Certain sources have raised concerns concerning the use of ATX 2.0 and adapters to the 12VHPWR connector in Nvidia’s latest flagship card. However, it’s not a problem according to an authoritative authority on power supplies.
The introduction of the GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card family is the beginning of an entirely new technological revolution in graphics. (Check the review on the link to see proof of this.) This is not only significant for Nvidia however, it is also the first to use GeForce RTX 4090 is the first model to use the 12VHPWR connector that is currently in use for charging graphics cards. With 12VHPWR set to become a standard within the next couple of years to power GPUs it is a significant event.
The new connection between your PC’s GPU and its power supply comes with a lot of advantages over the older PCI Express six-pin and eight-pin power connectors that industry has used for more than a decade. There is a lot of misinformation has been circulated about the new power connector, which must be dealt with. If you’re concerned regarding the connector 12VHPWR, or want to learn the capabilities of this connector continue reading.
Power Limits: They Are Higher Than You Think
Before we look into the brand new 12VHPWR power connectors, let’s review the older PCI Express six-pin and eight-pin connectors we’ve used for nearly a decade and what they’re capable of. It is widely believed that PCI Express six-pin power connectors have an upper limit on power of 75 watts. In contrast, the eight-pin connectors have a power limit of 150 watts. it’s not the case.
The PCI Express interface was first created a little over 20 years back, PCI Express x16 slots were created to support 75 watts of electricity passing through the motherboard and to the graphics cards. In the beginning it was more than enough for graphics cards. However, when the limit reached, it was imperative to boost power via a different connection. At first, the traditional four-pin Molex power connectors were employed to do this, prior to the market moved to the eight-pin and six-pin connectors we use today.
The well-known power ratings of the connectors were derived mostly due to convenience and easy recall than any actual, tangible limitations. In the case of motherboards, their PCI Express x16 slot could manage 75 watts and therefore the six-pin power connectors were able to reduce their power limit to 75 watts. The eight-pin connectors’ limit of power was raised to double it. When it involves transmitting power it is the physical properties of the material being used is crucial. In general, thicker, stronger gauge wires are able to handle greater power than smaller, thinner ones.
Concerning 12VHPWR, we spoke to Corsair’s chief power supply engineer, Jon Gerow, who is more well-known in the PC enthusiasts crowd as JonnyGuru. In the role of JonnyGuru, Gerow, before when he joined Corsair was a highly-respected long-time reviewer, expert and analyzer on PC Power supplies. (JonnyGuru.com unfortunately, doesn’t now dead, and is on in the Internet Archive(Opens within a brand new tab).) He explained in his blog that was not logical that the wires of the power connector with six pins could only provide the same power as the smaller wires that are in the PCI Express connector.
It’s better not to get excited about the real limits that these lines of power have. The fact is, it isn’t the same. The quality and size of the wires are important and so does the equipment within the power supply that is supplying that power. It is possible to have a lower limit when using an off-brand power supply that is less expensive as opposed to a top-quality model that comes from a major company such as Corsair, Cooler Master, SilverStone or Thermaltake. If the power supply was designed and constructed properly and properly, the maximum power limit of the power connector will exceed 75 Watts. The power lines must be checked, for safety reasons and to handle more power than that.
Although they’re not exact, the six-pin’s 75-watt limit on power and the eight-pin’s 150-watt limit is still in place, and is commonly utilized by graphic card manufacturers. These limits are very safe and prudent and there’s not much risk in adhering to them, but you might be using more connectors and cables than you actually require in the particular situation.
The New 12VHPWR Connector
It’s the last one, having numerous cables to contend with that the 12VHPWR connector primarily is designed to address. This is particularly the case with graphics cards since each power connector takes up space on the board, which could be utilized for other components. The 12VHPWR connector is officially able to support 600 watts of power, and all via 12 pin connectors that are comparable in size to an eight-pin PCI Express power connector.
Prior to the RTX 4090 launched, a couple of concerns were raised concerning the security issues associated with this type of connection and the power requirements for GPUs by using an adapter. These aren’t necessarily issues to be concerned about. One of these warnings was issued by PCI-SIG(Opens in an entirely new window) warning of a possible issue connecting the connector 12VHPWR. The issue was discovered in a manner that resembled torture tests they conducted with the 12VHPWR.
During the test, cable was intentionally made to torque in order to create an insufficient connection, which meant that none of the pins were secured as they ought to be and some pins weren’t even connected. The power connection remained functional but safety tolerances included in the cable allowed it to endure without a secure connection across all pins. The cable was put under a high load of 660 Watts and continued to work at this rate for more than 10 hours before finally failing.
It’s clear that the connection and the cable could fail. But as long as that your cable is properly connected and that you don’t leave it overloaded for hours in a row, it’s not anything you’ll need to be concerned about.
Another warning was raised the use of eight-pin PCI Express-to-12VHPWR power adapters. This time alarm was signaled by Wccftech(Opens in an entirely new window) who conducted tests on a variety the adapters. They recorded over 150 watts of power drawn via these eight-pin PCI Express power connectors when only two or three power connectors were connected. The adapter with only two power connectors for PCI-E was recorded as pulling about 300 watts of energy from each connector.
They were 100% right when they said it was happening, but in accordance with Gerow (and that of the Molex standard that is a part of this connection) it’s perfectly acceptable. This is why we started our article by explaining the widely accepted limits of these connectors for power and explaining that even though 150 watts are typically cited as the maximum power limit for the eight-pin power connector but it actually is greater.
You might want to think with caution if you are using an off-brand power source, however, Corsair confirmed that all of their power supply will be able to handle this situation without problem. They also informed us that the distinction of the ATX 2.0 as well as ATX 3.0 power supplies isn’t as important as many are making claims to be. The improvements made of ATX 3.0 were included in earlier versions of ATX 2.0 and the most noticeable feature being the 12VHPWR power connector. In the end, there’s no need to worry about using the ATX 3.0 energy source or the power being drained from those “old-school” PCI Express power connectors when you purchase new graphics cards that utilizes 12VHPWR.
Gerow added an interesting fact regarding the development of the 12VHPWR. It gives hints as to what direction the standard may be headed in the near future. “At the beginning of testing the new 12VHPWR connector, we were asked to go ahead and test with two 12VHPWR connectors as well, testing of at least 900 to 1,200 watts,” Gerow said. “Of course I’m only speculating about what this connector could be utilized to test. Maybe for anything that exceeds 600 watts they’d require an additional connector for security reasons.”
He went on to say: “I know we’re not only the only ones being told to do this, as I’ve already seen renders of power supplies out there with two of the 12VHPWR connectors on the modular interface when using a one-to-one 12VHPWR cable. And there have been discussions about adding a second 12VHPWR connector to the ATX 3.0 test plan.”
The 600-watt power limitation for 12VHPWR is a huge amount but so far, there are no graphics cards that draw that much power. However, if the use of two of these connectors is considered, it is the possibility that someday we’ll be seeing graphics cards with two 12VHPWR connectors. Graphics cards that draw upwards of 1,200 watts is difficult to comprehend at the moment. And if the Nvidia GeForce RTX4090 is any indication, these cards would be as big as tiny computer systems. However, it will be fascinating to see what will come of this power battle in the near future.
