#NVIDIA consciously simplified the RTX 4090 power input circuitry to remove a safety feature that existed in the RTX 3090. In the 3090, two wires would get combined to one, and there were three separate power shunts. Any problem in the power delivery would lead to the card shutting down.
In the 4090, all six 12V lines combine to a single terminal, which is then power-shunted as one. Any problem in the individual wires or connector pins will not be noticed. If there is a power delivery problem, the remaining connections will take the load and melt or catch fire. RTX 4090 cards have been melting connectors regularly.
So, RTX 5090 is now available. The cards are several thousand dollars/euros. They also omit this RTX 3090 security feature that likely cost a maximum of a couple of euros/dollars to add.
- 12VHPWR on RTX 5090 is Extremely Concerning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndmoi1s0ZaY
- How Nvidia made the 12VHPWR connector even worse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb5YzMoVQyw
- RTX 5090 Power Connectors Are Melting... Again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e569djy75vE
