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Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

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Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#421

Post by ProllyInfamous »

anankaie wrote: post #188
tass wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also 20 amp circuits which are common. Many houses run circuits that are rated for 20 amps even if they don't have the right outlet for it so this is an inexpensive upgrade for most.

I did not realize the outlet impacts the amperage… Is it a rating issue, or is there an actual part there that will trip?

Retired electrician's comments:

Most of the US utilizes the NEC for installation compliance. Per NEC, 15A-style outlets are "to code" on 20A circuits unless a single recepticle ("dedicated") circuit — in which case a 20A-style recepticle MUST be installed.

For any electric appliance (including computers) which operates for 3hrs+ ("continuously"), the circuit rating is reduced to 80% capacity (e.g. only 16A load allowed continuously on a "20A circuit" == only 1920W computers allowed on 20A circuit, 1440W on 12A).

Pro tip: check your own PSU, but practically all modern computers can handle AC input 100-240V (all you need is the correct IEC power cord for a 240 US plug).

I have fixed enough melted devices in my career to always twice-torque each&every connection I make. For temporary extension cords/plugs, "twist lock" ends are worth all the extra dollars.

Protips: use Eeez-Ox (a conductive paste which inhibits corrosion) for high-load applications (non-data, only). My own gamerig's AMD GPU has it (sparingly applied) within its dual 8-pin connectors. I supply the 8-pin connectors from a single pair of 8awg copper, which is directly soldered within the PSU's PCB power-take-offs... so only a few inches of 16awg for voltage drop (into the GPU), which reduces the amperage required (but is also unnecessary overkill).

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#423

Post by smallmancontrov »

ckozlowski wrote: post #379
exmadscientist wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the overall mechanism used to make an electrical connection - which hasn't changed much in 30+ years - is probably due for a complete rethink. There are tons of high-power connectors out there, and they look and work pretty much the same as the current ones (to the untrained eye). They are just more expensive. Though at 40A+ you tend to see more "banana" type connectors, with a cylindrical piece that has sl…

> There are tons of high-power connectors out there, and they look and work pretty much the same as the current ones (to the untrained eye). They are just more expensive. That's fair, so maybe not a complete rethink then. But definately a higher standard of quality. Right now, my experience with any of those molex type connectors (be it a 4 pin HDD connector or 8 pin EATX 12V or PCI-e somethingorother) is that they r…

Those molex clones were out of spec.

Both male and female terminals are supposed to be retained in the plastic housing by little wings (locking tangs) that are very strong. The metal bits can wiggle in the plastic housing (feature not a bug -- something has to absorb the tolerances) but not retract, not without an extractor tool or an extreme amount of force sufficient to tear apart or fold the metal contact. Anyone who has tried to extract one of the terminals without the correct extractor tool can attest to just how much force this is. It's a lot, and the specs are also such that you should never get a metal pin tip meeting a metal edge if the plastic bits are engaged.

Of course, shitty out-of-spec molex clones abound. I have no doubt you saw what you saw, I'm coming to the defense of the specified design, which is ingenious and works extremely well at extremely low cost and loose tolerances when implemented correctly.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#424

Post by zymhan »

MBCook wrote: post #398
shawnz wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the proposal here, just convince everyone to stop demanding more powerful hardware?

Stop and try again? Either you’re not going to get a choice, or you’ll need a 240v three phase outlet installed and possibly an expanded electrical panel. Nvidia has been all about “as fast as possible, no compromise” for a very long time now. So was Intel, until the Pentium 4 forced a big reset. At a certain point this stuff is just totally untenable. Throw more amps at it stops being workable. Apple seems to be abl…

> I have the impression Intel is doing the same, though I’m less sure on that one.

That may be true on the low-power end of their lineup, but certainly not for the high end i9 chips. Those will increase the power budget for minuscule performance gains.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#426

Post by bunabhucan »

ddalex wrote: post #165
xg15 wrote: post #162

At this point, I'm waiting for the first RTX generation that just comes with its own separate PSU and wall plug cable.

People are hooking air con units to liquid GPU coolers https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/liquid-cooling/rt...

To get a video card during lockdown someone gave me an invite to a micro center fan discord where people would post timely photos of what was on the shelves. They would also post photos of their crazy hardware, one of which was an air conditioner duct window insert feeding outdoor air to cool the GPUs (mining rig) and exhausting the hot air into a grow tent.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#427

Post by bufferoverflow »

MBCook wrote: post #398
shawnz wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the proposal here, just convince everyone to stop demanding more powerful hardware?

Stop and try again? Either you’re not going to get a choice, or you’ll need a 240v three phase outlet installed and possibly an expanded electrical panel. Nvidia has been all about “as fast as possible, no compromise” for a very long time now. So was Intel, until the Pentium 4 forced a big reset. At a certain point this stuff is just totally untenable. Throw more amps at it stops being workable. Apple seems to be abl…

Don't be ridiculous. Nobody is going to stop anything. If the only way to scale up is to build more and more power-hungry hardware, that's where the market will go. Even if some GPU of the future consumes 10kW, it's still just $1.5 per hour. Which is a lot cheaper than most other forms of entertainment.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#428

Post by _carbyau_ »

rollcat wrote: post #359
_carbyau_ wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take a step back, perspectively. 1. People want their desktop computers to be fast. These are not made to be portable battery sippers. Moar powa!!! 2. People have a powerpoint at the wall to plug their appliances into. Ergo, desktop computers will tend towards 2000w+ devices. "Insane!" you may cry. But a look at the history of car manufacture suggests that the market will dictate the trend. And in similar fashion, yo…

Well exactly my point. I'm "still" using an M1 Mac mini as my daily driver. 6W idle. In a desktop. It is crazy fast compared to the Intel Macs of the year before, but the writing was already on the wall: this is the new low-end, the entry level. Still? It runs Baldur's Gate 3. Not smoothly, but it's playable. I don't have an M4 Pro Max Ultra Plus around to compare the apples to apples, but I'd expect both perf and pe…

I imagine it's using more than 6w to play Baldurs Gate 3 but still, I get that it is far more efficient for the work being done. I'm a bit irked that my desktop idles at 35w. But then I recall growing up with 60w light bulbs as the default room lighting...

But other people will look at that and say "Not smooth = unplayable. If you can do so much with 100w or less, then lets dial that up to 2000w and make my eyes bleed!"

We're not the ones pushing the limits of the market it seems.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#429

Post by xquce »

parineum wrote: post #415
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's true, but to be fair, by the hardware the 5080 is really more of a 70 series cared in previous gens. I was just thinking of the insane top end of the 90 series.

> 5080 is really more of a 70 series Oft repeated, never explained. The numbers don't really mean anything and never have. 5080 is faster than the 5070 is faster than the 5060. That's what the number means. The performance gap between tiers isn't and has never been constant.

Often explained, always ignored

https://youtu.be/J72Gfh5mfTk

Everyone who cares to know about generational improvements have indeed compared performance between tiers. No they have never been conctant but the "best" generations clearly had better segmented tiers in their generation compared to prior. Adding "fake" frames to say the 5070 has the performance of the 4090 like Jensen, tells you even Nvidia do this comparison.

Re: Nvidia's RTX 5090 power connectors are melting

#430

Post by cameronh90 »

MBCook wrote: post #398
shawnz wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the proposal here, just convince everyone to stop demanding more powerful hardware?

Stop and try again? Either you’re not going to get a choice, or you’ll need a 240v three phase outlet installed and possibly an expanded electrical panel. Nvidia has been all about “as fast as possible, no compromise” for a very long time now. So was Intel, until the Pentium 4 forced a big reset. At a certain point this stuff is just totally untenable. Throw more amps at it stops being workable. Apple seems to be abl…

If GPUs requiring 2kW PSUs do become reality, at least us Europeans would have something new to flaunt over the US, along with our fast boil electric kettles.
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