Tuesday, September 24th 2024

NVIDIA RTX 5090 "Blackwell" Could Feature Two 16-pin Power Connectors

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang never misses an opportunity to remind us that Moore's Law is cooked, and that future generations of logic hardware will only get larger and hotter, or hungrier for power. NVIDIA's next generation "Blackwell" graphics architecture promises to bring certain architecture-level performance/Watt improvements, coupled with the node-level performance/Watt improvements from the switch to the TSMC 4NP (4 nm-class) node. Even so, the GeForce RTX 5090, or the part that succeeds the current RTX 4090, will be a power hungry GPU, with rumors suggesting the need for two 16-pin power inputs.

TweakTown reports that the RTX 5090 could come with two 16-pin power connectors, which should give the card the theoretical ability to pull 1200 W (continuous). This doesn't mean that the GPU's total graphics power (TGP) is 1200 W, but a number close to or greater than 600 W, which calls for two of these connectors. Even if the TGP is exactly 600 W, NVIDIA would want to deploy two inputs, to spread the load among two connectors, and improve physical resilience of the connector. It's likely that both connectors will have 600 W input capability, so end-users don't mix up connectors should one of them be 600 W and the other keyed to 150 W or 300 W.
Above is a quick Photoshop job by TweakTown of how such a card could look like. The requirement of two 16-pin connectors should rule out older PSU types, and NVIDIA will likely only include one adapter that converts two or three 8-pin PCIe power connectors to a 16-pin, with the other input expected to be a native 600 W input from an ATX 3.0 or ATX 3.1 PSU. Most of the newer generation ATX 3.0 or ATX 3.1 PSUs in the market only have one native 16-pin connector, and three or four additional 8-pin PCIe power connectors. As for the connector itself, this could very likely be a 12V-2x6 with compatibility for 12VHPWR.

Some PSU manufacturers are beginning to release high-Wattage models with two native 12V-2x6 connectors. These would typically have a Wattage of over 1300 W. The Seasonic Prime PX-2200 W, released earlier this week, is an extreme example of this trend. Besides its high Wattage, this PSU puts out as many as four 12V-2x6 connectors. Another recent example would be the MSI MEG AI1600T PCIE5 (1600 W), with two native 600 W 12V-2x6.
Source: TweakTown
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109 Comments on NVIDIA RTX 5090 "Blackwell" Could Feature Two 16-pin Power Connectors

#101
Waldorf
while a lot of games will run on mobile grade/perf level, things that most will buy +500$ gpus for wont, like flight/racing sims or FPS, especially when offering increased IQ with things like RT.

and i dont and never will never play online (stream/cloud), short of 2 or 3 games where its about the fun (squad made up from friends not sitting next to each other), unless its a game requires to be online (but still runs on my pc/console).

and i didnt even do consoles anymore myself, as crossplay doesnt require it anymore, and i rather invest same amount in upgrades, vs replacing the whole console every couple years, ignoring it wont (easily) run my older games like fleet command or pinball machines.
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#102
Zach_01
If the 5090 is going to be a 600+W card then going double on the power connectors is the sanest thing to do.
The “burning” problem with 4090 connectors is current (A), forget watt. Current flow “creates” heat through wires and connectors without perfect touch of pins because of resistance.

In future going from 12V to 24V will cut current in half = less resistance and heat. It’s simple math to get the same wattage with higher voltage.

This is the reason why many high performance EVs are switching from 400V to 800V. To cut current (A) in half. Wiring was getting thicker and thicker as power was increasing and the risk of fire was getting higher on wire connections in the car.

Of course this is done a lot easier on EVs than PCs. On PCs too many thing have to change for that kind of transition. Won’t be easy but if power keeps growing it will be inevitable.
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#104
R-T-B
LycanwolfenWhen gamers demand better.
The problem with this line of thought is gamers haven't been nvidias chief money maker for a very long time. In other words: what you think is an afterthought to them, if its relevant at all.
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#105
x4it3n
I wouldn't even be surprised with the 5090 comes with 2x 16-pin, even if the Default TDP of the 5090 was 550W and the OC TDP was 600W, it would still put a lot of stress on that small connector...
2x 16-pin seems the right thing to do to avoid some melting issues like with the 4090. Also AIBs will definitely release some variants with 600W+ BIOS so they will definitely need 2x 16-pin connectors.
Posted on Reply
#106
TheDeeGee
For the better, especially since 12VHPWR is only overspecced for 610 Watts.
Posted on Reply
#107
Arkz
Looking forward to the 6090 That will need this just for the GPUs other half of power.
Posted on Reply
#108
leonavis
Dual PSU system with an external 400x400 radiator just for the GPU ^^

But to be real... Whoever buys a GPU for 2000€+ is probably also okay with 600W powerdraw. This is - in gaming realms - pure enthusiast, and if you use it for work, you buy what you need anyway.
Posted on Reply
#109
Evrsr
BwazeVertically mounted as in using cases with horizontal motherboard placement?




Because using PCIe riser cables have been nothing but problems for many people, often requiring them to choose lower PCIe gen level ("You only loose a couple percent of performance")?
Yes, exactly. Better to spend $25 on a 4.0 riser than risking $1000+ into the trash (or expensive repairs).

Otherwise, one has to be really thorough in looking at a card disassembled to check if it transfers weight to the case through the I/O bracket.
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