As it's Halloween, here's a jump scare for PC hardware enthusiasts: Meltgate!
See, I knew you'd be terrified. Yes, the 12VHPWR and 12V-2X6 connections have been a source of anxiety for many of us since their introduction, as we're still seeing reports of the odd melting incident. Thermal Grizzly says it has the answer for 12V-2X6 connectors, however, as its WireView Pro II monitoring device is designed to keep an eye on every individual pin to check for potential contact issues.
Still, even some well-installed connectors have been reported as exceeding temperatures and melting pins, so it's certainly worth considering if you'd like some extra insurance strapped to your graphics card. The device is currently in the second batch of its pre-order phase, which means if you order now, it likely won't arrive until the end of January, next year.
That's not too far away, though, and while your connector will have to make do on its own until then (do give it a double-check to make sure it's seated properly, if you haven't already), it's sometimes better to be safe than sorry.
Or, alternatively, you could pick up an Ampinel, a similar device that goes one step further and actively distributes loads across the connector to ensure that no single pin is overloaded.
A small industry seems to be popping up around the ashes (sorry) of meltgate, so you've now got options to consider if the thought of your GPU connection going up in smoke keeps you awake at night. Now I think about it, my Halloween costume this year really should have been a melted RTX 5090. Sigh. Someone remind me before Halloween 2026.
1. Best overall: AMD Radeon RX 9070
2. Best value: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB
3. Best budget: Intel Arc B570
4. Best mid-range: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
5. Best high-end: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090
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