Discussion 4090 FE Connector melted with Cablemod Adapter installed. 40 series cards should be recalled

[zx128k]

View: https://youtu.be/eFYR1yn7Ivs

 

[Avro Arrow]

As long as people are willing to fork out that kind of money for a video card, nVidia doesn't give a rat's posterior about them.

That adapter is an unnecessary extra connection between the PSU and the card. It's just nVidia wanting something on their cards to look special. There's no reason why standard PCI-Express supplementary power connectors wouldn't work.

 

[Joseph_138]

NVidia needs to stop experimenting with proprietary power connectors.

 

[zx128k]

NVidia needs to stop experimenting with proprietary

power connectors.

Its not properietary to nVidia its the current standard. This happens with the 8-pin connector as well.

Link to fun times.

This is not even on the card.

This is on the 8-pin connector on the card.

Here is a 3090 with a PSU cable mod.

Mining ftw. Two 3080's.

Reason this happens.

A single 8-pin connector’s maximum current rating is up to, and sometimes more than 24A (288W at 12V). However, the connection at the GPU is only rated for 75W (6-pin) and 150W (8-pin) total for graphics card power. Therefore, it is not recommended to use a single cable that splits into two 8-pin PCIe on higher end graphics cards.

Why correctly powering your GPU is important in mining.

Information on the 12-pin connector. The new ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 spec provides a single 12-pin cable from the power supply to the GPU. PCI-SIG blamed everyone else for any problems.

We have here an 8-pin melting on an AMD card.

View: https://youtu.be/QwLtumnF5-8

 

[Avro Arrow]

We have here an 8-pin melting on an AMD card.

View: https://youtu.be/QwLtumnF5-8

I'm not surprised by this but the number of 6 or 8-pin connectors that have melted relative to the number of cards that have them is almost infinitely smaller than the number of nVidia cards with the new connectors that have melted. That's the very definition of a false equivalency.

Before reading your post, I had never even heard of standard PCI-Express supplementary power connectors melting before. It doesn't surprise me that it has occurred (nothing is perfect after all) but the frequency of the occurrence is so small as to be irrelevant or at the very least, it was never enough of a problem to be newsworthy.

 

[hotaru.hino]

NVidia needs to stop experimenting with proprietary power connectors.

Except it's not. It's part of the ATX 3.0 standard.

EDIT: Also the PCI-SIG brought it up. I believe it's part of the PCIe 5.0 spec as well.

 

[carocuore]

Not a card issue, no need to recall any cards or refund anyone. Cablemod uses <Mod Edit> wires that aren't actual copper but a 60/40 alloy (transformer grade), and the connectors they use are basic PVC instead of a heat-resistant polymer, aka the cheapest you can get in China.

That wouldn't be a problem by itself if the cables were reasonably priced, but this isn't the case, they sell this crap at like $200 when their production costs must be around $10. You can get exactly the same stuff in Aliexpress for 15 or 20 bucks but it comes packed in bubble wrap instead of a nice little bag with a cablemod logo.

Now the reason the connector melts or catches fire ISN'T the card or power supply but the wire, you could say current "bottlenecks" (ugh I hate that term) at the connectors since the wire can't handle all of it, current creates heat and warms the wire, wire gets too hot and melts at the weakest part which is usually the crimped terminal and that in turns melts the plastic connector.
If you work with AC appliances and purposedly use the wrong wire gauge for say a heater that uses a lot of power then the same would happen, the plug and socket would melt due to the heat caused by the current trying to flow through a thin wire.

The connector is also somewhat... subpar for the amount of current these cards handle, pins are just too small and the mating force too low, in layman terms "it wiggles", and that's bad as it creates arcing in the contacts, at one point the contacts burn or deform and offer more resistance to the current = more heat = bad.

 

[zx128k]

I'm not surprised by this but the number of 6 or 8-pin connectors that have melted relative to the number of cards that have them is almost infinitely smaller than the number of nVidia cards with the new connectors that have melted. That's the very definition of a false equivalency.

Before reading your post, I had never even heard of standard PCI-Express supplementary power connectors melting before. It doesn't surprise me that it has occurred (nothing is perfect after all) but the frequency of the occurrence is so small as to be irrelevant or at the very least, it was never enough of a problem to be newsworthy.

8-pin connector melt all the time, its comon in mining. Note this cable is melted at both ends.

Example and here. Here is it happening in 2016 to a gamer. Melted pcie from PSU to GPU Burned PCI-E connectors to GPU PSU cable melted, bad PSU or bad cable? The whole cable melted into the carpet. PePew

With the new power connector nVidia did get taken to court.

8-pin connectors melting is common.

Here miners burning other cables.

View: https://youtu.be/jx42AMpWQEk

 

[Avro Arrow]

8-pin connector melt all the time, its comon in mining. Note this cable is melted at both ends.

Example and here. Here is it happening in 2016 to a gamer. Melted pcie from PSU to GPU Burned PCI-E connectors to GPU PSU cable melted, bad PSU or bad cable? The whole cable melted into the carpet. PePew

With the new power connector nVidia did get taken to court.

8-pin connectors melting is common.

Here miners burning other cables.

View: https://youtu.be/jx42AMpWQEk

Well yeah, I can imagine that it happened a lot with mining cards because there were so many of them and they were running for years at a time. I'm forced to wonder though, how often would it have happened if those miners were using that new-style connector? Judging by how often it happened to gamers, it probably could have caused serious problems for large-scale mining rigs.

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

As long as people are willing to fork out that kind of money for a video card, nVidia doesn't give a rat's posterior about them.

That adapter is an unnecessary extra connection between the PSU and the card. It's just nVidia wanting something on their cards to look special. There's no reason why standard PCI-Express supplementary power connectors wouldn't work.

Are you talking about the adapter seen here that I plugged the 4 separate cables into from my PSU? It came with my card.

I haven't had any issues.

 

[zx128k]

Well yeah, I can imagine that it happened a lot with mining cards because there were so many of them and they were running for years at a time. I'm forced to wonder though, how often would it have happened if those miners were using that new-style connector? Judging by how often it happened to gamers, it probably could have caused serious problems for large-scale mining rigs.

Miners burn/melt every type of cable they use. Its really an all come be burned/melted type of thing.

View: https://youtu.be/qFraCHaOXEs

 

[zx128k]

Are you talking about the adapter seen here that I plugged the 4 separate cables into from my PSU? It came with my card.

I haven't had any issues.

4 single 8-pin connectors should be fine. Don't use spilters. The new PCIe power connector is 600 watts. 4x150=600watts. Its when you use the three 8-pin ones that there could be issues. Say you draw more than 450 watts.

This is why a 700 watt 7900xtx and 1000 watt 4090 is a bad idea.

The other good way to kill a card is to use a pcie riser cable and connect the card backwards. RIP PCIe data lines. Or power the riser with sata power connectors.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Are you talking about the adapter seen here that I plugged the 4 separate cables into from my PSU? It came with my card.

I haven't had any issues.

Yeah but you have the force supporting it, remember?

 

[Avro Arrow]

Miners burn/melt every type of cable they use. Its really an all come be burned/melted type of thing.

View: https://youtu.be/qFraCHaOXEs

I'm glad that I wasn't a miner. I would've gone nuts over that!

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

4 single 8-pin connectors should be fine. Don't use spilters. The new PCIe power connector is 600 watts. 4x150=600watts. Its when you use the three 8-pin ones that there could be issues. Say you draw more than 450 watts.

This is why a 700 watt 7900xtx and 1000 watt 4090 is a bad idea.

The other good way to kill a card is to use a pcie riser cable and connect the card backwards. RIP PCIe data lines. Or power the riser with sata power connectors.

Makes sense. I also made sure they were individual connections and not a piggyback connection off the same cable. Easy to do if someone wasn't paying attention.

I thought about mounting my card vertically... case came with a bracket but at the end of the day I mounted it the old fashioned way because I am already using a riser cable for my nvme drive enclosure... using the 3rd slot blocked by the GPU so I don't have to use the 4th slot that shares bandwidth with my 4th m.2 slot on board.

Yeah but you have the force supporting it, remember?

 

[zx128k]

16-pin power connector and 8-pin can melt if not connected correctly. With the 16-pin connector no one wants to take responsibility.

NVIDIA: Only 50 cases of melted power cables globally End users need to plug them in correctly.
PCI-SIG not us
PCI-SIG States That Partners Are Responsible For User Safety Following 16-Pin 12VHPWR Cable Lawsuit

Cablemod cables could be melting as well.
RTX 4090 connectors are melting again, and this time there’s a major change.

Any wonder AMD are siting this out and seeing what will happen next. Let nVidia go first into the fire.

View: https://youtu.be/Z8OD_kLdF9Q

 

[zx128k]

View: https://youtu.be/mKqC2wJIeEI

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

View: https://youtu.be/mKqC2wJIeEI

So let me know if I have this right...

All these melting issues are from the cablemod adapter right?

I don't see a need for it. The adapter that came with the card gives me small but workable (roughly 1/4 inch) clearance between the cable and the case glass. I have a lot of wiggle room in the cable itself... there is no tension on the connector.

So if it's a card issue I first have to ask if it's happening to those people who aren't using the cablemod adapter... Are those "50 cases globally" mentioned upthread using this connection? Because my cable is seated correctly so it's honestly nothing I'm worried about.

 

[hotaru.hino]

So I'm curious about how he got to that failure condition, because when Igor's Lab reviewed it, including running through a thermal camera during load, they found it to be fine. Or at least saw no problems with it.

I'm also using said adapter, because I don't have a lot of clearance between my card and the side panel and I bought a cable from Corsair that comes out of my PSU directly to a 12VHPWR connector. But I'm also using a 230W TBP card, so not at much power is going through it.

 

[zx128k]

So let me know if I have this right...

All these melting issues are from the cablemod adapter right?

I don't see a need for it. The adapter that came with the card gives me small but workable (roughly 1/4 inch) clearance between the cable and the case glass. I have a lot of wiggle room in the cable itself... there is no tension on the connector.

So if it's a card issue I first have to ask if it's happening to those people who aren't using the cablemod adapter... Are those "50 cases globally" mentioned upthread using this connection? Because my cable is seated correctly so it's honestly nothing I'm worried about.

I don't think the 50 cases worldwide is true anymore. Video from the repair shop is blaming the connector on the card and not cablemod.

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

I don't think the 50 cases worldwide is true anymore. Video from the repair shop is blaming the connector on the card and not cablemod.

Well I would still like to know the ratio of melted cables with/without cablemod adapter because mine is seated correctly and doesn't have any left/right wiggle in the connection like they are showing in that video.

None at all... I just double checked. It's firmly seated and firmly doesn't move when I try to wiggle it.

 

[zx128k]

Well I would still like to know the ratio of melted cables with/without cablemod adapter because mine is seated correctly and doesn't have any left/right wiggle in the connection like they are showing in that video.

None at all... I just double checked. It's firmly seated and firmly doesn't move when I try to wiggle it.

That whats the repair guy is stating, its not the end user.

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

That whats the repair guy is stating, its not the end user.

Also tried to wiggle the connection up/down and it doesn't move in that direction either. So I dunno... I personally don't see an issue at least with my card.

Regardless of what the experts say it seems like user issue might in fact be a root cause. I can totally see something melting if not seated correctly... or if there is in fact an issue with these cablemod adapters.

If the repair guy is stating that it's not the end user what is he saying? All 40 series cards should be recalled? I'd have to see a LOT more confirmed cases before I'd buy into that because at this point in time I'm more of a believer in it being user error or an adapter issue than I am in it being a card issue.

 

[zx128k]

Also tried to wiggle the connection up/down and it doesn't move in that direction either. So I dunno... I personally don't see an issue at least with my card.

Regardless of what the experts say it seems like user issue might in fact be a root cause. I can totally see something melting if not seated correctly... or if there is in fact an issue with these cablemod adapters.

If the repair guy is stating that it's not the end user what is he saying? All 40 series cards should be recalled? I'd have to see a LOT more confirmed cases before I'd buy into that because at this point in time I'm more of a believer in it being user error or an adapter issue than I am in it being a card issue.

He seems to imply in the video its a nVidia problem.

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

He seems to imply in the video its a nVidia problem.

Not a believer yet. We'll see.