A Growing Concern for High-End AMD RX 9070 XT GPU Owners
A troubling pattern appears to be developing for owners of a specific high-end graphics card. For the third time in just two months, a Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+ GPU has been reported with visible burn damage on its 12V-2×6 power connector. This repeated issue with the same model from a premier AMD partner is raising alarms within the PC building community about the long-term reliability of these power connections, even on cards with more moderate power demands.
The latest report comes from a Reddit user who shared images of the damaged connector on their Sapphire card. The photos clearly show burn marks specifically on the pins responsible for carrying electrical current. While a full meltdown has not occurred, the damage is significant and would have likely caused system instability, such as black screens or random shutdowns, before being discovered.
The Common Thread: The Blue-Tipped Adapter
All three reported cases have involved Sapphire’s NITRO+ models, which use a distinctive blue-tipped power adapter to connect to the newer 12V-2×6 standard. This adapter is part of Sapphire’s “hidden power” design, which aims for a cleaner aesthetic by tucking the cable connection away.
To its credit, Sapphire included a special heatsink cover on this connector, but as the reports indicate, this appears to be more for physical protection against cable cuts than a solution for thermal issues arising from the connection point itself. The recurring problem suggests that the high electrical current passing through the connector, even at the RX 9070 XT’s ~300W power draw, may be causing gradual degradation and heat buildup at the pin contacts.
What This Means for Owners and the Industry
This situation is particularly noteworthy because the RX 9070 XT consumes significantly less power than flagship cards from competitors, which have been at the center of similar controversies. The fact that these issues are appearing on a 300W GPU suggests that the problem may not be solely about extreme power loads, but also about the fundamental design and reliability of the connector and its integration into specific card models.
Also, Read
- Another High-End AMD RX 9070 XT GPU Suffers Melted Power Connector, Marking Third Known Case
- AMD Reverses Course, Says Older Radeon RX 5000 and 6000 GPUs Will Still Get Game Optimizations
- Repair Expert Warns Against Modifying NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 Founders Edition
For owners of these cards, this trend is a clear warning to be vigilant. Symptoms like sudden black screens under load, a smell of melting plastic, or system crashes should prompt an immediate inspection of the power connection. Furthermore, the RMA process may not be seamless; in one of the previous cases, Sapphire approved the warranty claim but did not cover the cost of shipping, adding an extra burden to the owner of a faulty premium product. As more time passes, it remains to be seen if this is a limited batch issue or a more widespread design flaw.
Source: Reddit