_1130 (RX 9070 XT)
At what point will GPU vendors take this seriously? Should the cable or socket have a physical lever or latch that makes full insertion unambiguous? Are we past the point where every case can be pushed onto “user error”? Did nobody expect people to mix adapters and cables, especially when PSU makers ship multiple 16 pin options that look similar?
Source: Reddit (Sapphire) , Reddit (Gigabyte)
