Twitter/X user @momomo_us has unveiled official documentation detailing a new GC-HPCE power connection standard to supply additional GPU power throughout motherboard. This connector can deliver over 600 Watts of power, surpassing 12VHPWR connector's capacity. The GC-HPCE power connector features four groups of pins. Sixteen pins are dedicated to power delivery, while the remaining twelve facilitate communication between the motherboard and the graphics card. Its size is comparable to the regular PCIe x1 connector. Positioned in alignment with the primary PCIe x16 slot on a motherboard, the GC-HPCE power connector is situated behind the x16 slot, typically where the motherboard chipset heatsink is found. This strategic placement ensures the graphics card can be easily slotted into both connectors, simplifying installation. The connector's design negates the need for an additional locking mechanism, as the x16 slot's existing lock sufficiently secures the graphics card.

First showcased at Computex, this connector was featured in several prototype motherboards and graphics cards, emphasizing its potential to enhance cable management and aesthetics. By eliminating supplementary power cables from the graphics card and channeling power through the motherboard, the graphics card's appearance remains uncluttered, and cable management behind the motherboard tray becomes more streamlined. Intriguingly, this connector is a familiar design. It's a modified version of the High Power Card Edge (HPCE) standard prevalent in the server industry. While ASUS has been the primary proponent of this connector, it remains to be seen if other companies will adopt this standard for their consumer products. Additionally, routing power throughout the motherboard will require manufacturers to include additional power regulating circuitry, potentially driving motherboard costs up. It is also not an agreed upon industry standard, which could block some future GPU upgrades from happening.You can check out ASUS'es implementation of the Back-to-Future (BTF) motherboard that supports this connector below.

GIGABYTE today released an updated graphics card BIOS for its GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC / WindForce OC (GV-N208TWF3OC-11GC) graphics card, with significantly increased power limits. The card originally ships with a power-limit adjustment headroom of up to of 290 Watts. The new BIOS increases that all the way up to 366 W. The default power limit for both BIOSes is 260 W, so you'll have to use GIGABYTE's Aorus Engine utility to increase the power limit manually to 366 W instead of 290 W.

The increased power limit helps the card sustain its GPU Boost frequencies better, since there is more electrical headroom. The new BIOS, however, don't tinker with temperature limits. 84°C is still the temperature at which the GPU will begin to lower clock speeds to bring down temperatures, and 88°C is the temperature limit. GPU Boost uses a combination of factors such as utilization, power limit, and temperature to increase GPU clock speeds, to increase performance. You can find both the new BIOS, and the original BIOS for this card below. You use the BIOS at your own risk.DOWNLOAD: GIGABYTE High Power Limit RTX 2080 Ti BIOS | GIGABYTE RTX 2080 Ti Gaming OC Original BIOS

PSU maker High Power unveiled the Astro PT line of premium PSUs, which as the name might suggest, are 80 Plus Platinum certified. Astro PT is a "smart" PSU, which comes in 600W and 700W capacities, features a single +12V rail design, and a few impressive innovations, such as a WiFi-based connection to your PC, using which it interfaces with a monitoring and fan-control software.

Why WiFi and why not USB, you ask? Because WiFi allows overclockers to use an external device, such as a notebook, to monitor the PSU, so the bench machine the PSU is powering isn't affected by monitoring software. This software lets you monitor the various power domains, and tinker with the unit's fan-curve. The Astro PT also features an in-built power load meter that works like Kill-a-Watt, and measures power consumption at the AC receptacle. The Astro PT also features a digital VRM design, partially modular cabling with flat modular cables, and a 135 mm fan. The PSU supports low-power C-states of the new Core "Haswell" processors.

High Power also unveiled the Astro PT series of PSUs for gaming and enthusiast PCs. Its showed off a 700W model, featuring a patented LED-based real-time load-meter. Typically, PSUs are most efficient when the load is around half its capacity. This meter updates the user using colorful LEDs: blue for light-load, yellow for the load that's treading into "efficient", and red for high-load/overload. This way, overclockers know if their PSUs are coming in the way of stable CPU and VGA overclocks. The Astro PT 700W PSU is semi modular, with a few important cables being fixed, and sleeved, while redundant cables being modular, and flat. These PSUs boast of 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, feature a single +12V design, and 135 mm golf-surface fan to cool the unit.

PSU maker High Power unveiled the RockSolid Pro 1600W (RS-1600 Pro), a high capacity modular PSU for enthusiast PCs with multiple graphics cards and CPU sockets. This brute uses four 50A +12V rails to meet its capacity. It bears 80 Plus Silver efficiency certification. The unit uses a 135 mm golf ball dimpled fan with off-delay to keep the unit cool. It is compliant with most modern standards. An LED status display keeps the user updated on the load. It should have adequate cable connectivity for 4-way multi-GPU setups, if not more.