A new 12-pin power connector might be introduced with Nvidia Ampere graphics cards

There's a new rumour pointing to the introduction of a new 12-pin power connector for graphics cards circulating online. This started when a Chinese website, known for their reports on power supplies, published images of the alleged 12-pin power connector and stated that it will come in the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 graphics cards.

As per the images shared by FCPowerUp, the new power connector looks a lot like the Molex Micro-Fit series, but it should come with a width of 19mm and 2×6 rows of pins with 3mm spacing between each pin. These measures are actually very similar to the current 6+2-pin PCIe connector, but it comes with 12 pins (6x 12V and 6x ground) instead of 8. Another difference is the carrying capacity of the 12-pin interface, which is rumoured to be 8.5A instead of the 6A of the Mini-Fit 5556 connectors. This would translate into up to 600W if we consider 100% efficiency.

According to a “well placed industry source” of TechPowerUp, the connector is real and it will be introduced with Nvidia Ampere graphics cards. The author of the connector is Nvidia itself and it has been designed for two types of applications: high-end graphics cards with high TDP values, and to reduce the number of cables by using a single 12-pin connector instead of using an 8-pin and a 6-pin connector.

 

Image credit: FCPowerUp

Nvidia's 12-pin connector should come with superior quality contacts when compared to the current 8-pin and 6-pin connectors, allowing them to handle higher currents with more ease. Some PSU vendors can split the 12-pin and sell it as a “6+6-pin” connector.

TechPowerUp also pointed to the different keying in the 12-pin power connector, which includes some with one corner angled to ensure that people don't “connect their cables the wrong way”. PSU manufacturers will start to sell products with 12-pin connectors, and the “most prominent” ones will release modular cables to plug into current-gen PSUs. Partners will include standard converters to transform 2x 8-pin connectors into a single 12-pin interface.

KitGuru says: Do you think it's time to update the GPU power connector? Will this 12-pin power connector become the new standard once Ampere releases?

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