Custom CableMod 16

Oct 13, 2023

Custom cable by cable specialist CableMod melts on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4090.

After it transpired that Nvidia-supplied 16-pin 12VHPWR adapters could melt if improperly mated with the GPU, several manufacturers introduced their custom 12VHPWR adapters designed to be more reliable. Apparently, at least one of such adapters failed and melted when used with a GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, according to a Reddit post. CableMod, the manufacturer of the device, promised to replace the product.

A redditor named Humble-Brilliant-654 posted a picture of his 12VHPWR cable adapter that was clearly melted. He said that he inserted the adapter correctly until he heard the click and the device functioned without problems for two months. Some of the other Redditors said that the cable was not inserted properly, which is why it failed. Indeed, some of the marks on the cable's connector seem to indicate that it was plugged in properly, but it could have wiggled loose after installation.

Meanwhile, CableMod said it would replace the unit anyway. "Very sorry about that - please reach out to our support and we will make it right with you," a statement by CableMod reads. "Our products come with service and we help every customer out."

After investigating about 50 cases of overheated and melted 16-pin 12VHPWR cable adapters, Nvidia said that a common issue was that the connectors were not fully plugged into the graphics card. The company suggested plugging the dongles before installing the graphics card into the motherboard.

Plugging in power connectors properly is extremely important since virtually all cables can overheat when connected poorly. Meanwhile, it is vital to properly plug in the connector on Nvidia's flagship $1,599 product since the graphics card can draw up to 450W of power from the PSU, and transferring such a vast amount of power requires high-quality cables and solid connectivity.

For now, we'll have to wait and see if CableMods shares any information about the failed connector. Thankfully there haven't been many reports of failed connectors with Nvidia's connectors lately, a trend we'd like to see continue.

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Anton Shilov is a Freelance News Writer at Tom's Hardware US. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

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