ASUS Confirms 12-Pin PCIe 5.0 Power Connector for Next-Gen Graphics Cards

[Tsing]

Image: ASUS



ASUS has confirmed that next-generation graphics cards will leverage a new 12-pin PCIe 5.0 power connector. The confirmation comes from a marketing segment for the company’s new ROG Thor power supplies, which include the 1200W Platinum II, 1600W Titanium, and 1000W Platinum II models. One portion of the segment demonstrates how these PSUs should have no problem coping with peak power draws as high as 940 watts, which is apparently possible in cards such as NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3090...

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[Peter_Brosdahl]

Well, I'm glad they're including a cable with the new PSUs. Good for them. The only thing the quote doesn't specify is if these PSUs will actually have a port like that or if the 12-pin connector has 2 x 8-pins or an 8-pin/4-pin combo on the other side. I would hope not but you never know. I feel that a single 12-pin could be applicable to a lot of cards even if they don't need the max power but it only makes sense if we don't have splits everywhere.

 

[Brian_B]

Well, I'm glad they're including a cable with the new PSUs. Good for them. The only thing the quote doesn't specify is if these PSUs will actually have a port like that or if the 12-pin connector has 2 x 8-pins or an 8-pin/4-pin combo on the other side. I would hope not but you never know. I feel that a single 12-pin could be applicable to a lot of cards even if they don't need the max power but it only makes sense if we don't have splits everywhere.

I agree, a single 12-pin would be nicer than 2x 6+2's

I'm thinking it's probably going to be it's own port. If you wanted to try to get there via adapters, you'd need 4 of them bridged to hit the 600W spec on the new 12-pin cable. I'm sure there are a few PSUs out there meant for SLI rigs that have 4, especially when you are looking in the 1kW+ range, but that's a lot of connectors going together via an adapter, or a lot of sockets on the back end of a modular PSU.

So I think it'll have it's own socket and/or cable on the back.

 

[Zarathustra]

How else are they going to sell you new PSU's?

Well, I'm glad they're including a cable with the new PSUs. Good for them. The only thing the quote doesn't specify is if these PSUs will actually have a port like that or if the 12-pin connector has 2 x 8-pins or an 8-pin/4-pin combo on the other side. I would hope not but you never know. I feel that a single 12-pin could be applicable to a lot of cards even if they don't need the max power but it only makes sense if we don't have splits everywhere.

I'm guessing there will be aftermarket cable kits. Fits into what used to be two modular PCIe ports on the PSU side, and has one of these 12 pin connectors on the GPU side.

I mean, it doesn't sound like they are doing anyhting new. 12v DC is 12v DC.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

I'm guessing there will be aftermarket cable kits. Fits

For sure. I'm just hoping the manufacturers get on board quickly so users don't have to worry so much about what isn't included with a new PSU. Those of us with older ones will eventually have to either upgrade or buy the kits and I'm fine with that. In either case, I"m pretty happy with my 3090 and I don't believe I'll feel the upgrade itch for at least one or two more gens.

 

[Brian_B]

Those of us with older ones will eventually have to either upgrade or buy the kits and I'm fine with that.

Yeah, I'm thinking if your buying a new GPU that requires 300W+ of power, you're probably going to want to go ahead and spring for the new PSU with it that has the 12-pin native, rather than risk trying to cobble together several PCI connectors via an adapter.

 

[Zarathustra]

Yeah, I'm thinking if your buying a new GPU that requires 300W+ of power, you're probably going to want to go ahead and spring for the new PSU with it that has the 12-pin native, rather than risk trying to cobble together several PCI connectors via an adapter.

I don't think a end of cable adapter is a good idea, but a complete replacement modular cable that goes all the way back to the PSU I think should be fine.

12 VDC is 12VDC. There is nothing technically new required from these connectors, just a new physical form factor to make it easier/prettier for users.

They don't say what the max current draw over this new 12pin connector is, but I'm betting two of the modular outlets on a PSU designed for 8pin PCIe power should be more than enough. Each 8pin connector is speced at 150W, so that would be 300W. In practice they can draw much more over those 8pin connectors than 150W though, as most PSU manufacturers supply them with cables that are much thicker than the spec calls for. This is how they justify combining two connectors on one cable.

Funny side note.

My 1200W Seasonic Prime Platinum has 5x 8pin modular ports on the PSU which are shared between PCIe power and motherboard 12v (EPS?) power.

The problem? Both my motherboard (Asus ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha) and my GPU each have 3 8pin connectors. I had wanted to run individual cables to each, but that just won't work, so I have the three going to the motherboard, and and two going to the GPU, with the second using the split pigtail on th ecable to fill all power connections.

The new Seasonic Prime PX models seem to have 8 of those ports. I'm a little jelly.


edit:

Actually, never mind. I ahve 6. It was just difficult to see behind the PSU shroud on the Corsair 1000D. I'm going to have to run a third cable to the GPU when I get a chance. Not that I think it will really make a difference, but it is the right thing to do.

 

[Brian_B]

I don't think a end of cable adapter is a good idea, but a complete replacement modular cable that goes all the way back to the PSU I think should be fine.

It'd take up 4 PCIe adapter slots on a modular PSU to get to the rated power. Yeah, that's much better than an end-of-cable, but that's an awful lot of real estate on the back of a ATX PSU.

But it's possible, and preferrable.

 

[Brian_B]

The problem? Both my motherboard (Asus ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha) and my GPU each have 3 8pin connectors. I had wanted to run individual cables to each, but that just won't work, so I have the three going to the motherboard, and and two going to the GPU, with the second using the split pigtail on th ecable to fill all power connections.

Hmm, I don't know what clocks your running, but I'd think the GPU would generally take more power than the motherboard would.

 

[Zarathustra]

It'd take up 4 PCIe adapter slots on a modular PSU to get to the rated power. Yeah, that's much better than an end-of-cable, but that's an awful lot of real estate on the back of a ATX PSU.

But it's possible, and preferrable.

The new 12 pin connector is rated at 600W? Wow. Impressive.

Keep in mind - at least on my Seasonic PSU - each of those modular ports are shared between PCIe power and EPS 12v motherboard power.

The 8 pin PCIe power may only be rated for 150w, but the 8 pin EPS power is rated at up to 336w, and since they are dual purpose, we know the modular plugs need to be able to support the higher rating, so two of those should be able to support up to 672w, which ought to be sufficient for this 12pin connector.

 

[Zarathustra]

Hmm, I don't know what clocks your running, but I'd think the GPU would generally take more power than the motherboard would.

Yeah, those were my thoughts too, but it was unclear to me if I the motherboard would actually run happily with one of those ports empty, and the EPS power connectors don't have pigtails like the PCIe power connectors do, so I just connected it the way I could fill all the connections.

Either way, you can draw WAY more than the rated 150w over those PCIe connectors, so I am not concerned. And even with More Power Tool cranked up as far as I dared, that puts the power limit at 439w. (I mean, there is nothing stoppping me from going higher, but it just didn't seem right or necessary, because at 439w I was never hitting the power limit at max stable clocks, even in something very power heavy like TimeSpy.

Either way, it's moot now. Per my edit above, I figured out I was just being blind (or having my view obscured by the PSU shroud) so I can actually run a third cable to the GPU, and I will this evening.

 

[Brian_B]

Either way, you can draw WAY more than the rated 150w over those PCIe connectors, so I am not concerned.

You can, but should you is the question?

 

[Zarathustra]

You can, but should you is the question?

I've never seen a melted PCIe cable.

They are usuay overdimensioned, using lower gage wire than specified. Probably wouldn't on a cheap PSU though.

I would never use an adapter to overdraw on a 4 pin molex or Sata connector though. That is asking for trouble. It's a real shame so many GPU manufacturers have shipped then with their products.

 

[DrezKill]

Those of us with older ones will eventually have to either upgrade or buy the kits and I'm fine with that.

My current PSU has been in use for 11 years, so I'm overdue for a new PSU anyways. When I build my next PC, I will finally move to a new PSU, and by then I hope PSU cables with these new connectors (if this connector does in fact become a standard) will be included on most (if not all) new PSUs.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]

My current PSU has been in use for 11 years

I finally retired a Corsair 1200w, I forget the model, that was originally used for my 2600Kbuild back in the day. That thing champed it out like nobody's business. Not quite 11 years but close. I decided to retire it before it surprised me in a bad way. At one point it was powering my x79 4930K rig with 3 x GPUs. I usually try to keep a spare around so I've still got some time until my next PSU upgrade but I'm thinking the same about cables.

 

[Brian_B]

Hmm...

My current build can pull up to 700W from the wall if I'm stress testing. While gaming, in games I mostly play and with a frame limiter set at 143 FPS, I usually only pull around 400-450W from the wall. That includes monitors, speakers, and a small ethernet switch.

Even at that 400-450W, after a few hours of gaming, I usually need to crack a window or kick on a fan in my room. And there's 2 other computers in here with it, my son and wife. If either of those are playing too, the room really starts heats up.

It's not exactly a small room - typical bedroom we just use as a home office, probably 15x15 or so. Decently ventilated, like you would expect in a typical bedroom.

So, part of me thinks, yeah more performance is awesome. And the other part of me thinks -- yeah, but being comfortable is pretty awesome too. And I don't want to ~need~ to do custom ventilation or cooling for the room or put the computer in an entire different room just to be comfortable while playing my rig.

I mean, if you think about it, most electric space heaters are 600W on low setting, and 1200W on high. It's not that different from what our computers are putting off.

So I think a 600W GPU would be great for bragging rights, I think I've come to realize that I do have a personal cap on power in my desktops, based on being comfortable.