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Hero cat saves owner as PC starts burning from NVIDIA RTX 4090 meltdown (www.dexerto.com)
submitted 22 hours ago by geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.ml
8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The story originally surfaced on a Taiwanese forum similar to Reddit, before being picked up by tech outlets.

“When I was squatting in the toilet, I suddenly heard the cat keep screaming, and when I opened the door, I saw the smoke and smell of plastic,” the user explained.

While the cat’s alert likely prevented a worse outcome, the incident highlights an issue that has followed NVIDIA’s flagship GPU since launch.

The RTX 4090 has been plagued by reports of its 16-pin 12VHPWR power connectors overheating or melting under certain conditions. Investigations previously suggested that improper cable seating or uneven power distribution across pins could lead to dangerous heat buildup.

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[-] terabyterex@lemmy.world 21 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

I once again return to my soap box. The psu is the most important part of your computer build. So many people build computers and say "power is power" but so many crashes and it seems even fires (this one ia new to me) can be related to bad power management. Spend the money on the good psu.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 23 points 17 hours ago

i agree but isn't the 4090 thing caused by a badly designed connector by nvidia?

[-] rolandtb303@lemmy.ml 6 points 14 hours ago

yeah i recall that the connector would melt, let alone that i think there wouldn't be any sort of feedback to ensure that the cable was connected all the way.

[-] sakuraba@lemmy.ml 4 points 12 hours ago

this was not the case, but it is important to know this

i always use an external voltage regulator box too, it's been a must for me since the 90s

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 hours ago

you mean like a power conditioner?

[-] sakuraba@lemmy.ml 4 points 7 hours ago

i think so, sorry if there is misunderstanding, 'voltage regulator' is just the literal translation i could make from how we say it in spanish

[-] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 hours ago

So would an UPS fulfill this role?

[-] Blemgo@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago

Not only that, but a cheap PSU can also fry your other PC parts due to power surges when it breaks.

this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2026
57 points (98.3% liked)

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