Has the "RTX4090" started smoking again? This time, the cat really noticed it first.

When I came across this news on the subway, my first reaction was a chill down my spine. As a casual gamer, what I fear most isn’t frame drops, but my machine suddenly going wrong. A game can wait until tomorrow, but once a PC starts smoking, that kind of stress hits instantly.

Recently, a hardware forum reported a case of an NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics card burning out. The model involved was the MSI RTX 4090 Gaming Trio. The user bought the card in October 2022, and the PC was paired with an FSP HPT2-1000M power supply. More importantly, it was using a direct cable connection rather than the adapter cables people often talk about, which makes the whole thing even more unsettling.

According to the user, he was in the bathroom at the time, and only realized something was wrong because his cat kept meowing. When he came out to check, the computer was already smoking, with a strong smell of burnt plastic. It’s such an easy scene to imagine—like turning around after boiling noodles and finding the pot already scorched—except this time, it was hardware worth tens of thousands.

What makes it worse is that when the smoke started coming out, the computer was still running, but it could no longer shut down normally. The user said that neither the hardware monitoring software nor the power button worked, and in the end he had no choice but to unplug it directly from the wall. That kind of situation is honestly terrifying, because you think you still have some room to act, only to realize the system is no longer responding at all.

From the photos, there are already obvious burn marks around the power connector on the graphics card side. Reportedly, the PSU side did not melt, but the cable had already turned black and could no longer be removed from the card. The user also specifically noted that he regularly checks the connection status, and before the incident the cable was firmly connected and not bent, which makes the common suspicion of “was it not plugged in properly?” much less convincing in this case.

Another reason this kind of news blows up so easily is not just because the 4090 is expensive, but because it represents high-end users’ expectations for stability. When you pay flagship money, what you’re really buying is peace of mind. If you still have to check the connector from time to time like you’re looking after a rice cooker, that experience is genuinely unpleasant. The user has already applied for after-sales service, and how it will ultimately be determined still depends on the outcome of the investigation.

If you’re also a PC gamer, my advice is pretty straightforward. First, don’t assume a direct cable connection is automatically foolproof—regularly checking the connector, noticing unusual smells, and watching for temperature changes is still necessary. Second, try not to leave the machine unattended for long periods while it’s running, especially under heavy load. And one more thing: if something abnormal happens, don’t keep trying to reboot it—cutting the power safely should be the priority.

From the discussions in the gaming community, what people care about most now is no longer a single brand, but whether there are still hidden risks in the entire power delivery design of high-wattage graphics cards. For someone like me, who just wants to relax and play quietly for a while after work, no amount of performance is as comforting as stability. To put it bluntly, I can tolerate game stutter, but a smoking PC is something I absolutely can’t.