Nvidia is investigating reports that its graphics cards may have caused power cords to overheat.
Users posted pictures on social media appearing to show damage to the cable necessary to operate the latest Nvidia RTX 4090, released in October 2022.
They said the graphics card, which retails for £1,699, was melting the adapter in the box.
Nvidia told us it was looking into a claim for damages.
“We continue to investigate the reports – however, we don’t have further details to share yet,” it said.
It was committed to delivering quality customer support and would help customers receive returns quickly.
Maxed-out Settings
Nvidia’s latest graphics card draws a great deal of power; however, it comes at the cost of about 450 watts of power, soundly that of a microwave.
Gamers can use this to get the best possible performance for the latest games at the highest playback quality, with a 4K resolution and maxed-out settings.
Nvidia’s graphic card sold out rapidly following its release, with numerous U.K. stocks selling out on Nvidia’s webpage within 10 minutes.
The adapter has twelve pins grouped into two rows of six.
In some of the pictures posted online, one or several of the pins appear as if not well proportioned.
Jonathan, who is based in Sweden, posted one of the images of his graphics card on social media and told he was “really surprised and mad” when he identified the bug.
“I need my graphics card to work,” he remarked. “I can’t do any work without it.”
“I made a Reddit post, out of aggravation, after the damage. Nvidia then called me personally, and the only thing they asked me was if I wanted to [return the card]”.
“Nvidia should make a public announcement about this issue.”
Nicholas, another user, felt “unlucky and a little sad” when he inspected his cable.
He said I heard the sound of the damage before I saw it. The sound of plastic breaking was pretty bad – the main six pins were melted.
Glasgow-based Gordon Fitzsimmons told us that he believed the pictures he had viewed online were not authentic – until he received his card.
“You think these people ought to be abusing the cable,” he said. “They ought to be bending it poorly or not plugging it in all the way, so I was blaming it on the user – until, obviously, I opened mine up and have since noticed that one of the pins has begun to melt. “It does make you quite nervous, some of the posts I’ve seen, people are suffering real anxiety over this.
Root Cause of RTX 4090 Issue
Alex, based in the Chicago area, stated Nvidia’s reaction after discovering the issue in two of his graphics cards was “unacceptable.”
“The issue hasn’t been resolved,” he told. He makes it evident that the replacement graphics card he received also shows signs of melting. “There hasn’t been an official statement from Nvidia on the matter. Nvidia and their partners should create a recall”.
Product-safety engineer Giuseppe Capanna stated that plastic melting typified a buildup of heat that should not have been occurring at this intensity.
“Where plastic is melting, the temperatures may be approaching an acceptable level – and the cause should be investigated quickly by any manufacturer.”
