cables 12V2x6 vs 12VHPWR Power Cables - Questions about potential risks

[LightM]

Greetings!

So I'm halfway through my first ever PC build (everything besides GPU & PSU installed into case so far), and I've stumbled upon this whole 12V2x6 GPU power cable vs 12VHPWR and I have some questions. I'm using this GPU and this PSU, and I noticed the PSU includes a connector for a 12V2x6 cable, but my GPU only has the outdated(?) 12VHPWR connector. Although I did test the GPU outside of the case and everything powers on perfectly fine with normal temperatures with this PSU, from the small bit of research I've done, it seems like there may be a potential risk of cables melting due to PSU overvoltage because of this 12VHPWR connector. I've done my best to understand this potential problem but honestly I'm a little confused, so here I am!

 

So I guess what I'm asking is: should I expect to encounter any problems related to this connector, or am I just being overly cautious? Any information would be greatly appreciated, as I'm not sure if I should try to return the graphics card while I still can and grab a new one that utilizes the updated 12V2x6 connector, or just go ahead and complete my build. Thanks!

[Spotty]

Go ahead and finish the build. The 12V2x6 cable is backwards compatible with 12VHPWR. An RTX 4070Ti doesn't draw that much power anyway so there's a very low risk for melting connectors even with the older 12VHPWR cables. Just make sure the cable is properly inserted.

 

Out of curiosity, how do you know the graphics card is using the 12VHPWR connector and not 12V2x6?

[FI Fheonix]

22 minutes ago, LightM said:

Greetings!

So I'm halfway through my first ever PC build (everything besides GPU & PSU installed into case so far), and I've stumbled upon this whole 12V2x6 GPU power cable vs 12VHPWR and I have some questions. I'm using this GPU and this PSU, and I noticed the PSU includes a connector for a 12V2x6 cable, but my GPU only has the outdated(?) 12VHPWR connector. Although I did test the GPU outside of the case and everything powers on perfectly fine with normal temperatures with this PSU, from the small bit of research I've done, it seems like there may be a potential risk of cables melting due to PSU overvoltage because of this 12VHPWR connector. I've done my best to understand this potential problem but honestly I'm a little confused, so here I am!

 

So I guess what I'm asking is: should I expect to encounter any problems related to this connector, or am I just being overly cautious? Any information would be greatly appreciated, as I'm not sure if I should try to return the graphics card while I still can and grab a new one that utilizes the updated 12V2x6 connector, or just go ahead and complete my build. Thanks!

The good news is that the 12V-2x6 connector is backwards-compatible with the 12VHPWR connector, so you can use your existing cables and adapters with the new connector. However, It’s important to note that the 12VHPWR connector can handle up to 525W MAX so be aware of that. If your PSU is rated to deliver the required power to your GPU, then you should not encounter any problems related to the connector.

[Alex Atkin UK]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

Go ahead and finish the build. The 12V2x6 cable is backwards compatible with 12VHPWR. An RTX 4070Ti doesn't draw that much power anyway so there's a very low risk for melting connectors even with the older 12VHPWR cables. Just make sure the cable is properly inserted.

 

Out of curiosity, how do you know the graphics card is using the 12VHPWR connector and not 12V2x6?

I'm not aware that there even IS a 12V2x6 socket.  The whole point was to make changes to the plug so the additional protection works across all existing cards, rather than have to recall the cards.

 

If they changed the socket, the plugs wouldn't work as its designed for the pin length of the existing socket.

 

The change also only protects from not inserting the plug fully (which you can easily solve by making sure it actually is as the final step AFTER cable management).  But there are some people claiming this does not solve all melting problems. 

 

I suspect part of it is people cramming the cables into cases too small, as they are very specific about the bend radius near the card needing to be very large.

[LightM]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

Go ahead and finish the build. The 12V2x6 cable is backwards compatible with 12VHPWR. An RTX 4070Ti doesn't draw that much power anyway so there's a very low risk for melting connectors even with the older 12VHPWR cables. Just make sure the cable is properly inserted.

 

Out of curiosity, how do you know the graphics card is using the 12VHPWR connector and not 12V2x6?

That’s a great question actually. I have yet to test that the new 12V2x6 cable that came with my PSU (the thick yellow-end cable, as shown in this video) even fits in my GPU, as I was too focused on using the NVIDIA cable shown in image 3 of my GPU from the PCPartPicker site. Since it’s my first build I’m trying my best to do everything by the manual and use all the provided cords, but if this provided cord (I’m assuming this is the 12VHPWR, as it splits off and required two dedicated PCIE cables for my PSU to power the GPU in my first GPU test) isn’t even necessary and is merely an adapter, then should I just be plugging the yellow-end 12V2x6 one that came with my PSU directly to my GPU? If the solution to my worries is really this simple and I’ve just been overcomplicating things with adapters then wow do I feel dumb lol

[Spotty]

If your power supply comes with a native 12VHPWR/12V2x6 cable you do not need to use the adapter. The adapter is for older power supplies that do not have the cable. Plug the 12V2x6 directly in to the graphics card.

[Spotty]

2 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

I'm not aware that there even IS a 12V2x6 socket.  The whole point was to make changes to the plug so the additional protection works across all existing cards, rather than have to recall the cards.

 

If they changed the socket, the plugs wouldn't work as its designed for the pin length of the existing socket.

Slight changes to the board connector for 12V2x6. Main change being the sense pins on the board connector are slightly shorter - meaning you have to plug the cable in further for the sense pins to make contact. This is to help ensure the cable is fully inserted in to the connector when the sense pins make contact.

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 hour ago, Spotty said:

Slight changes to the board connector for 12V2x6. Main change being the sense pins on the board connector are slightly shorter - meaning you have to plug the cable in further for the sense pins to make contact. This is to help ensure the cable is fully inserted in to the connector when the sense pins make contact.

Ah right, seems the power pins are 0.15mm longer. LOL  Seems kinda moot when the problem seems to be more about the plug not having enough contact points to the pins, them being longer will make zero difference if its not making any more contact.

 

I still think (hope) the remaining problem is cable stresses due to people ignoring the bend radius.  People are used to having the cables almost at a right angle as PCIe plugs were stronger so less prone to this being an issue.

 

With the market pushing nice-looking internals, its kinda inevitable this would be a problem.  I tend to take the cautious approach as I have this particular case hidden behind a monitor.

[LightM]

18 hours ago, Spotty said:

If your power supply comes with a native 12VHPWR/12V2x6 cable you do not need to use the adapter. The adapter is for older power supplies that do not have the cable. Plug the 12V2x6 directly in to the graphics card.

Perfect then! Thank you so much for taking the time to help me understand this whole thing (even though it was a super easy solution that I probably should have been able to solve myself). Your patience and assistance is greatly appreciated