When it comes to melting power connectors, we are used to seeing the latest 12VHPWR or 12V-2x6 power connectors melting on modern NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards that use them. However, a new case has come up where three 8-pin power connectors have melted on a Thermal Grizzly Wireview paired to an RX 7900 XTX. Awareness Hour 9192 on Reddit was the victim of the melting disaster and shared images on the PC Builder subreddit of the power connectors being visibly burned that were connected directly to the GPU.
The victim reports that the melting issues were not immediately apparent. Before the issue was discovered, the Redditor notes that they were having "extreme problems" with their PC, to the point where the system was freezing and displaying a black screen constantly. Later, they took the computer to a repair shop that ran several tests on the system and reinstalled Windows, but supposedly "couldn't find any errors" on the machine. After taking the system home, the PC started crashing again; the Redditor realized they hadn't re-seated the graphics card yet, which finally led to the discovery of the burned power connector.
Luckily for the victim, Thermal Grizzly has already made contact with them and requested they contact their support staff through email to get a better look at the problem and "find a solution". Thermal Grizzly noted in their response that loose connectors could possibly be the issue, but the Redditor verified that all of the connectors were properly inserted and were "quite tight".
- Read more: Thermal Grizzly's WireView PRO II will shut down your PC to prevent GPU cables melting
- Read more: Club386 is the latest victim of melted 12V-2x6 cable connectors, RTX 5090 and PSU both damaged
- Read more: Another RTX 5090 power connector melted, and even ASRock TempGuard failed to save this one
The 3x8-pin Thermal Grizzly Wireview is a monitoring tool designed to monitor power consumption at the GPU's power connectors directly, and provides more accurate data compared to software-based solutions that monitor power from sensors on the GPU itself. However, unlike its Pro counterpart, the 3x8-pin Wireview device only monitors power and won't shut off the PC if issues occur with the graphics card's power cables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open a question for an answer from TweakTown's coverage of this news, or ask your own below.
What could cause the 8-pin connectors on a Thermal Grizzly Wireview to melt when used with an RX 7900 XTX?
Does the 3x8-pin Wireview only monitor power, or can it also shut the PC down if a power problem is detected?
Could the RX 7900 XTX itself be damaged by a melted Wireview connector, or only the monitoring device?
What signs might appear before an 8-pin connector on a Wireview starts failing, like freezes or black screens?
Have a question that isn't listed here? Ask below, and TweakBot will answer it.
It is extremely rare for an 8-pin power connector to melt, but it is not impossible for this to happen, especially if there is a manufacturing defect with the plug. Luckily, it appears the RX 7900 XTX was not damaged by the Wireview device, as the Redditor noted they were able to play games on the PC without the Wireview device connected.
