ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Catches Fire While Browsing, Raising Further Concerns About GPU Reliability
The GeForce RTX 5090 series continues to face serious hardware concerns, with the latest incident involving a high-end ASUS ROG Astral edition catching fire—not while gaming, but while simply browsing websites. This alarming event follows reports of melting 12-pin power connectors, black screens, missing ROPs, and capacitor failures, adding to the growing list of issues plaguing NVIDIA’s flagship Blackwell GPU lineup.
High-End ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 Catches Fire
A Reddit user recently reported that their ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 unexpectedly caught fire while using their PC for light tasks. According to their post, the system shut down suddenly, and upon restarting, the GPU ignited, causing visible burn damage to both the PCB of the card and the motherboard chipset heatsink. Unlike standard RTX 5090 models, the Astral edition is a premium variant from ASUS, known for its advanced cooling, higher power delivery, and a significant price premium over the base models. The fact that such a high-end card suffered catastrophic failure outside of heavy workloads is concerning for both gamers and enthusiasts.
Power Phase Failure Identified as the Cause
Initially, speculation pointed to Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) failure, which is used for stability and power regulation in GPUs. However, hardware analyst Buildzoid has examined the case and confirmed that this was not an MLCC-related issue. Instead, the fire was likely caused by a VRM power phase failure.
Unlike electrolytic capacitors, which can explode under excessive heat, MLCCs typically crack when exposed to overheating or electrical surges, leaving distinct burn marks around them. In this case, however, the power phase failure in the VRM section resulted in the destruction of critical components, leading to spontaneous ignition.
Expanding Issues with the RTX 5090
This incident adds another failure point to the RTX 5090’s growing list of problems, which now includes:
Melting 12-pin connectors – Power delivery issues have led to GPU connectors overheating and melting.
Black screens – Users have reported sudden display failures, requiring system reboots.
Missing ROPs – Reports indicate that some RTX 5090 units have defective rendering output pipelines (ROPs), affecting performance and stability.
Burning capacitors and power phase failures – Now confirmed as a major hardware concern affecting even high-end AIB models.
Poor availability – RTX 5090 supply shortages have made it difficult to purchase, despite the mounting reliability concerns.
Industry Reactions and Investigations
Tech outlet Gamers Nexus has requested the damaged GPU for further analysis, suggesting that a deeper investigation may be needed to fully understand the extent of these issues. With multiple independent failures affecting the RTX 5090 series, it is becoming increasingly evident that NVIDIA's launch may have been rushed, potentially leading to serious quality control lapses.
Competitive Pressure from AMD’s Upcoming RX 9070 Series
As NVIDIA grapples with these hardware failures, AMD's Radeon RX 9070 series is set to launch soon, adding further pressure on Team Green’s consumer GPU division. If AMD can deliver reliable high-end performance with its upcoming RDNA 4 GPUs, NVIDIA may find itself struggling to maintain dominance in the premium GPU market.
Final Thoughts: Is the RTX 5090 Becoming a Risky Investment?
With mounting hardware issues, concerns over power delivery, overheating, and GPU failures, the RTX 5090 no longer looks like the reliable flagship gamers expected. Whether NVIDIA addresses these problems through firmware updates, revised hardware, or recalls remains to be seen.
Would you still consider purchasing an RTX 5090, or are these issues making you reconsider? Share your thoughts in the comments!
