PSA: Don't Just Arm-wrestle with 16-pin 12VHPWR for Cable-Management, It Will Burn Up

[user556]

Performance is king ... but only if it's reliable.

 

[Colddecked]

I know it generates clicks or video views or whatever but the fear mongering has to stop. There is exactly n=1 cases of this happening in the wild and who knows how they treated the cable or what other elements could have caused this. A quick google search of "burned 8 pin connector" will yield numerous results of this happening throughout history, it's not unique to 12VHPWR.

It seems to me you just need to be a little careful and follow the recommendations when using these cables instead of slapping things together like a monkey.

There's more than 1 case of this. And we are talking, what, 2 weeks after launch? Just running benchmarks? Sure it can happen to 8pins also, but I'm sure they were running out of spec. If you are counting on people bending the cable exactly at 35mm after the connector, its a design error.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yeah but you have to laugh at someone buying a 1600.us+ gpu and trying to put it in a midtower

 

[fevgatos]

I also wonder how many people are using only 2 PSU cables to connect the 600 watt adapter.

Cuz you know, some PSUs have daisy chain PCI-E 8-Pin cables... *yikes*

There is absolutely nothing wrong with daisy chain pcie 8,why are you saying yikes?

Hi,
Sorry but when a company says 30 times is a lifetime of a connector it's a pos.

Thats the same rating as the normal 8pin pcie though

 

[TheDeeGee]

Maybe instead of making new connectors and by treating the symptom, we should probably invest time into having hardware detect these high resistance situations so a user can take action before stuff starts melting or catching fire. Ultimately this is a state that needs immediate action and even with the best of connectors, something can still go wrong. Regardless of connector, I'd like be aware of this situation should it arise before it causes damage.

True, as is this connector can never be safe.

Only safe way to connect is to solder wires directly to the GPU, i'm sure DIYs will attempt this.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Big difference is normal pci-e/... cables aren't as fragile as this adapter seems to be.

 

[Punkenjoy]

A well made connector should be enough to deliver 600w of power. The thing is those are not well designed.

To me it's not the amount of cable, the amount of connecting cycle, it's really the position and the locking mechanism of the thing. Something that handle 600w of power should be well locked in place. That 35 mm no bend crap is just hilarious.

That doesn't mean that they wont improve it. By example, PCI-E 16x slot now have locking mechanism. They could do something similar there. It's indeed additional cost but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I think the no bend on 35 mm is a stupidity, but not because of the side panel. It's just a dangerous risk if your cable move for whatever reason. If you have 4090 money, and not enough money to spend on larger case, well, you should revise your priority. a case too small will restrict airflow. It could always work if you reduce the power limits but still.

What i would do is a 90° connector with a clap on it to secure it in place and no one will have problem ever again.

I think this situation is ridiculous but at some point, there was a needs for a better connector instead of 4 8 pin.

The location of those connector should also be improved. If it was facing up or down (in a standard gpu mount), there would be way less bending required. I would actually have it facing up. This would allow someone with a vertical GPU mount to totally hide the cable.

 

[TheDeeGee]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with daisy chain pcie 8,why are you saying yikes?


Thats the same rating as the normal 8pin pcie though

For the 600 Watt adapter it's the difference between pulling 300 Watt through a cable if daisy chained, or 150 with 4.

Sure PCI-E 8-Pin is rated for little over 300 Watt, but would you be comfortable with that?

But i guess some people like to live on the edge.

 

[fevgatos]

For the 600 Watt adapter it's the difference between pulling 300 Watt through a cable if daisy chained, or 150 with 4.

Sure PCI-E 8-Pin is rated for little over 300 Watt, but would you be comfortable with that?

But i guess some people like to live on the edge.

Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with daisy chained 2x8pins, unless your PSU is bought on discount from Lidl. In which case, I don't think your main concern should be the cable anyways, right?

Even the 12vhpwr cable that corsair sells has 2 connectors on the PSU side. So, they have to know something, right?

 

[medi01]

This is not NV idea, it`s a new general standard.

There is no "general standard" of "ship home made adapter that cannot fit properly in 93% of f the cases.

This issue is absolutely NV's creation and doesn't have anything to do with 12 pin socket.

IF NV was too greedy for a proper 90 degree angle adapter, it could have located the socket differently.

 

[Vayra86]

Hi,
Yeah but you have to laugh at someone buying a 1600.us+ gpu and trying to put it in a midtower

Oh? We have numerous powerful ITX builds with high end components going about. Smaller cases can dissipate heat fine...

And thats the core of the issue here: a trend happening with pc components where higher power draw changes the old rules regarding what is possible and what is not. There is no guidance on that, from Nvidia either. They just assume you will solve the new DIY build problems that might arise from the specs they devised.

The very same thing is happening in CPU. And for what? To run the hardware way out of its efficiency curve, they are skirting the limits of what is possible out of the box to justify a ridiculous price point for a supposed performance edge you might never reach.

Components have landed in nonsense territory on the top end to keep the insatiable hunger of commerce afloat.

Do you have better producer than Molex?

And no, that "molex connector" in the PC is not made by Molex, it's a Mate-N-Lok by TE-Connectivity. It's actually one of the few connectors that is NOT made by Molex.

Wha... molex cables buddy, I never did use a capital letter, and if I did, by accident.

These

 

[medi01]

Hehe:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1584931430483705859

 

[TheDeeGee]

Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with daisy chained 2x8pins, unless your PSU is bought on discount from Lidl. In which case, I don't think your main concern should be the cable anyways, right?

Even the 12vhpwr cable that corsair sells has 2 connectors on the PSU side. So, they have to know something, right?

Corsair knows, they also know how the sense wires work... not

Hehe:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1584931430483705859

If the lower tier cards of AIBs will use this dumpster fire 12VHPWR connector as well, i will either get myself a 3070 Strix, or go to AMD (something i really want to avoid).

 

[medi01]

a 3070

NV: "users stick to series, not price tier" <= check
Was your earlier card 970?

or go to AMD (something i really want to avoid).

NV: "customers keep buying our stuff no matter what" <= check

 

[dinmaster]

what a shit show, gg nvidia. just couldn't stick with pci-e connectors or having a bigger connector and wires so the 30 reconnect limit wouldn't exist and the fires too.

 

[sephiroth117]

That's alright, if they burn up their card, they're rich, they can just buy another...

I don't have a 4090 but for some, paying a 1000$ a GPU few months ago was a good deal and normal but now 1500$ that's like ok you are filthy rich, have a 3 Porsche and can afford 10 4090, lmao.

No that's not alright because it could happen on an upcoming, more affordable 4080/4070...or a 3090ti since they have the 12vhpwr.

 

[TheDeeGee]

NV: "users stick to series, not price tier" <= check
Was your earlier card 970?


NV: "customers keep buying our stuff no matter what" <= check

Troll confirmed, ignored bai!

 

[Toss]

I prefer my old AMD with normal 8-pins. F K THAT
WHat's the problem for them to go 4x 8 pins instead of this garbage? Same 600W TDP

 

[evernessince]

This is the same industry-standard cycle as for many molex connectors. i.e., not an issue for the normal end-user.

View attachment 267011

Scare-mongering (or lack of due-diligence) isn't helpful when trying to remain a reliable tech site.

To be fair, Molex connectors were a PITA. Even during the first connect the pins often not aligned and you'd had to fiddle with it to get everything aligned. Pretty much had to fiddle with each reconnect after that as well. Molex wasn't carrying 600w either.

I agree with you that problems are unlikely for most people but when you are talking about a cable that carries this much power you don't really want quality on par with molex.

 

[Solaris17]

I don't have a 4090 but for some, paying a 1000$ a GPU few months ago was a good deal and normal but now 1500$ that's like ok you are filthy rich, have a 3 Porsche and can afford 10 4090, lmao.

Man; comments like this really bring nothing to the table. I cannot stand it when people do it. This is totally off topic but I just want to throw some things out really quick before my meeting.

If you update even every 2 years in MY experience in consumer land you spend pretty much the same amount of money if you keep up with your build as someone that blows it all at once.

I bought 2x 4090s. 2x z690s; including all the other parts, coolers, fans, cases, ram for 2x platform upgrades. All at once. I probably just dropped 1/4 of the salary of what some make here on this forum.

Because I saved. Since 2017. The week after I finished our x299 builds. For the next platform jump. 5 years.

I do not think and it shouldnt make me out to be or included in the demographic of people that are considered hardware snobs because I can drop 3x your mortgage on PC parts in one night and still eat dinner. Your logic is flawed.

Also, I LOVE porsches.

And they dont need to be $180k cars. You can choose to spend that much though if you want.


For the record. If it helps. I know a few others that do it like me. At the very least its a waste of your time (not sure you know how much thats worth yet) because what people like this think of how I spend my money doesn't affect how I sleep at night.

 

[the54thvoid]

To be fair, Molex connectors were a PITA. Even during the first connect the pins often not aligned and you'd had to fiddle with it to get everything aligned. Pretty much had to fiddle with each reconnect after that as well. Molex wasn't carrying 600w either.

I agree with you that problems are unlikely for most people but when you are talking about a cable that carries this much power you don't really want quality on par with molex.

I feel as though I'm banging my head into a brick wall.

It doesn't matter whether Molex is a PITA. It matters that people are using this to bash Nvidia as though it's their fault. AMD use the same mini-molex 6 and 8-pin connectors (from the PSU), which all follow certain standards--which is namely the 30 cycle mating. The 30 cycle thing is not the issue.

The issue is the shitty bend mechanics and pin contact failure.

 

[Star_Hunter]

If Nvidia would have just set this card's TDP to 350W instead of 450W it would have had 97% of the 450W level of performance. That would have enabled them to have a smaller cooler and therefore more room for the power connection and avoiding all this mess. Not sure if they just did this because of concern from RDNA3 but feel they really should picked a better spot on the cards power efficiency curve. If someone wants more performance, simply have them use water cooling and overclock.

 

[kapone32]

I just hope that with no EVGA around all these buyers have fun getting warranty service especially for Asus.

 

[Solaris17]

I wonder if cards will come with dielectric grease now. I think I have some left over from my starter. lol

I just hope that with no EVGA around all these buyers have fun getting warranty service especially for Asus.

worst CX experience of my life

 

[ThrashZone]

I just hope that with no EVGA around all these buyers have fun getting warranty service especially for Asus.

Hi,
Indeed
I'm now without a gpu manufacture luckily I'm not in the market.