Why it matters: Burning and melting power connectors have plagued Nvidia's enthusiast-class graphics cards for years – even switching to the new, safer cable standard hasn't resolved the issue. Seasonic is devising a solution that won't attack the problem at its source but might help users avoid its worst consequences.
Seasonic showcased a new power supply design at its Computex booth featuring additional safety measures against melting or burning graphics card power cables. As manufacturers release increasingly power-hungry high-end components, monitoring tools and other safeguards might become more prominent.
According to Tom's Hardware, which attended the company's demonstration, Seasonic is designing an external device that allows users to monitor the status of their GPU power cables. The mechanism will enable power distribution tracking while using a GPU and issue warnings when detecting imbalances.
Furthermore, it can alert users and automatically shut down a system if temperatures exceed safety limits to prevent permanent damage. Although such a drastic measure might risk losing users' work and data, it's probably preferable to ruining a graphics card costing thousands of dollars.
The new design is a response to persistent reports of damaged power cables impacting Nvidia's RTX 4090 and 5090 GPUs, which can draw up to 600W. Although the company initially blamed improperly connected power cables, cases haven't ceased despite the adoption of updated 12V-2x6 connectors.
Reports usually describe cables burning at the end connected to the graphics card, but they sometimes also involve melting or burning on the PSU end. Analysis from testers like Der8auer indicates that operating an RTX 5090 can sometimes increase cable temperatures beyond 150°C. Furthermore, power distribution between the wires can become uneven.
While these cases are more common with older 12VHPWR cables used with the RTX 4090, 5090s using 12V-2x6 aren't foolproof, and at least one incident has impacted the 5080. Adapters for connecting newer components to older PSUs are a common but not universal factor.
Seasonic's next-generation Prime-series PSUs featuring the new safety measures are expected to become available in the first quarter of 2026, but pricing remains unclear. While the new design doesn't address the core problem of excessive and unstable power delivery, additional warnings and monitoring tools can still benefit users.
Cableless Back to the Future (BTF) power connections are the most prominent proposed solution. Asus has recently tested prototype motherboards that can supply power directly to compatible GPUs, but whether the format will gain traction remains to be seen.
Seasonic's upcoming PSUs aim to stop melting GPU power cables
