DLSS 5 Pushes RTX 5090 to 647W and 91.7°C at the Power Connector

NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 is designed to push real-time graphics further with AI-powered neural rendering. But the technology comes with a significant downside on NVIDIA’s flagship GPU: higher power consumption and substantially more heat around the 12V-2×6 power connector.

New testing from Korean hardware outlet QuasarZone shows just how far the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition can be pushed when DLSS 5 is enabled.

In a modded version of Cyberpunk 2077 running at 4K, the RTX 5090 FE reached an average power draw of roughly 575 W, while direct measurements at the 12V-2×6 connector reached 646.7 W. Even more striking, the hottest measured point on the connector reached 91.7°C, considerably hotter than the GPU core itself.

The results don’t prove that DLSS 5 will damage every RTX 5090. However, they highlight how close NVIDIA’s flagship GPU can operate to the limits of its power-delivery system under an unusually demanding workload.

RTX 5090 Power Consumption Jumps With DLSS 5

QuasarZone tested the RTX 5090 Founders Edition and RTX 5080 Founders Edition with Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K using the Ultra preset and DLSS Quality.

The test ran for more than 20 minutes with an ambient temperature of approximately 27.5°C. DLSS 5 was enabled through a modification because Cyberpunk 2077 does not officially support NVIDIA’s new neural-rendering technology.

According to HWiNFO telemetry, enabling DLSS 5 increased average GPU power consumption substantially:

The RTX 5090 therefore reached approximately 575 W, effectively sitting at its configured power limit, while the RTX 5080 approached its own 360 W limit.

This is an important distinction: DLSS is normally associated with improving performance efficiency through techniques such as Super Resolution and Frame Generation. DLSS 5’s neural-rendering workload adds additional GPU computation, so enabling it can increase total board power rather than simply reducing the rendering workload.

Direct Measurements Show Peaks Near 650W

Software monitoring doesn’t tell the whole story.

QuasarZone also used NVIDIA’s Power Capture Analysis Tool (PCAT) to measure electrical power directly.

For the RTX 5090, the measurements were substantially higher during short power spikes:

*The connector measurements reported by QuasarZone and subsequent coverage use slightly different measurement contexts, so the direct connector figures should not be treated as interchangeable with total-board power measurements.

The headline number is the 646.7 W peak measured through the 12V-2×6 connection.

That’s considerably higher than NVIDIA’s 575 W power limit for the RTX 5090 Founders Edition, although the PCAT figure represents a short-lived peak rather than a sustained 647 W load.

The 12V-2×6 Connector Reaches 91.7°C

The most concerning result wasn’t actually the GPU’s temperature.

QuasarZone used a thermal camera to measure both sides of the RTX 5090 FE’s 16-pin power connector.

With DLSS 5 disabled:

• Latch side: 77.1°C
• Opposite/sense-pin side: 80.9°C

With DLSS 5 enabled:

• Latch side: 83.4°C
• Opposite/sense-pin side: 91.7°C

That means the hottest measured point increased by approximately 10.8°C.

The result is particularly notable because the connector became hotter than the GPU core.

The RTX 5090’s average GPU temperature increased from approximately 79.4°C to 83°C, while its peak GPU temperature reached 86.3°C with DLSS 5 enabled.

The connector, however, reached 91.7°C.

RTX 5080 FE Handles the Same Test Much Differently

The RTX 5080 Founders Edition produced a dramatically different thermal result.

With DLSS 5 enabled, QuasarZone recorded approximately:

• 48.6°C on one side of the connector
• 52.2°C on the other side

That’s far below the RTX 5090 FE’s 91.7°C maximum.

The difference is largely explained by the amount of power involved.

The RTX 5080 FE increased from roughly 298 W to 350 W, while the RTX 5090 FE climbed from around 509 W to 575 W according to HWiNFO.

The flagship RTX 5090 is therefore operating much closer to the limits of its power-delivery system.

Does DLSS 5 Actually Melt RTX 5090 Connectors?

This is where the numbers need some context.

The QuasarZone test does not demonstrate that DLSS 5 automatically melts RTX 5090 power connectors.

It demonstrates that a particularly demanding DLSS 5 workload can push the RTX 5090 FE’s power consumption and connector temperature significantly higher.

The test also used a modded version of Cyberpunk 2077, not an official DLSS 5 implementation. NVIDIA currently identifies NBA 2K27 as the first game to officially ship with DLSS 5’s 3D-Guided Neural Rendering.

That distinction matters because a modded implementation may not behave exactly like a game whose DLSS 5 integration has been tuned by its developer.

So the results should be interpreted as a stress test of the RTX 5090 power-delivery system, rather than proof of a universal DLSS 5 hardware problem.

Why Is the Connector Getting So Hot?

The RTX 5090 is an exceptionally power-hungry GPU.

At sustained loads approaching its 575 W power limit, a large amount of electrical power has to pass through a compact 12V-2×6 connector.

If electrical resistance increases at a contact point—for example because of poor insertion, mechanical damage, contamination, or uneven contact—the resulting heat can increase significantly.

That’s why connector installation remains important on high-power GPUs.

Users with an RTX 5090 should make sure the 12V-2×6 connector is fully inserted and properly seated, with no excessive bending immediately next to the connector.

The QuasarZone measurements don’t establish that a specific connector failure occurred during the test, but they do show how much thermal stress can develop when the RTX 5090 operates close to its power ceiling.

DLSS 5 Is Adding More GPU Work

The reason behind the increased power consumption is fundamentally different from traditional DLSS upscaling.

NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 introduces 3D-Guided Neural Rendering, which adds neural processing to the rendering pipeline.

According to NVIDIA, the technology uses AI to enhance lighting, materials and other visual details while maintaining real-time performance. NBA 2K27 is the first official implementation, with the game using DLSS 5 to enhance details such as lighting and materials.

This additional processing comes with a computational cost.

The QuasarZone results demonstrate that cost particularly clearly on the RTX 5090, where the GPU was already operating at an extremely high power level before DLSS 5 was enabled.

DLSS 5 Power Results at a Glance

The most striking number is therefore not simply the 647 W peak.

It’s the combination of high sustained power, short-duration power spikes and a connector temperature that exceeded the GPU core temperature.

What RTX 5090 Owners Should Know

If you’re already using an RTX 5090, these results don’t mean you should immediately disable DLSS 5.

However, they provide a reason to pay attention to the card’s power-delivery hardware when running extremely demanding workloads.

A few sensible precautions include:

• Make sure the 12V-2×6 connector is fully seated.
• Avoid sharply bending the cable directly beside the connector.
• Use the appropriate power cable supplied or recommended for your PSU and GPU.
• Check the connector periodically if the GPU is operated near its maximum power limit for long periods.
• Monitor GPU power and temperatures when experimenting with demanding neural-rendering workloads.
• Don’t assume that a DLSS 5 mod behaves identically to an officially supported implementation.

The most important point is that 91.7°C was a measured hotspot in a specific controlled test, not a temperature that every RTX 5090 will necessarily reach.

DLSS 5’s First Hardware Warning Sign?

DLSS 5 is still in its early days.

NVIDIA’s official implementation currently begins with NBA 2K27, while enthusiasts and modders have already experimented with bringing the technology to other PC games.

That makes the QuasarZone test particularly interesting for hardware enthusiasts.

The visual improvements from neural rendering may be impressive, but the technology also introduces another layer of GPU computation. On a card such as the RTX 5090, which already operates around the 575 W mark, that additional workload can push power consumption right up against the limits of the card’s power-delivery design.

Whether future DLSS 5 implementations will produce the same behavior remains to be seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much power does the RTX 5090 use with DLSS 5?

In QuasarZone’s Cyberpunk 2077 test, HWiNFO reported an average of approximately 575.1 W with DLSS 5 enabled, compared with 509.2 W without it. Direct PCAT measurements recorded higher short-duration peaks.

How hot did the RTX 5090 connector get?

The hottest measured point on the RTX 5090 Founders Edition’s 12V-2×6 connector reached 91.7°C with DLSS 5 enabled, compared with 80.9°C with DLSS 5 disabled.

Did the RTX 5090 reach 647W?

Yes. QuasarZone’s PCAT measurement recorded a 646.7 W peak through the 12V-2×6 connector. A separate total-board PCAT measurement reached 658 W. These are short-duration peak measurements, not sustained power consumption.

Does DLSS 5 officially support Cyberpunk 2077?

No. The QuasarZone Cyberpunk 2077 test used a modded implementation of DLSS 5. NVIDIA’s official launch implementation is in NBA 2K27.

What game officially supports DLSS 5 first?

NBA 2K27 is the first game with official DLSS 5 3D-Guided Neural Rendering support.

Is 91.7°C enough to prove the RTX 5090 connector will melt?

No. The test demonstrates a very high connector temperature under a specific workload, but it does not establish that DLSS 5 will cause connector failure on every RTX 5090.

Is the RTX 5080 cooler with DLSS 5?

In this QuasarZone test, yes. The RTX 5080 FE’s hottest measured connector point reached 52.2°C with DLSS 5 enabled, dramatically below the RTX 5090 FE’s 91.7°C.

Final Thoughts

DLSS 5 is an important step toward NVIDIA’s vision of neural rendering, but the RTX 5090 results show that there is a hardware cost to pushing additional AI workloads through an already extremely power-hungry GPU.

QuasarZone measured the RTX 5090 FE at roughly 575 W average power with DLSS 5 enabled, while the 12V-2×6 connector reached a 646.7 W peak and 91.7°C hotspot during its modded Cyberpunk 2077 test.

Those numbers deserve attention, but they should not be interpreted as proof that DLSS 5 is inherently unsafe. The test used an unofficial Cyberpunk 2077 mod, and NVIDIA’s official DLSS 5 implementation currently starts with NBA 2K27.

For RTX 5090 owners, the takeaway is simpler: DLSS 5 can add a substantial power load, and when the GPU is already operating near its power limit, the 12V-2×6 connector can become one of the hottest components in the entire system.