Broke an RTX 5090 and is happy — MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z literally cracked under a 2500W load

Broke an RTX 5090 and is Happy About It — MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z Literally Cracked Under a 2500W Load

An attempt to set a new world performance record ended in disaster for one of the most expensive graphics cards on the market. A group of overclockers decided to test the limits of the flagship MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z, using a special experimental BIOS version.

Removing all factory power limit restrictions, the enthusiasts fed an incredible 2500W to the GPU—nearly five times the card's standard power consumption. The result was disastrous: under the influence of colossal current and a sharp temperature gradient, the processor die simply couldn't withstand it and literally cracked physically.

The problem wasn't just the immense power, but also the physics of the process. Liquid nitrogen was used for cooling, maintaining a temperature around -190 degrees Celsius. However, at the moment of peak load application, the central part of the die instantly heated up, creating monstrous internal stress. A characteristic click heralded the demise of the graphics card worth several thousand dollars. The photos clearly show the spot where the chip literally cracked.