April 17, 2026, 7:33 am | Read time: 2 minutes
A PC user from Taiwan narrowly avoided major damage. His graphics card suddenly overheated while he was away from the computer. His cat saved the day.
According to a report on “videocardz.com,” the man described the incident himself in an online forum. It involved an MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming Trio, which he purchased in October 2022. For reasons still unknown, the component generated intense heat without him initially noticing. Even installed software meant to monitor the system did not respond to the issue.
Cat Alerts to Smoke Development
His pet was the first to alert him to the situation. While he was in the bathroom, the cat began to meow loudly. This caught his attention, prompting him to return to the computer. There, he noticed smoke and the smell of burnt plastic.
A normal shutdown of the system was no longer possible. He unplugged the computer and disconnected it completely from the power supply. He then checked the affected components and documented the damage with photos.
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Damaged Cable as Visible Consequence
Upon inspection, it was found that the power connector of the graphics card was severely damaged. The plug was scorched directly at the connection and could no longer be removed. The cable on the power supply side also showed signs of heat. The insulation was discolored but not melted.
According to the user, the cable was properly connected, regularly maintained, and not sharply bent. The exact cause of the defect remains unclear. The graphics card is now being sent to the manufacturer for examination to determine if a specific reason can be identified. The user is certain that the damage would have been significantly worse without his cat’s alert.