_The new 12VHPWR is a single connector rated at 55A total, 9.2A per 12v pin (source).
_The PCIe CEM 5.0 specification now officializes power excursions (aka power spikes) and Add-in cards with a TDP over 300w (source).
-The PCIe CEM 5.0 is for power. It is different from the usual PCIe specification most know for communication between CPU, GPU, motherboards, and other PCIe devices.
It comes from Amphenol and the full name is "Minitek Pwr CEM-5 12VHPWR Wire to Board Connectors".
Igor notes the connector is part of the PCIe 5.0 CEM spec, made by PCI-SIG, and can deliver up to 600w. Some of the main spec listed in the article include 55A of continuous current at 12v and 9.2A per pin. Tomshardware would later make its own article quoting Amphenol to use 9.5A per pin instead.
The GPU launched at a ridiculous price of 2000$ and the Founders Edition was, unlike previous models, often in stock and easy to find. If you could afford it.
This new spec brings many changes to power supplies. Most notably, PSUs now have to handle power spikes up to 200% of its capacity. Other minor changes were compiled for this spec as well as the arrival of a new PSU certification agency, Cybenetics. Contrary to popular beliefs, the 12VHPWR is *not* from Intel. The ATX 3.0 spec rather "encapsulates" the PCIe CEM 5.0 spec, which brings the 12VHPWR.
ATX 3.0 Official documentation Tomshardware's article Cybenetics website
GIGABYTE would be the first to rush a PSU with the connector out the door, the UG1000GM-PG5. Detailed reviews of this PSU revealed that while it did not blow up, it also failed to pass Intel's new requirements for ATX 3.0. The unit itself had a low bar as its predecessor, the PG-M, made the brand famous for the wrong reasons.
The MSI MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 would win the race of the first PSU to pass Intel's new specification requirements. Unfortunately, there were no reviews at launch to actually test that part. This would be the start of many new PSU releases as most brands would start adapting their units this new spec.
Anandtech's review Tomshardware's review of the MSI AI-1000P PCIE5
WCCFTECH somehow got their hands on an email warning of "inadequate loads". This statement spread like wildfire and many misunderstood the main point of the email and article. The actual point was that the terminals inside the connector could not maintain full contact under hard bending near the connector.
This would be the second GPU to feature the 12VHPWR connector after the 3090TI and would come with a 4x8pin to 12VHPWR adapter in the box. The 4090 would be acclaimed as a greatly powerful GPU despite its high price and would hit the shelves on October 12. Still, it would prove not so easy to find and often out of stock.
A press releases details much of the card's features, among which the default power limit of 450w is mentionned, with the ability to bump it to 600w (the max wattage of the 12VHPWR). Another important detail is Nvidia's comments on a new VRM design with much, much fewer power spikes as the previous generation saw. In practice, this would make the 4090 very easy to power compared to a 3090 if not even a 3080TI.
With a new connector comes new accessories to it. Cablemod is the first to put out a right-angled connector in an attempt to avoid having to bend the cable as the new GPUs end up quite large. A few days later, Cablemod would post an article on their website to guide people in "how to correctly plug a 12VHPWR cable". One could say this is "foreshadowing".
Tomshardware's article Videocardz's article Cablemod's guide
Here it is. The first report of a melted 12VHPWR adapter cable. At the time, nobody really knew how or why this happened. The doubt was still in the air. It would not be for long.
Quoting a tweet from a manager of Radeon group. The GPU would use traditional 8pin connectors instead.
Igor calls it a "horror" upon seeing how its made and says the "build quality is extremely poor". Still, its conclusions are that the connector itself is not the main issue, but rather the adapter from Nvidia. It is worth noting that while the melted cables and connectors have to be replaced, no component ultimately broke or died as a result. One can still desolder and replace the connector of the GPU and have it work again.
Amidst all the chaos and concerns around the new adapter, users are not using 3D printed parts in an attempt to straighten the cables and avoid bending. All in hopes of the adapter not catching fire.
No real conclusions for now. A theory of a badly socketed cable is mentionned, but not yet confirmed. GN says more tests to come.
As usual for HOF cards, overkill is the keyword. And what is more overkill than one 12VHPWR ? A second one of course. Oh, and a 1000w Vbios because why not.
Teclab's testing shows the adapter is fine, and even stronger than expected in some area. However, the theory of badly connected cables comes up again and is cited as a source of problem as it increases resistance and creates more heat - leading to melting. The theory of a manufacturing defect is also mentionned but as Teclab notes, the connector had no issues with the 3090TI and they were able to push up to 1400w through the adapter to a GPU without the adapter melting.
They thought only adapters would melt. They thought wrong. There is no escape.
Jonnyguru, aka Corsair's PSU expert, calls on user to properly insert their cables to avoid melting. His testing shows the adapter did not bulge despite being damaged by hand. Jon also calls the adapter "VERY DIFFICULT to insert completely".
Nvidia is no longer the only one to use this new, arguably problematic connector.
Astron and NTK both manfacture the adapter Nvidia ships with its GPUs. Igor also notes he "prefers" NTK's adapters to Astron's. He also pushes the blame on the PCI-SIG for poor testing of the connection used.
GN pushes the theory very far and actually shows the connector overheating when badly inserted, and even melting. The conclusions this time, are that the melting happens with connectors really far unseated, and at an angle. Both adapters and native cables are prone to failure. GN also notes all pictures of melting show marks of poor socketing. Ultimately, the cause of "user error" is pushed to the front.
A tweet from an AMD employee shows a picture of dual 8pins connectors on the soon-to-release RDNA3 gpus with the caption "stay safe this holiday season". The annoucement-show of these new cards would also see passive-aggressive remarks about "not needing a new power connector". RDNA3 would ultimately launch with a mixed to negative feedback from third party media due to being barely competitive.
Nvidia mentions investigating the reports and says it is only aware of "about 50 case globally". Nvidia also mentions that a common issue is the connector badly inserted. One could say Nvidia is blaming user error, while many users are unhappy and blame the connector for not being user-proof enough.
The PCI-SIG basically reminds its partners that it does not make specifications for birds, but instead for the very partners receiving the email. The PCI-SIG calls for all members manufacturing or selling their technology to "take all appropriate and prudent measures to ensure end user safety, including testing for the reported problem cases involving consumers as alleged in the above-referenced lawsuit". A 4090 user filed a lawsuit against Nvidia after his adapter melted.
Despite all attempts from Cablemod, the curse of melted plastic would catch up to them too. As with all previous meltings, the gpu survived. But it seems nothing could stop the 12vhpwr from melting in the end.
Lian Li decided that the best thing to add to a connector infamous for fire damage would be RGB. A lot of RGB. The company says the cable has a custom design on the GPU end, with "improvements to its original design to provide a stronger connection to the GPU, and uses materials to ensure the connector’s durability".
The company also boasts about using the fresh revision of the 12VHPWR, the 12v 2x6, which supposedly fixes many issues. Aris at HWbusters would later review this psu and note his sample still has the old 12VHPWR connector on the psu.
The fear of burnt connectors does not go away.
While arguably less expensive to replace a power supply than an RTX 4090, it is the first report of a burn on the PSU side.
The new connector revision is highly requested as users ask for anything to stop the melting. Anything. This revised connector is not entirely official yet.
Still anything to prevent the melting. Creative minds are set free.
Despite all its claims of durability and quality, Cablemod takes a blow after MSI blames its adapter for melted connectors on an MSI GPU. The user is told of a manufacturing issue on Cablemod's adapter as well as "their third-party adapter has caused an issue and voided the warranty on your graphics card".
Asus showed a concept GPU fitted with a special connector of Asus' design that connects directly in the motherboard, similar to the PCIe connector, but smaller.
The new 12v 2x6 is now an official connector replacing the troubled 12VHPWR in hopes less fires happen. The connector itself was in production much before the release of the spec, and is likely on a lot of devices when this spec releases.
With longer power pins, and short sense pins, as well as a new condition to cut to 0 watts if no sense pins are detected, this new connector seems to be much safer as the previous one. Only time will tell.
The company reveals the V1.1 of the adapter using the new 12v 2x6 of course, after the previous one ended up, like most adapters, prone to failure.
No piece in sight as yet another example of corner case shows up.
NorthridgeFix says they still receive quite a large amount of burnt 4090 for repair, up to 25 per week. The repair technician blames the connector design for all these issues and even says he got himself a Hiroshima mask to avoid unhealthy fumes.
Despite all its efforts, Cablemod could not win against the curse of melted plastic. The brand cancels and recalls all right-angled adapters, urges users to stop using them and remove them from their computers.
Seasonic advises users to warm up cables before bending, with a heat source such as a "hair dryer". This advice sparked curiosity yet nobody really seems to know if this advice is actually good or bad, and people feel more shocked that it would come from the manufacturer itself. This advice was removed a few days later.
Elchapuzasinformatico's article Tomshardware's article Videocardz's article
Seasonic unveils their new right-angled 12v 2x6 cable and invites users to test it, for those that would be ready to serve as beta testers for power cables so controversial.
The german youtuber and hardware enthusiast speaks his mind about the issues he encounters with the connector since its first use on the RTX 4090. Roman blames the lack of overhead and safety margin on the connector, and lack of redundancy because of a single connector. He calls it a "garbage solution" and calls for Nvidia to start using 2 of those for very high power GPUs like the 4090.
Nvidia unveiled at CES 2024 its latest products, the RTX 4070 SUPER, RTX 4070 TI SUPER, and RTX 4080 SUPER. All feature a 16pin connector, most likely a 12v 2x6 at this point. Almost nothing is said on those connectors. Partners seem to also all feature the same connector.
Nvidia's article Techpowerup's RTX 4070 SUPER specification page videocardz's article on Zotac models
Asus commits even more to cable free designs and expends its GPUs offering with its new BTF 600w connector, moving the 12VHPWR or 12v 2x6 from the GPU to the back of the motherboard. This is the final products from the concept introduced on september 9th by Asus.
Maxsun decided that it would do as it pleases and put back the classic 8pin connectors we all know on at least one of their GPU. The Maxsun 4070 SUPER ICRAFT has 2 8pin power connectors where as every single other 4070 SUPER has a 12VHPWR. Other Maxsun models use the new connector still.
Igor took two adapters for RTX 40 series, one old and one new, for analysis. Igor noticies a lack of "clicking" with the new adapter upon insertion, and no locking mechanism in place. He also notices his old adapter has the terminal contacts are more recessed into the housing than the new adapter (It is not clear if this is a design change, a QC oversight, or just wearing from using the adapter from the start). Ultimately, Igor calls this specific new adapter he analyzed "faulty" and calls for caution as always.
A Moore's Law Is Dead video in which he amplifies leaks for the hardware community to fight on mentionned that Nvidia apparently mandated its partners to use a "PCIe Gen 6" connector on their next generation Nvidia cards. Such rumor spread like wildfires as usual and people were quick to get their pitchforks in case this would mean yet again a new connector after the 12VHPWR. However, HardwareBusters, run by Aris, who also run the Cybenetics certification agency, said he also asked his industry contacts and no one is aware of a new connector at all. He also mentionned Nvidia being unlikely to launch a whole new connector on their own.
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