Summary
Nvidiacontinues to face criticism regarding its flagship RTX GeForce 4090 GPU and its 12VHPWR connector. Initially touted as a compact, efficient solution for power delivery, the connector’s failure rate was so high at launch thatNvidia faced legal actionconcerning the reportedly defective component shipping with its enthusiast-grade GPU.
Although the current flagshipNvidiaGPU has been highly regarded since its 2022 launch due to its truly next-generation performance uplift over the 3090, its release has been marred by the controversial 12VHPWR connector. To add more fuel to the fire, Nvidia attempted to attribute the connector’s failure to user error, citing cases of users not fully plugging the connectors into the card as the main cause of the reported failures. Despite the RTX 4090’s 450W power draw, Nvidia took a huge risk by bundling a new connector with the card that hadn’t been mass tested by public use.
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Unfortunately, despiteNvidia quietly addressing the issuewith a hardware revision in July 2023, reports have continued to surface regarding melting 12VHPWR connectors on the RTX 4090. This somewhat dispels Nvidia’s claims that the relatively high failure rate of RTX 4090s can be attributed solely to user error. As reported on Northridge Fix’s YouTube channel, the shop regularly services anywhere between 20 and 25 RTX 4090s per week, all with the same burnt power connector. With Alex from Northridge Fix describing the smell of these burnt GPUs as “fireworks times ten,” he needed to order special safety equipment in his workshop to continue servicing the cards.
Reportedly, Alex from Northridge Fix has had to deal with so many faulty 4090s that he’s opted to wear an industrial-grade respirator while servicing the burnt cards, as well as installing an air purifier in his workshop. Unfortunately, Alex has also encountered this issue across a wide range of vendors, showcasing4090s from various third-party vendors, such as MSI, Zotac, Gigabyte, and ASUS, in the pile sent over to him for repair in the video.
In response, some users have opted to go with custom cables and adapters from third-party retailers such as CableMod, despite facing a similar chance of failure when opting for this solution, as third-party and first-party cables alike are susceptible to this issue. When factoring in the $1,599 MSRP of the RTX 4090 Founders Edition, it may seem like too much of a risk just to experience Nvidia’s flagship offering in all its glory. Thankfully, PC gamers have more choices than ever these days, and finding thebest graphics cardto suit their needs has never been easier.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
NVIDIA’s top-of-the-line GPU, the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition, contains 16,384 CUDA Cores. It can support up to 8K gaming and allows for actual, smooth ray-tracing gameplay. The Founders Edition card is also an excellent GPU variant in terms of cooling, VRMs, and value.
