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16-pin 12VHPWR connector

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Standard for connecting GPUs to power supplies
12VHPWR adapter (12VHPWR output on the left, four 8-pin inputs on the right) supplied with Nvidia RTX 4090 cards

The 16-pin 12VHPWR connector is a standard for connecting graphics processing units (GPUs) to computer power supplies for up to 600 W power delivery. It was introduced in 2022 to supersede the previous 6- and 8-pin power connectors for GPUs. The primary aim was to cater to the increasing power requirements of high-performance GPUs. The connector was formally adopted as part of PCI Express 5.

The connector was replaced by a minor revision called 12V-2x6 (H++), introduced in 2023, which changed the GPU- and PSU-side connectors to ensure that the sense pins only make contact if the power pins are seated properly. The cables and their connectors remained unchanged.

Overview

The connector first appeared in the Nvidia RTX 40 GPUs. The prior Nvidia RTX 30 series introduced a similar, proprietary connector in the "Founder's Edition" cards, which also uses an arrangement of twelve pins for power, but did not have the sense pins, except for the connector on the founders edition RTX 3090 Ti (though not present on the adapter supplied with those cards.)

The 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, where HPWR stands for "High Power," supports higher power delivery to GPUs, up to 600 watts, a significant increase from the 150 watts of the 8-pin connector and the 75 watts of the 6-pin connector.

Adapters converting multiple 8-pin to a single 16-pin connector are available.

The 16-pin connector comprises twelve power pins arranged in two parallel rows, and four auxiliary sense pins that communicate the maximum allowable power draw.

Asus Strix RTX 4090 using 12VHPWR connector with an adapter

Reliability and design changes

Some buyers of the Nvidia RTX 4090, the first GPU to use the new connector, reported that the connectors of their RTX 4090 were melting, which sparked several theories to explain it. After investigation, several sources reported that the main cause was the 12VHPWR connector not being fully seated while being put under load that resulted in overheating of the connector's pins, which in turn caused the melting of the plastic housing.

PCI-SIG, the standards organization responsible for the creation of the 12VHPWR connector, has decided to make changes to the connector's specifications following the failures.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Nvidia over melting 12VHPWR cables which the lawsuit states is "a dangerous product that should not have been sold in its current state." The plaintiff who brought the suit claims that Nvidia unjustly enriched itself, violated the product's warranty and engaged in fraud and they are demanding that Nvidia pay damages to affected customers as compensation.

Following its own investigation and testing, Nvidia officially offered a statement on the melting connectors. They determined that the melting connectors are caused by user error from not inserting the 12VHPWR connector properly, causing partial contact. They have offered an expedited RMA process for any RTX 4090 affected by the melting connectors. PCI-SIG later said in a statement that Nvidia and their partners were still responsible for testing their products to account for user error.

Despite these claims of user error, a revised connector design intended to address these issues was introduced under the new name 12V-2x6.

In February 2024 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 12VHPWR adapters made by Cablemod. According to the recall filing, 272 reports were filed with about 25300 units shipped. The recall covers adapters using both the initial and the revised 12V-2x6 (CEM 5.1) design.

It was also reported that the new connectors have a limited lifespan of around 30–40 mating cycles before contact potentially becoming unreliable.

It has been noted that the older 6- and 8-pin connectors had substantially larger manufacturer-specified current-carrying capacity in relation to the power limits specified by PCI SIG:

Connector 8-pin power 12VHPWR (H+) / 12V-2x6 (H++)
Rated current per pin 7–8 A 9.5 A
Rated power 8 A × 12 V × 3 = 288 W 9.5 A × 12 V × 6 = 684 W
Specified power 150 W 600 W
Safety factor 1.9 1.1
Notes
  1. Depending on the wire cross-section. HCS-type terminals have lower contact resistances, permitting even higher currents and more mating cycles.
  2. For the entire connector with all applicable pins loaded at 12 V. The old 8-pin power connector only uses three pins each for ground and 12 V. For this calculation the nominal voltage is used instead of considering the ATX 2.0/3.0 tolerance band.
  3. Specified in the PCI-SIG CEM specification

See also

References

  1. "12VHPWR Sideband Allocation and Requirements - PCIe 5.x ECN". PCI SIG. 2022-05-12.
  2. "12V-2x6 Connector Updates to PCIe Base 6.0 - PCIe 6.x ECN". PCI SIG. 2023-08-31. This ECN defines Connector Type encodings for the new 12V-2x6 connector. This connector, defined in CEM 5.1, replaces the 12VHPWR connector.
  3. https://www.igorslab.de/en/rest-in-peace-12vhpwr-connector-welcome-12v-2x6-connector/
  4. https://www.corsair.com/us/en/explorer/diy-builder/power-supply-units/evolving-standards-12vhpwr-and-12v-2x6/
  5. "Simplifying 16 PIN (12VHPWR) PCIe5 Connector and Why you need it? - PC TeK REVIEWS". pctekreviews.com. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  6. Sandhu, Tarinder (2023-03-28). "ATX 3.0 PSUs explained: why 12VHPWR is the best way to power Nvidia RTX 40 Series GPUs". Club386. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  7. crmaris (2022-10-31). "12VHPWR Connector/Cable: PSU's Size (Watt) Does Matter!". Hardware Busters. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  8. ^ "Let's talk about the 12VHPWR connector..." jongerow.com. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  9. "Seasonic 12VHPWR Cable". seasonic.com. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  10. "PCIe Gen5 "12VHPWR" power connector to feature 150W, 300W, 450W and 600W settings". VideoCardz.com. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  11. Wallossek, Igor (October 27, 2022). "The horror has a face - NVIDIA's hot 12VHPWR adapter for the GeForce RTX 4090 with a built-in breaking point". Igor's Lab. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  12. Gamers Nexus (November 16, 2022). "The Truth About NVIDIA's RTX 4090 Adapters: Testing, X-Ray, & 12VHPWR Failures". YouTube. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  13. "Talking about the 12VHPWR connector". Jon Gerow.
  14. Garreffa, Anthony (November 9, 2022). "PCI-SIG now considering changes to problematic 12VHPWR connector". TweakTown. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  15. Liu, Zhiye (November 16, 2022). "RTX 4090 Owner Hits Nvidia With Lawsuit Over Melting 16-pin Connector". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  16. Kan, Michael (November 17, 2022). "Nvidia Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Melting 12VHPWR Cables". PCMag. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  17. Gamers Nexus (November 18, 2022). "NVIDIA Responds to Melting Cables, Warranty Concerns, & 12VHPWR Adapter Failures". YouTube. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  18. Killian, Zak (November 18, 2022). "NVIDIA Releases Official Update Addressing Cause Of Melting 12VHPWR Connectors". HotHardware. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  19. Mujtaba, Hassan (November 19, 2022). "NVIDIA Confirms User-Error As The Main Reason of 16-Pin 12VHPWR Cable Issues, Only 50 of 125,000 Units Melted So Far". Wccftech. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  20. Hollister, Sean (2022-12-01). "Nvidia's melted power cables are an Nvidia problem, PCI standards body suggests". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-12-01. Members are reminded that PCI-SIG specifications provide necessary technical information for interoperability and do not attempt to address proper design, manufacturing methods, materials, safety testing, safety tolerances or workmanship. When implementing a PCI-SIG specification, Members are responsible for the design, manufacturing, and testing, including safety testing, of their products.
  21. Liu, Zhiye (2023-07-03). "16-Pin Power Connector Gets A Much-Needed Revision, Meet The New 12V-2x6 Connector". Tom's Hardware.
  22. "GPU Angled Adapters Recalled Due to Fire and Burn Hazards; Manufactured by CableMod". 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  23. NHU9B (2022-09-23). "12VHPWR: an adapter that turns out to be a consumable?". Overclocking.com. Retrieved 2023-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. "An 8-pin PCIe supports a lot more than 150W". jongerow.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  25. "MINI-FIT® PCI EXPRESS®* WIRE TO BOARD CONNECTOR SYSTEM - PS-45558-001" (PDF). Molex.
  26. "MINI-FIT JR. WIRE TO WIRE & WIRE TO BOARD CONNECTOR SYSTEM - PS-5556-001" (PDF). p. 8.
  27. "Minitek Pwr CEM-5 12VHPWR Wire to Board Connectors" (PDF). Amphenol. Operating Current Rating For Power Pin = 9.5A/pin (12 pins energized)
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