ASUS Upgrades GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, Adds 16-Pin 12VHPWR Connector

ASUS has upgraded its graphics card lineup, introducing a new variant of its GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Atlas Shark. The standout feature of the new product is the 16-pin 12VHPWR connector.

ASUS has unveiled a new version of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Atlas Shark graphics card with a 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, as opposed to the familiar 8-pin and 12-pin ones. Presumably, such a change could be linked to a shortage of 12-pin connectors as most manufacturers have switched to newer 16-pin connectors.

Despite the known safety issues and user errors leading to card melts associated with the 16-pin connector, ASUS has likely decided not to revert to older 8-pin connectors. The new CEM 5.1 specification for the 16-pin connector is already out, but it is unlikely that it is being used in this card.

ASUS is also working on a new connector-less design for the RTX 4070 Ti. So far, it's known that the upgrade with this design will only affect the RTX 4070 and lower models.

It's important to note that ASUS ATS cards are available exclusively in China, and the estimated price of the new card is around $280 US.