The DLSS 5 neural filter created an unprecedented computational load on the graphics card, resulting in the first documented hardware incident. A reader of the VideoCardz portal who goes by the nickname erek reported that the 16-pin power connector on the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC graphics card melted while testing DLSS 5 Neural Rendering in the NBA 2K27 basketball emulator.
Before neural rendering is enabled, the power consumption of the in-game graphics accelerator is around a typical 450 W. However, the graphics card’s power consumption jumped significantly to the 600 W mark after launching DLSS 5, despite the manufacturer limiting the power consumption of the MSI model to 575 W. According to screenshots from the monitoring utility GPU-Z, the total peak power consumption of this motherboard is 613.5 W. The user emphasized that the power consumption of the graphics card has remained above 610W for a long time, and there has been no short-term peak.
Shortly after the pressure was loaded, the graphics card suddenly shut down and the user felt a strong burning smell. The high temperature caused the plastic casing of the 12V-2×6 plug to melt and solder to the mating socket on the printed circuit board, leaving signs of severe thermal damage to the power contacts.
