A Troubling Pattern Emerges for AMD’s High-End GPU
A worrying trend that first affected NVIDIA’s highest-performance graphics cards appears to be impacting the AMD side as well. For the third time, a high-end Radeon RX 9070 XT has been reported with a melted power connector. This latest incident marks the second time the issue has struck a model from Sapphire, one of AMD’s premier board partners.
The problem revolves around the 12V-2×6 power connector, the newer design intended to replace the older 8-pin connectors. Interestingly, on the AMD side, only two manufacturers—Sapphire and ASRock—opted to use this connector on their custom Radeon RX 9070 XT models. This means the issue is concentrated on a small subset of cards, but the recurrence is causing significant concern among owners.
The Latest Incident: Black Screens and a Burnt Connector
The new report comes from a Reddit user who owns a Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 9070 XT. The user described that the graphics card began causing random black screens during heavy loads, requiring a hard reboot of the entire system to recover.
Upon inspection, the owner found visible burn marks on the card’s 12V-2×6 power connector. While the system still powers on, the symptoms strongly point to damage at the connection point, likely caused by heat buildup that has degraded or partially melted the contacts. This kind of failure often starts subtly with minor instability before progressing to more frequent crashes and visible damage.
A Slow-Moving Problem and Warranty Complications
This incident is particularly notable because the RX 9070 XT launched eight months ago. This suggests that such failures may be a slow-maturing problem, where thermal cycling—the repeated expansion and contraction from heating up and cooling down—and minor imperfections in the connection gradually worsen over time.
Also, Read
- AMD Officially Moves Popular RX 6000 and RX 5000 GPUs to “Maintenance Mode”
- Another MSI RTX 5090 Down in Flames” – User Reports $3,000 GPU Destroyed by Melted Power Connector
- Repair Expert Warns Against Modifying NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 Founders Edition
Compounding the problem for this specific owner is the matter of the warranty. The user received the card as a gift, and Sapphire has requested a purchase receipt to process the Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA). This highlights a potential pitfall for the secondary market and gift recipients, as the lack of a proof of purchase could jeopardize coverage for a very expensive component. For all high-end GPU owners, this serves as a reminder to ensure their power connections are fully seated and to be vigilant for any signs of instability.
Source: ProfessionalHost3913