Intel readies ATX 12VHPWR connector revision

[BFG10K]

Intel Readies ATX 12VHPWR Connector Revision to Address Improper-Contact Fire Hazards

Intel is preparing a revision to the design of the 12+4 pin ATX 12VHPWR power connector, specifically its male connector, to improve connector mating and retention; and to minimize a potential fire hazard asiring from improper retention or mating. The male connector design revision will retain...

www.techpowerup.com

But...but...but, we were were told by certain people there's nothing wrong with the connector design, but rather it's 4090 owners that are incompetent.

What an absolutely stupid idea from nVidia, making a smaller and more brittle connector while expecting it to handle 600W. All so nVidia could have the "slim Apple"(tm) factor. It certainly didn't save customers any money, that's for sure.

 

[gdansk]

Even if you think "nyet connector is fine" it is good to idiot-proof anything that can start fires. In the US especially for liability.

 

[Hitman928]

Seeing the renders of the plugs, I can see why users who said they heard the click when plugging it in still had issues. You could plug it all the way in but if you had a lot of pulling tension due to your cable routing, the dimpled approach wouldn't be sufficient to keep the plugs in place and the connector would slowly slip out over time, especially as the wires heated and cooled with load. The new design should be much better in this regard.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Kinda glad I just went with an older PSU model than getting stuck with a new model with faulty 12V HPWR connectors.

Never being an early adopter worked out in my favor again, even if I was never going to buy an RTX 4xxx series card.

 

[biostud]

Kinda glad I just went with an older PSU model than getting stuck with a new model with faulty 12V HPWR connectors.

Never being an early adopter worked out in my favor again, even if I was never going to buy an RTX 4xxx series card.

Since most power supplies are fully modular, you would simply need a new cable, just as you would need a new adapter for older PSUs. Nothing wrong with choosing a ATX3.0 PSU.

 

[lopri]

They should make 90 degree or 180 degree connectors a default mode.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

They should make 90 degree or 180 degree connectors a default mode.

I'm kind of surprised that hasn't happened yet. Or just someone making a 90/180 degree adaptor.

Given you can get all kinds of 8pin adaptors in whatever configuration you'd like.

 

[Leeea]

8 pin PCI was fine at 150 watts ...
4 pin ATX12V was fine at 192 watts ...
EPS12V was excellent at 600 watts ... and simple design ...

The EPS one did commit the cardinal sin of being designed the SSI association rather then the PCI association.


12VHPWR is nothing more then lets do something different enough from EPS12V to be copyrightable, but hopefully still work.


It is not like SSI was asking for a license fee or anything. Quite the opposite, Server System Infrastructure ( SSI ) is all about open standards open source for everyone.


PCI association was not having any of that. So we get this abomination.

 

[BFG10K]

nVidia "generously" allows 8pin instead of 12VHPWR where 1x8 already provided enough power in the first place.

16-pin Power Connector Optional for GeForce RTX 4070, Partners Free to Use 8-pin PCIe

NVIDIA is reportedly flexible with its add-in card (AIC) partners with their choice of power connectors for the upcoming GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card. It stands to reason that this flexibility could extend even further down the lineup, to the RTX 4060 series and below. Igor's Lab reports that...

www.techpowerup.com

I was wondering how this would go. Since the connector is rated 600W, it's basically impossible for it to ever appear natively on PSUs less than 800/850W. That means vendors would have to phase out all low wattage PSUs if they wanted the plug across their entire product line. This would force up PSU prices for anyone that would've gotten 550-750W in situations where those units are still overkill for lower TDP cards, such as 1x8pin.

The 550W unit I have is vastly overkill for my system, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to instead be forced to buy 800W because of nVidia's "Apple boutique" plug.

Seeing the renders of the plugs, I can see why users who said they heard the click when plugging it in still had issues. You could plug it all the way in but if you had a lot of pulling tension due to your cable routing, the dimpled approach wouldn't be sufficient to keep the plugs in place and the connector would slowly slip out over time, especially as the wires heated and cooled with load.

Not to mention that it was paired with the biggest GPU ever made, a brick-surfboard that couldn't fit in most cases without stretching or pulling the connector.

 

[gorobei]

dimple vs 4 spring image for ref

while the dimple looks a little more robust, the 4 spring obviously makes way more contact between the surfaces.

regardless, the amount of power being put thru vs the number of pins just makes the standard bad. all because nvidia is stuck making jumbo sized coolers on mid sized pcb that cant handle the watts their dies are putting out.