12V-2x6 Adapter with Monitoring and Shunt Resistors Appears for NVIDIA's GPUs

[AleksandarK]

A monitoring adapter prototype for NVIDIA's problematic 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 power connectors has surfaced in Asian markets, potentially offering RTX 5090 owners a stopgap solution amid ongoing concerns about thermal issues and power delivery weaknesses. The prototype features a circuit board with individually routed +12V lines through shunt resistors, enabling precise current measurement across each power line while maintaining ground and sense pin functionality. The adapter incorporates voltage monitoring capabilities and an apparent alarm function designed to trigger during overload conditions. A USB port is present on the board for user-accessible data output to a custom display. Notably, the current design iteration appears to omit temperature monitoring functionality, focusing exclusively on current distribution metrics.

These monitoring solutions merely detect rather than resolve the fundamental design issues reportedly affecting NVIDIA's high-end graphics cards. NVIDIA has maintained silence regarding the reported thermal issues and power supply inconsistencies affecting their flagship GeForce RTX 5090 cards despite growing user concerns about connector safety and performance stability. The emergence of third-party monitoring solutions proves the demand for greater transparency regarding power delivery characteristics, particularly for cards operating at extreme power limits. The RTX 5090, with its factory power limit of 600 W, represents the most power-hungry GPU, getting its massive power through a single 12V-2x6 connector interface.



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[mama]

This shouldn't be required to make the power connector safe and the card useable. Nvidia needs a class action to commence before they take the matter seriously.

 

[gasolina]

This shouldn't be required to make the power connector safe and the card useable. Nvidia needs a class action to commence before they take the matter seriously.

What to expect since consumers are dumb and they eat any garbage ngreedia throws at them .

 

[AusWolf]

The problem is with the FE cards with the angled connector. How are you gonna plug this thing into that one?

 

[TheDeeGee]

No, no, no.

Switch from 3-dimple crimp connectors to 4-spring is the solution.

 

[Sabotaged_Enigma]

A nice thing to tell you when the graphics brick is about to explode

 

[Chomiq]

That surely won't melt, right?

 

[Chaitanya]

This shouldn't be required to make the power connector safe and the card useable. Nvidia needs a class action to commence before they take the matter seriously.

Given the current US administration being essentially worse version of Russian oligarchy, nGreedia will get away with genocide as long as they throw money at the president. Class action will be even bigger damp squib than usual. EU needs to punish nGreedia just to put even more pressure on US "administration" just like how South Africa is punishing Google.

 

[Wirko]

This still doesn't help if there's a problem with the ground wires and their connector pins.

 

[razaron]

Power cables used to be bits of metal, rubber and plastic. Now they're whole ass computers.

Can't wait for the CVEs. You could hack someone through their CPU fan, now you can hack them through a power cable.

Clever Attack Uses the Sound of a Computer’s Fan to Steal Data

By controlling the speed of a computer's internal fans, researchers show how they can steal passwords and other data from "air-gapped" machines.

www.wired.com

 

[lepudruk]

While I admire the invention and support any hardware innovation, I have to say: it's not the way it should be fixed!
That part of a job is on Nvidia side: it's their duty to fix faulty power connectors. I'm afraid it will never get any better if users got use to rely on 3rd party solutions to fix the manufacturers problems

 

[john_]

Or, we can hire someone to keep looking from the side panel while we are using our PC and in case he sees smoke to alarm us to quickly shut down the PC.

 

[Quicks]

This shouldn't be required to make the power connector safe and the card useable. Nvidia needs a class action to commence before they take the matter seriously.

Having GPU's with TBP over 300 Watts is just ridiculous as well.

 

[N3utro]

It's a good idea but it should automatically cut all power to the GPU if any overload is detected instead of just ringing an alarm

 

[Wirko]

It's a good idea but it should automatically cut all power to the GPU if any overload is detected instead of just ringing an alarm

And stop all fans so less smoke gets out, and less oxygen gets in.

 

[boulard83]

When you need a 250$ cable to power your 2500$ GPU.

 

[Capitan Harlock]

How come a multicorporation can't do anything like this implemented in the design of the card? Who ever did the testing before shipping and approving the board design should resign.

 

[razaron]

I wonder if it can run Doom?

 

[dtoxic]

Fixing Nvidia's design problems...cant get more retarded than this.

 

[Knight47]

No, no, no.

Switch from 3-dimple crimp connectors to 4-spring is the solution.

Tell that the gpu manufacturers. I got a new gpu that was manufactured at the end of 2024 September and it came with a freaking 3 dimple adapter, so I ordered a 12v-2x6 cable directly from Corsair and that's a 2-spring cable with 12vhpwr written on the 'box'.

 

[Veseleil]

A community style solution for a premium product's deficiency.

 

[TheDeeGee]

Tell that the gpu manufacturers. I got a new gpu that was manufactured at the end of 2024 September and it came with a freaking 3 dimple adapter, so I ordered a 12v-2x6 cable directly from Corsair and that's a 2-spring cable with 12vhpwr written on the 'box'.

Everyone needs to switch to 4-spring, not just the cables that come with the GPU's.

It needs to become a new standard.

 

[_roman_]

I just checked a few lines.

A Shunt resistor is not a fuse.
Monitoring is not a safety feature.

A fuse is a safety feature.

that stuff also needs temperature measurement probes.

The adapter incorporates voltage monitoring capabilities and an apparent alarm function designed to trigger during overload conditions.

Nope - Nope- Nope.

Really how do yo measure a current with a shunt - resistor? Maybe ohms law + shunt resistor + an analog / digital - converter in a microcontroller?

--

they should have added some circuitry on the psu side, not on the graphic card site, to hardware limit the current per wire. Which should be in the power supply unit in the first place. That connector is only specified for 600 Watts not 750 Watts what some overclockers use it for.

 

[HairyLobsters]

This shouldn't be required to make the power connector safe and the card useable. Nvidia needs a class action to commence before they take the matter seriously.

12VHP is an ATX spec.

 

[Wirko]

Fixing Nvidia's design problems...cant get more retarded than this.

A $0 corporation fixing a $3,0,000,0,0000,0,00,0,0,00,0,000 corporation's design problems. That's a division by zero.