One of the most premium GeForce RTX 5090 variants, the ASUS ROG Astral, was reportedly damaged when it caught fire while browsing websites.
After Melting Connectors, Power Phase Failure on RTX 5090 Spark Fear Among Gamers; Highest-End AIB Model Becomes A Victim
The GeForce RTX 5090 horror stories keep growing by the day. After reports of melting 12-pin power connectors, now users are facing another problem, which seems even more awful. A user on Reddit just reported that he got a 'burnt' GeForce RTX 5090 GPU after using his PC.
Apparently, the card didn't burn while it was playing games, but only after the user ended his sessions and browsed some websites. To be specific, this wasn't a regular RTX 5090 like the Founders Edition or a base edition from an AIB, but a premium ASTRAL RTX 5090 edition from ASUS that costs an arm and a leg.
As per the user, as he browsed some websites, his PC shut down unexpectedly and after restarting, the GPU caught fire. As you can see in the images, the PCB on the GPU is clearly burnt and left a mark on the chipset heatsink on the motherboard. This was near to the PCI-E interface and while we initially thought it was due to the Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) used for stable performance and better reliability, it was possibly due to power phase failure.
Unlike the electrolytic capacitors, the MLCCs do not usually explode, but they can definitely crack as a result of overheating, leaving burn marks around them. But since Buildzoid has investigated the issue, this is a case of a power phase failure. So, a VRM issue and not the MLCC.
This isn't normal, at least on an expensive card like ASTRAL GeForce RTX 5090. What exactly is going on with this series in particular is mind-boggling. Apart from 12-pin connector melting issues, this event is also due for investigation. Gamers Nexus has asked the user to send him the GPU, but we might need more than one guy for comprehensive testing as things have become quite complex.
Including the burning capacitor, the issues related to RTX 5090 now total to five:
- Melting 12-pin connector
- Black Screen
- Missing ROPs
- Burning Capacitor
- Poor availability (this one is serious)
Talk about NVIDIA messing up the release of its flagship RTX Blackwell GPU. Well, things aren't looking too good for Team Green's consumer GPU venture, and given that AMD's RX 9070 series is right around the corner, the competition is only going up from here.
News Source: Reddit
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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