New rumors are circulating that suggest that the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, and other upcoming Ampere graphics cards, may require a new 12-pin PCIe connector to provide the necessary power, and if true, this could be very frustrating for potential upgraders.
While current Nvidia graphics cards generally use eight-pin connectors from the PSU (power supply unit) to work, but a new technical illustration suggests that Nvidia is looking to use a new 12-pin PCIe power connector, which measures about 19 x 14 x 8.35 mm.
The idea is that this new connector is capable of supplying up to 648 W through a single connector, which would be more than enough even for graphics cards that consume more power. Which is just as good, as rumors suggest that Ampere cards might require a whopping 350W to function.
To achieve this using standard eight-pin PCIe power connectors, you will need to connect two (or more) six- or eight-pin connectors. Switching to a single 12-pin PCIe connector would make cable management on PC builds much easier since you wouldn’t have a ton of cables coming out of a single GPU.
However, if Nvidia’s new GPUs require a new connector, the updates could have frustrating consequences.
Ripping everything
Based on the illustrations, the 12-pin PCIe power connector will not only be a combination of two six-pin PCIe power connectors, but will also have a different pin design.
That could mean that if you’re upgrading to the new GPUs, you can’t just put the new card in the PCIe on your motherboard; You will also need to obtain a new wired PSU for the new connector.
This could be very inconvenient. Not only would you need to purchase a new power supply, adding additional costs in addition to an already expensive upgrade, but you will also need to remove your current power supply. Because the power supply unit is so integral to the PC, providing power to your motherboard and any other part of your computer, removing and replacing it with a new one can be an extremely complicated and annoying process.
Before you start planning to untangle your current power supply, remember these are just rumors at the moment, though Tom’s Hardware has confirmed with their inside information that the connector is truly real and has been submitted to the PCI-GIS standards body.
If the connector goes through, we don’t know which GPUs would require it (third-party GPUs like MSI and Asus may not need them, for example), or if you could get away with using an adapter.
However, if you need to replace your entire PSU, that could be a great consideration for people looking to upgrade.
