We are investigating additional ways to ensure that the connector is secure before powering on the graphics card." So far the melting 16-pin connector issue was affecting mostly the GPU side as you can see in the image above. However, we now have the first case of a Reddit user Shiftyeyes67k who had a 16-pin melt on the SMPS side. The affected model happens to be a 1000W Dark Power 13 from Be Quiet. Here are some of the first pictures of a GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 Ti custom-design graphics cards, the RTX 4070 Ti AERO. GIGABYTE targets the AERO brand of graphics cards, motherboards, and notebooks, at creators who like to game, hence the product design that's a lot less flashy than the company's AORUS or Gaming OC brands of graphics cards. An interesting aspect of this card is that it features a 16-pin ATX 12VHPWR connector, and includes an NVIDIA-supplied power adapter that converts two 8-pin PCIe power connectors to one 12VHPWR. We know this adapter is different from the 2x 8-pin to 12-pin adapter NVIDIA included with the RTX 3080 Founders Edition, looking at the four sensor pins. MSI recently came up with a simple yet somewhat effective solution for the issue, where it showed off bright yellow colored 16-pin power connectors. The idea is that the yellow-colored pins will not be visible to the user once the connector is properly seated (via PCWorld YouTube).

Nvidia has suggested that the issue is caused because 16-pin adapters are not being plugged completely into the graphics card. The guidance to not bend the cable too close to the connector still stands with the 12V-2x6 power connector. With the previous 12VHPWR power connector, the recommended spacing was at least 35mm from the connector before bending, although some power supply vendors suggested up to 40mm for good measure. However, the distance for the 12V-2x6 power connector is unknown as Igor's Lab didn't provide the specific measurement in the report. The 12V-2x6 document also delves into more technical aspects, such as testing methodologies. It replaces the 12-pin plug that was on previous GeForce RTX 30 series Founders Edition cards and can provide up to an incredible 600W of power to the GPU. In comparison, older 8-pin connectors only supply up to 150W each. Amphenol ICC confirmed that the connector is designed for 600W graphics cards. It didn't specify whether it's for gaming or data center graphics cards. However, the company did list AI and cloud, gaming consoles, graphic interface, networking, server and storage as potential target markets for the connector.

Plug or male

The new connector helps eliminate the use of multiple 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe cables, decreasing cable clutter and making cable management easier. Nevertheless, the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti can also be powered by three 8-pin PCIe cables, although it would be a lot more unwieldy. RS supply a wide range of high quality components. They include heavy duty industrial connectors, power connectors, modular connectors, electrical connectors, electronic and data connectors. They are divided into the following categories: Some companies are already announcing new adapters for the GPU. CableMod, for instance, has a right angle adapter that it says requires less bending. What has Nvidia said about all of this? With Ampere, Nvidia pushed the 12-pin PCIe power connector, but it never caught on. Only the Founders Edition utilized that connector. The chipmaker's partners still preferred the standard 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors for their custom Ampere offerings. The introduction of the 12VHPWR power connectors will be troublesome for power supply manufacturers. They'll either have to design new products that comes with the 12VHPWR power connector or provide existing owners with an adapter.

Nov 4th 2022 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Performance Claims Extrapolated, Performs Within Striking Distance of RTX 4090 (164)Some Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards are having melting issues — meltdowns, if you will. Specifically, there have been a several reports that the 16-pin 12VHPWR adapters (used to convert multiple 8-pin PCIe power connectors to the new ATX 3.0 standard) that provide the power to the card have partially melted. In some cases, so has the 16-pin connector on the card itself. Updated 10/26/2022 9:00 pm PT: Added the relevant information about the usage of third-party adapters from Nvidia documentation included with the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition.