RTX 5090 fails with DLSS 5 after 48 hours for Chinese streamer

NVIDIA's RTX series introduced Tensor Cores, enabling technologies like DLSS. Early DLSS versions offered a noticeable drop in image quality compared to native resolution. DLSS 2 brought significant improvements, and DLSS 3 achieved parity or even superiority over native rendering. DLSS 4 continued this progress with its 4.5 Transformer update. Now, with DLSS 5's release, its substantial resource demands are evident. While some users may struggle to run it, one Chinese streamer encountered a more drastic issue: a purchased RTX 5090 failed after only 48 hours of use, shortly after he acquired two PCs equipped with these GPUs for streaming and gaming.

Initial demonstrations of DLSS 5 did not garner much attention and faced criticism. Videos featuring Grace's face in Resident Evil Requiem became a meme. However, as a preliminary version of the technology leaked, sentiment began to shift. While critiques regarding visual appearance persisted, there was a notable increase in acceptance and interest.

Streamer's dual RTX 5090 setup suffers a GPU failure with DLSS 5

Activating DLSS 5 significantly reduces FPS. Performance can drop to half or even a third of what was achieved without the technology. The exact impact depends on the graphics card, game, resolution, and graphical settings. Even an RTX 5090 shows a performance decrease. The RTX 5090, the most powerful and expensive gaming graphics card, costs well over 4,000 euros. A Chinese streamer, Chuhe, purchased two PCs with this GPU, costing approximately 29,805 dollars – a price comparable to a down payment on a house.

He viewed this as a worthwhile investment to showcase games running with DLSS 5 in his streams. Unfortunately, he experienced a common issue: one of his RTX 5090s failed. The PC restarted and wouldn't boot again. Upon inspection, the 16-pin connector on one of the graphics cards had melted. This failure occurred within two days of purchase.

DLSS 5 linked to increased connector temperatures due to higher power draw

The streaming community reacted with jokes about the streamer's misfortune, with many blaming DLSS 5. As previously discussed, DLSS 5's increased resource utilization leads to higher GPU power consumption, adding a significant load. In some cases, it can draw an additional 100 to 150W. Previous reports indicated that this could raise connector temperatures by over 10°C, which is substantial enough to cause melting.

The streamer's power supply was not the issue; he used an ASUS Thor 1600W, which is more than sufficient for these GPUs. For users with RTX 5090 cards, it is advisable to use software like MSI Afterburner or MVolt+ to monitor and adjust voltage and frequency. Applying an undervolt and power limit can help prevent such issues.