PCI-SIG warns that some 12VHPWR adapters can get dangerously hot

guest · Sep 10, 2022

Old 8-pin connectors can't handle the heat
By Isaiah Mayersen @imayersen - September 10, 2022

Recap: The Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG) is the standards body that writes the specifications for the major system interconnects, including PCIe. Last year it ratified a new standard aiming to anticipate the future power consumption of high-performance GPUs: the woefully named 12VHPWR connector for PCIe 5.0 devices.

You might've already seen 12VHPWR replacing some 8-pin Molex connectors on the newest power supplies. It can deliver 600W across 12 rails, four times as much as an 8-pin connector. It's about the same size as an 8-pin to boot.
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PCI-SIG is happy with the 12VHPWR standard — that's not the problem. The problem is with the cheap 8-pin to 12VHPWR adapters that vendors are beginning to bundle with some power supplies. Wccftech reports that the group sent the following message to its members last week. [...]

In its veiled way, the group is saying that some components could melt or catch fire if pushed to their limits in an adverse environment, like a hot case.
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The takeaway is that if you're planning on upgrading to a flagship member of the RTX 4000-series, you should first upgrade your power supply to one sporting the 12VHPWR connector.
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Wccftech: PCI-SIG Warns of Potential Overcurrent/Overpower Risk With 12VHPWR Connectors Using Non-ATX 3.0 PSU & Gen 5 Adapter Plugs

By Hassan Mujtaba @hms1193 - September 10, 2022
With next-gen approaching launch soon, one of the main components that users would want to update for their PCs is their PSU. This is due to new requirements and standards that have been set in place to deliver sustained and clean power, avoiding any issues in regard to transient spikes and power excursions. While there are many manufacturers who are bundling Gen 5 (12VHPWR) connectors with their existing PSUs, here's why it is a much better choice to invest in a real ATX 3.0 compliant PSU.
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imdb · Oct 26, 2022

AMD’s upcoming Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards will be arriving without the controversial 12VHPWR connector that Nvidia has adopted for its own RTX 4090 product.

An AMD executive confirmed the news on Tuesday after two users encountered the 12VHPWR connector frying while gaming on the Nvidia GPU.
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AMD: We're Not Using 12VHPWR Connector on Upcoming Radeon GPUs by Michael Kan

guest · Nov 20, 2022

Nvidia faces lawsuit for melting RTX 4090 cables as AMD has a laugh
By Dylan Martin @DylanLJMartin - November 18, 2022

A lawsuit seeking class-action status has accused Nvidia of misleading consumers over the safety of the company's GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards due to growing reports of melting cables.
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The lawsuit, filed on November 11 by Lucas Genova in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, looks to charge Nvidia with unjustly enriching itself, committing fraud, breaching the implied warranty, and violating two New York statutes in the sale of the faulty RTX 4090 cards.

Nvidia must respond to Genova's claims by December, according to a summons issued Wednesday. In a Friday update, the company says its investigation has led it to believe the RTX 4090 power cable is melting because users are not fully plugging it in. Nvidia suggests users plug the connector into the graphics card before slotting it into the motherboard and provided an image of what a properly seated connector should look like.
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The lawsuit cites several reports pointing to the RTX 4090's 12VHPWR power connector or the card's power socket melting after use. An ongoing Reddit post has identified 26 confirmed reports of RTX 4090 cards with melting cables, and they have occurred in Nvidia's Founders Edition board as well as cards made by third parties like Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI.

The lawsuit states that Genova noticed that the 12VHPWR power connector had melted at the point where it plugs into the RTX 4090 shortly after it was installed.
The lawsuit calls this meltdown a "serious electrical and fire hazard." "As such, the cards are unsafe for anyone to use in their present configuration," it states.
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The lawsuit claims users who reported the melting cable issue properly installed the RTX 4090, and that the problem stems from a design flaw connected to how the wattage flows through the 12VHPWR's 16 pins:

"If there is even a temporary break in the electrical connection for any of the pins, too high a current will flow through the remaining pins, causing a meltdown."
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PCI-SIG warns that some 12VHPWR adapters can get dangerously hot

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