Nvidia claims that its power connectors no longer melt.
The 12VHPWR power connectors that melted and affected certain RTX 40 series graphics cards will not appear again.
Nvidia has expressed optimism that the overheating and melting issues associated with the 12VHPWR power connectors that affected some RTX 40 series graphics cards will not reoccur. During the Nvidia RTX AI Day 2025 event held in South Korea, company representatives assured attendees that the overheating and melting difficulties experienced with the 12VHPWR connector on the RTX 4090 have been addressed in the new RTX 50 series. A Nvidia spokesperson stated, “We do not anticipate this happening in the RTX 50 series. We made modifications to the connector in response to the situation at the time, and currently, we are not seeing any issues, nearly two years later.”
The 12VHPWR connector, known as the 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power connector, made its debut with the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 GPUs. While it offered advantages such as compactness and the ability to deliver up to 600 W, it soon became a source of controversy due to reports of overheating and GPU degradation. Investigations identified inadequate seating of the connectors as a primary cause of these issues. Nvidia, in collaboration with its partners, implemented guidelines to ensure proper use, although concerns among users continued.
To address these worries, minor adjustments were made leading to the development of the 12V-2×6 connector. This new connector maintains the same layout as the 12VHPWR but features modifications to the detection pins, which were shortened by 0.1 mm, and the conductor terminals, which were extended by 0.15 mm. These improvements aim to optimize cable connection, ensuring reliable power delivery. Additionally, the new connector is backward compatible with the 12VHPWR, thus eliminating the need to upgrade cables.
Regarding future GPUs in the RTX 50 series, which have a total graphics power (TGP) of up to 575W in the RTX 5090 model, Nvidia assures that proactive measures have been taken to avoid previous issues. While Nvidia's confidence is welcomed, it is recommended to use power supplies that comply with the ATX 3.1 standard, which includes native support for the new 12V-2×6 connector.