Nvidia has reassured users that the melting problems associated with the 12VHPWR power connectors seen in some RTX 40-series graphics cards will not be an issue with the upcoming RTX 50-series.
According to a report by QuasarZone, during the recent Nvidia RTX AI Day 2025 event held in South Korea, company representatives expressed their confidence that the overheating and melting problems of the RTX 4090’s 12VHPWR connector have been successfully addressed in the new RTX 50 series. “We don’t expect that to happen with the RTX 50 series. We made some changes to the connector based on the problems we encountered, and we’ve seen no signs of trouble now, nearly two years later,” stated an Nvidia spokesperson.
The 12VHPWR connector, also referred to as the PCIe 5.0 16-pin connector, first appeared with the RTX 4090 and 4080 models. While it was designed for compactness and could deliver high power levels of up to 600W, it soon garnered negative attention due to reports of overheating and subsequent GPU damage. Investigations revealed that improper seating of the connector was a significant contributor to these issues. In response, Nvidia and its partners established guidelines to ensure correct usage, though customer concerns remained.
In response to the feedback, Nvidia introduced several modifications with the 12V-2×6 connector. This new connector maintains the same design as the 12VHPWR but features slightly shorter sensing pins (by 0.1mm) and longer conducting terminals (by 0.15mm), enhancing the connector’s ability to establish a secure connection, thereby ensuring reliable power delivery. Importantly, the 12V-2×6 connector is backwards compatible with the 12VHPWR, alleviating the necessity for new cables.
As Nvidia gears up to launch the RTX 50-series GPUs—boasting increased total graphic power (TGP) ratings of up to 575W for the RTX 5090—it claims to have proactively tackled any potential issues. While Nvidia appears confident, users are encouraged to utilize modern power supply units (PSUs) that adhere to the ATX 3.1 standard, which natively supports the 12V-2×6 connector.
