Is a 16-Pin GPU Power Connector Safe to Use in 2024?

Nvidia introduced the 16-pin GPU power connector back when the company launched the RTX 30 Series GPUs. However, it was found soon after that12VHPWR had issues. Some people found their RTX 4090 GPU power cables in amoltenstate! This saga has been going on for a long time. At present, the PCI-SIG consortium (which develops new PCI standards, including connector designs) released the updated12V-2X6 standardin mid-2023.

It looks like Nvidia’s new Founders Edition RTX 40 Super is using a new 12V-2X6 standard, which is safer & more reliable. So yes, the new Founders edition won’t melt. AsIgorsLabreported, Nvidia had already started using the new 12V-2X6 connector on its GPUs. So, as an extension, the newRTX 40 Superseries Founders Edition variant GPUs should also feature 12V-2X6. already. But guess what?

Some RTX 40 Super GPUs Are Still Using 12VHPWR

As it turns out, teardowns have revealed that some new GPUs released by brands (such as MSI) under the brand newRTX 40 Super lineup: RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4080 Super, and RTX 4070 Ti Super arestill usingtheolder 12VHPWR standardfor the 16-pin GPU power connector implementation!

The X (formerly Twitter) user@wxnod, who has shared reliable information related to PC hardware in the past, has highlighted this. His latest post shows that some specific (not mentioned which brands) newly released RTX 40 Super AIB cards are sadly not using the new 12V-2X6 standard!H++ 12V-2X6 (max:675w)H+ 12VHPWR (max:600w)Some AIC’s 4070super 4070ti super 4080super are still using the H+12VHPWR interfacepic.twitter.com/QHah921JuT— Алексей (@wxnod)February 19, 2024

H++ 12V-2X6 (max:675w)H+ 12VHPWR (max:600w)Some AIC’s 4070super 4070ti super 4080super are still using the H+12VHPWR interfacepic.twitter.com/QHah921JuT

Moreover, the IgorsLab report, which is linked above, also states that their teardown of an AIB card of Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 (notably the MSI’s Gaming X Trio edition) shows that the older 12VHPWR-style connector is being used!

16-Pin GPU Power Connector: 12VHPWR vs 12V-2X6 Safety

In late 2023, it was generally believed that the concerns over the 12VHPWR-based 16-pin GPU power connector were mitigated. Still, one Reddit userByogore, reported that his $1599 RTX 4090 from ASUS just experienced the horrifying 12VHPWR issue where theconnector cable melted. This happened exactly after one year, and reportedly, the user hadzero issueswith the graphics card beforehand.

Moreover, the PC hardware repair companyNorthRidgeFixhas also reported on many RTX 4090s being received by them experiencing the same problem. A highly popular stance is that when the 16-pin GPU power connector cable is notfully inserted, it becomes unsafe to use.

Despite this, many people whosweartheir cable was fully inserted had issues, too. Some even said it was hard to tell whether or not it was fully inserted.

The new 12V-2X6 power connector standard is simply safer and offers more reliability. It has been tested by HardwareBusters, whose findings reveal that the new standardsurvives 640W of powerat acceptable temperatures.

It looks like the 16-pin GPU power connector standarddoesn’t burneven when the connector is not fully inserted. Full details of the 12V-2X6 standard can be foundhere. As someone who builds PCs, I’m personally NOT going to opt for ANY graphics card or power supply that doesn’t operate on the 12V-2X6 standard.

How to Ensure Safety When Using 16-Pin GPU Power Connector

This begs an important question. How do PC builders like you and me know which kind of setup to use? What cables are safe? How do you confirm that a GPU that you’ll end up buying is as distanced as possible from issues like this?

I recently wanted to buy a PSU with a 16-pin power connector. In my research, I found out that if you are thinking of buying a graphics card or power supply that specifically utilizes the 16-pin GPU Power Connector for power, there is a “safer”way of implementing the new standard into your PC build while ensuring at leastsomereliability and safety.

Igorslab reports that their testing of aproper 12VHPWR implementationhas temperatures in the60 to 70 degreesC range. This was tested with540Wof power being sent through the setup. So, is it a really big deal to get a power supply or GPU that utilizes the older standard? Follow these pointers below to ensure as much safety & reliability of your PC build as possible:

What To Do If Your 16-Pin GPU Power Cable Melts

Even then, if you have any issues or syndromes of the 16-Pin GPU power connector issue, contact your GPU manufacturer promptly to report the issue. Graphics cards come with a long warranty of 3 to 5 years.

You should be able to use the warranty to initiate an RMA when needed to obtain a GPU replacement. As I said, I will stillheavily avoidanything in my PC builds that utilize the 12VHPWR standard. Only the components that use the newer, safer, and more reliable 12V-2X6 implementation would receive my consideration.

RTX 40 Super Still Using 12VHPWR, Is It Fixed Now?

Nvidia reportedly held a meeting last year with its board partners to address the issue. GPUs were reportedly sent to them to investigate the issue. There is a clear indication that Nvidia and its board partners have had official discussions.

With that, I want to believe that new RTX 40 Super GPUs (even the ones that are using 12VHPWR instead of 12V-2X6) areprobably safe to use. They could have some form of mitigation over the previous implementations.

Still,I find it somewhat bafflingwhy the 12V-2X6 standard isn’t being implemented across the board. Why doesn’t every single graphics card of the new RTX 40 Super graphics card lineup use it?

Notably, the chipmaker AMD has not used a 16-pin power connector in any of their new GPUs. I suppose they dodged a major bullet with that decision. AMD GPU owners don’t have to worry at all about these issues. Even high TDP cards like theRX 7900 XTXare using the older 8-pin, which doesn’t seem to have issues.

I hope to see 12VHPWR completely phased out by the time theRTX 50 seriescomes out. By then, I believe even AMD can finally consider adopting the new standard. I highly hope their implementation across every graphics card is based on 12V-2X6.

What are your thoughts on the 16-pin GPU power connector? Will you be considering a new graphics card for your PC build that uses this design? Let us know in the comments below.

Satyam Kumar

Highly passionate about technology. Major expertise in PC hardware, the VR industry, esports-centric gear, and other gadgets. In my spare time, I’m usually researching exciting hardware breakthroughs or playing competitive games.

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