YouTuber Der8auer measured the temperature of Moddiy cables like those used by the owner of the burnt-out NVIDIA RTX 5090. They heated up to 150°C, but is it really that simple?
The vlogger explained why it is wrong to immediately assume user error or poor cable quality. He examined damaged the video card, its connectors, and the power supply under a microscope and confirmed that he often uses Moddiy cables because of their high quality.
Next in the video Der8auer demonstrateswhich can be a potential cause of cable melting. It turned out that the RTX 5090 FE graphics cards had uneven power distribution across the 12V lines. The thermal imaging camera showed that two cables were heating up significantly more than the others, with the power supply connector side reaching temperatures of 150°C during Furmark’s testing.
Screenshot with fixation over 150°C / Der8auerAt least one cable passes more than 22 A, i.e. more than 260 W through one cable. This cable usually only has to transmit 5-6 A.
Der8auer’s video has generated a lot of discussion. Some observers and companies, like Falcon Northwest, have tested several systems in different configurations and have not seen this problem. They also provided images from thermal cameras and their own power meters.
HUGE respect for @der8auer ‘s testing, but we’re not seeing anything like his setup’s results.
We tested many 5090 Founder’s builds with multiple PSU & cable types undergoing days of closed chassis burn-in.
Temps (images in F) & amperages on all 12 wires are nominal. pic.twitter.com/oDPIUSjOOf— Falcon Northwest (@FalconNW) February 11, 2025
It is unclear how widespread this problem is. A recently reported case of cable melting confirmed the problem with «native» cable of the same PSU model (beQuiet?). Many people complain about cables from dubious manufacturers, but the PSU cable should work fine…
What’s wrong with video cards?
Early testing of the RTX 5090 seems to have shown some inconsistencies in power distribution. According to hardware reviewer Andreas Schilling, initial tests showed uneven power distribution on the RTX 5090, but a second test showed more balanced results. Some graphics cards, like the Aorus RTX 5090 Master, seem to have a more even power distribution than others.
Did a reseat of the cable on both sides (PSU and card) with the GeForce RTX 5090 FE. Now with a perfect fine distribution over all six cables/pins.
– Pin 1: 8,1 A
– Pin 2: 7,7 A
– Pin 3: 7,4 A
– Pin 4: 7,6 A
– Pin 5: 7,2 A
– Pin 6: 7,8 A https://t.co/Qis57jtj7i— Andreas Schilling 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@aschilling) February 11, 2025
The reduced number of shunt resistors on the board means that it does not control the even distribution of power across all six 12V cables. Neither the video card nor the power supply will «know» if any of the cables are faulty. This is especially true for third-party products. Some RTX 5090 cards have two, but the Founder Edition card seems to have a single resistor, so all 6 cables actually appear to be one wire.
Source: VideoCardz
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