Why it issues: Nvidia’s melting 12VHPWR energy connectors are nonetheless on the market, though a wave of media protection final 12 months has elevated consciousness of the hazards posed by improper contact or bending the ability cables an excessive amount of to make them match inside compact PC circumstances. Happily, Workforce Inexperienced has been quietly changing the ability connector on newly-manufactured RTX 40 collection graphics playing cards, so these of you who’ve but to improve could have a decrease likelihood of encountering the problematic 12VHPWR design.
Earlier this month, we learned that the Peripheral Part Interconnect Particular Curiosity Group (PCI-SIG) had developed a brand new and improved specification for the controversial 16-pin energy connector generally known as 12VHPWR, which has been a significant supply of complications for homeowners of Nvidia’s higher-end RTX graphics playing cards. AMD has but to undertake the usual, so it has largely prevented criticism on this space, with reviewers largely lamenting in regards to the high price of RDNA 3 playing cards and their comparatively low power effectivity in comparison with Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace counterparts.
If a current post from the Nvidia subreddit is any indication, the corporate is silently upgrading RTX 4090 Founders Edition playing cards with the up to date 16-pin energy connector. Notably, the corporate has additionally utilized the same treatment to not too long ago manufactured Founders Version RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Ti playing cards, and companions like MSI have additionally built-in the brand new connector on upcoming PSU designs showcased at Computex.
That is excellent news for RTX 40 collection customers, a few of whom have seen their connectors soften from not making correct contact. Those that had been fortunate sufficient to keep away from that may generally discover their playing cards didn’t carry out at their finest although the ability plug seemed to be totally inserted into the cardboard’s connector.
For those who not too long ago bought an Nvidia RTX 40 collection graphics card, you might be able to verify if it has the up to date connector by wanting on the 4 sensing pins that ship knowledge from the GPU to the PSU. A number of individuals have in contrast them towards these on older RTX 40 collection graphics playing cards and seen they’re shorter. One other strategy to inform is to verify for a marking on the highest of the connector – if it has the “H++” identifier, it’s the new 12V-2×6 connector.
If something, this seems to be like a affirmation that Nvidia noticed this as a big sufficient challenge to warrant integrating what seems to be a prototype 12VHPWR connector on its Founders Version playing cards as quickly because it was attainable to take action. We do not know if AIBs even have entry to this new connector, however we assume Workforce Inexperienced has been coordinating with them on shifting all newly manufactured playing cards to the up to date design.
