It was bound to happen since the GPU was already showing weird behavior, and with two 16-pin connectors, the GPU just got two holes in it.
Frame Chasers Shunt-Mods and Adds Another 12V-2x6 Connector on the GIGABYTE RTX 5090; Overheating PCB Ends up with Holes
Modding is a risky business, particularly with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Many modders and enthusiast overclockers have been going crazy to ensure their GPUs can pull as much power as possible to push the card beyond its potential. While shunt-modding has been one of the major workarounds to increase the power limit to the RTX 5090, adding another power connector further helps in drawing more power safely instead of using a single 16-pin power connector.
Frame Chasers recently tried to do the same and added a second 12V-2x6 power connector on his GIGABYTE RTX 5090's PCB. Some GIGABYTE RTX 5090 cards already have the PCB footprint for adding another 12V-2x6 connector somewhere around the right side of the PCB. Frame Chasers not only added the second connector to it, but also shunt-modded the GPU to pull more power.
The GPU worked fine with this configuration, but some issues could have led to the horrible burning of the PCB, which resulted in holes. Frame Chasers says that it already had a bug that couldn't get the GPU's fan spinning despite a burning hot PCB and GPU, which could have resulted in such a disaster. When this happened, the PC was at idle, but the GPU was set to Performance mode in the NVIDIA control panel, which puts it in a 3D mode all the time. Despite having it in the idle mode, the GPU was already pulling more power due to the shunt mod, and its fans didn't even start to spin.
As we can see from the video, two holes were burned through the PCB, and one capacitor was blown off from its position due to the immense heat. Nonetheless, the GPU chip and the VRAM appear to be safe from the damage and could be ripped off and installed on another PCB if he can manage one. Frame Chasers has sent this dead RTX 5090 to the popular PC hardware repair expert, NorthWestRepair, who can perform this installation.
News Sources: Frame Chasers, @unikoshardware
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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