Explosive Failure: PNY RTX 5090 Capacitor Causes Heatsink to Bend

Instances of graphics cards exploding are exceedingly uncommon, yet the GeForce RTX 5090 has recently become the center of attention due to such a shocking event.

Violent Capacitor Explosion in PNY GeForce RTX 5090 ARGB OC Affects Heatsink

From melting 16-pin connectors to burnt memory VRMs, the GeForce RTX 5090 seems to be plagued by several alarming failures. However, an incident involving a capacitor explosion has surfaced, a situation that is rarely reported in the world of high-performance graphics cards. A user on Reddit shared his harrowing experience of witnessing this explosive failure while working on a video edit at night. Despite keeping his GPU temperature below 70 degrees Celsius, everything changed in an instant with a loud bang from his PC.

I was working on a video edit at 2AM when a firecracker went off next to me. I jumped out of my chair it was so loud. The screen went black, sparks and smoke poured out of the case, and the smell of electrical fire filled the room.

– u/RoboDogRush

Investigation into the incident revealed that the explosion emanated from a capacitor located near the 16-pin power connector, resulting in the bending of nearby heatsink fins. The user provided details of his setup, which included a Super Flower Leadex III 1300W 80+ Gold PSU, linked to the graphics card via the recommended 12VHPWR power cable.

Close-up of a computer graphics card showing cooling fins and power connector detail. — Explosion results in bending of heatsink fins near the capacitor, Image Credit: reddit

Notably, the 16-pin connector itself appeared undamaged, suggesting the fault lay elsewhere. The catastrophic failure of the capacitor raises concerns about the quality of components used by PNY, especially considering that NVIDIA only provides the GPU chip and VRAM while PNY is responsible for the rest of the card’s design and assembly. This incident could point to either a defective capacitor or substandard soldering practices.

Close-up of an electric razor's inner mechanism showing intricate metal components and wiring. — Explosion could have been due to poor quality capacitor or poor soldering, Image Credit: reddit

Fortunately, the user received an RMA approval for the malfunctioning card, but this disturbing incident raises critical questions regarding the overall component quality in PNY’s graphics cards. A flagship model priced over $2000 should not have such disastrous issues. Some in the community suggested that a direct thermal contact between the capacitor and heatsink could have exacerbated the problem, where the latter might transfer excessive heat to the capacitor leading to its premature failure.

Regardless of the cause, it is imperative for PNY to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. While the 16-pin connector melting is frequently reported, the exploding capacitor adds another layer of concern. As PNY’s other RTX 5090 models share a similar design, we await updates on the findings of this troubling situation.

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