PCI-SIG to replace 16-pin power connector 12VHPWR with 12V-2x6

Written by Boldson on 03 July 2023. Posted in Hardware

PCI-SIG responds to reports of the 16-pin power connector (12VHPWR) burning out on Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards by proposing a revision of the relevant specifications. According to a report published by the German outlet Igor's Lab, the new 12V-2x6 connector will replace the former 12VHPWR.

However, before the new 12V-2x6 can hit the market, we are left with a question: how well will it perform its task? Recent problems with the 12VHPWR have served as a reminder that everything may look fine on paper, but reality may prove otherwise. Perhaps sooner or later we will encounter a new set of issues.

Despite the 12V-2x6 connector maintaining the same number of contacts as the 12VHPWR, the PCI-SIG has made significant changes to the 12V-2x6 and corresponding connector. Now, the Sense0 and Sense1 contacts are crucial for the proper operation of the 12V-2x6 connector. If Sense0 and Sense1 remain open, no power will be supplied to the graphics card.

The proposed 12V-2x6 now promises to be not only more reliable but also backward compatible with the 12VHPWR. Moreover, it offers more power, up to 675W compared to the 12VHPWR's 600W. All these changes seem to make the 12V-2x6 an attractive replacement, but it's still unclear how the new connector will perform under real-world conditions.