Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Yes—one gamer reported that a Zotac GeForce RTX 5090 AMP Extreme in an NZXT prebuilt caught fire while he was playing the Battlefield 6 open beta. The reported damage was serious, but the cause has not been publicly confirmed. The account does not show that Battlefield 6 caused the fire or that RTX 5090 cards have a widespread fire problem.

What happened in the reported incident?

Tom’s Hardware reported on 12 August 2025 that a Taiwanese forum user, york4517, said his store-bought NZXT prebuilt caught fire during the Battlefield 6 open beta. The system contained a Zotac GeForce RTX 5090 AMP Extreme. The owner said the screen froze, then he saw flames and smelled burning. OC3D dated the incident to the evening of 10 August 2025 and reproduced the owner’s account: OC3D’s report.

The owner said flames came from the junction between the graphics card and motherboard and lasted about ten seconds. He reported that the damage also affected the motherboard, SSD, and liquid-cooling tubing, which was blackened. These details are a user account reported by outlets, not a published independent forensic finding.

Was the fire caused by the 12VHPWR cable?

The reports do not establish that. The scorching shown in photos was concentrated near the lower edge of the graphics card where it meets the motherboard, rather than at the 12VHPWR connector associated with many earlier GPU melting reports. HotHardware noted that the location differed from those connector cases and said the cause was unknown: HotHardware’s coverage.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card
  • AI Performance: 772 AI TOPS
  • OC mode: 2580 MHz Default mode: 2550 MHz(Boost clock)
  • Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
  • SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Card
  • Axial-tech fans feature a smaller fan hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure

That observed location is not a definitive diagnosis. The available coverage does not publish a completed forensic examination identifying which component failed or what initiated the fire.

What might have failed—and what is speculation?

Commentary cited possible failure in the MSVDD memory-subsystem power rail, a shorted MOSFET, or a failed power phase. Those are hypotheses, not findings confirmed by Zotac, NZXT, or an independent lab. HotHardware lists the card’s rated 575W TDP as context for its power demands; that specification does not prove that power consumption caused this incident.

The owner reportedly undervolted the GPU. None of the cited reporting demonstrates that undervolting caused the fire, so it should not be treated as an explanation.

Is this a known RTX 5090 or Battlefield 6 problem?

This is a single-owner failure report, not evidence of a recurring RTX 5090 defect or a Battlefield 6-wide safety issue. The game was running when the failure was reported, but timing alone cannot show that the game caused it. No reliable incident-rate statistic or independent failure-rate study is available in the cited coverage. OC3D described it as the only report of this model catching fire at that time, which is a contemporaneous observation—not a prevalence estimate.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What happened after the fire?

OC3D reported that the complete system was sent through the seller and manufacturer inspection process, with an NZXT representative expected to assess it. Tom’s Hardware said the shop was coordinating with the distributor and Zotac’s local agent. Tom’s Hardware also reported that Zotac had made no public statement about this specific case at the time of publication. The cited coverage provides no final public forensic conclusion or confirmed warranty outcome.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card
AI Performance: 772 AI TOPS; OC mode: 2580 MHz Default mode: 2550 MHz(Boost clock); Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
$7,100.00

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.