Graphics card owners with the 16-pin (12VHPWR) power connector no longer have to live in fear. According to a new report from the German publication Igor's Lab, PCI-SIG is revising the specification in an attempt to save the 12VHPWR power connector. It's about time that PCI-SIG took action on the matter amidst multiple user reports of the 16-pin connector melting on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4090, one of the best graphics cards for gamers.
Innovation is a great thing because it drives companies to release novel products. However, too much innovation can also be a bad thing. The feedback was mixed when word got out that Nvidia would put the 16-pin power connector on some of its consumer GeForce RTX 40-series (Ada Lovelace) graphics cards. Some were happy that we could finally ditch the cable clutter and use a single 16-pin power cable instead of three 8-pin PCIe power cables. However, others had reservations about Nvidia's decision. The 12VHPWR was a new connector, and there's always a bit of fear for early adopters. Furthermore, what worried many users was that large amounts of power were going through that tiny 16-pin power connector.
