PCI-Express Gen5 12-pin power cable looks just like NVIDIA’s

Published: Nov 2nd 2021, 07:35 GMT   Comments

NVIDIA 12-pin cable might already be 12-pin PCI Express Gen5 compatible

NVIDIA was ahead of its time.

We finally begin to understand why NVIDIA was so eager to push the new power cable standard for its Ampere graphics cards. Turns out, their cable is identical to the upcoming PCI-Express Gen5 standard cable. Both appear to use the same Molex Micro-Fit 3.0 design.

PCIe Gen5 Cable and ASUS Thor II 1000W Platinum PSU, Source: ASUS

The connector is rated up to 9A at 12V, which means a maximum theoretical current of 648W. The more recent data posted by Igor’sLAB suggests that the PCIe Gen5 connector (12VHPWR H+) will be up to 9.2A, which provides up to 662W, however, according to the Gen5 specs, it is rated up to 600W.

ASUS Thor 1000W Platinum II power supply does not have a separate modular connector for the 12-pin cable. In fact, it is just an adapter with two 8-pin connectors on the other side. This has been confirmed by Eteknix who took the first photos of the cable from the power supply as they are working on a review.

Real photos of PCIe Gen5 Power Cable from ASUS Thor II 1000W Platinum PSU, Source: Eteknix

With that in mind, we are looking at 675W maximum power consumption of a graphics card connected to a PCIe Gen5 slot and Gen5 12-pin power connector. A 1275W connection would be possible through a pair of such cables.

Maximum Theoretical Power Consumption of a Graphics Card
VideoCardzPCIe Slot6-pin8-pin12-pinTotal Power
Entry-level75W
 
75W
75W1x 75W
 
150W
Mid-range75W1x 150W
 
225W
75W2x 75W
 
225W
High-end75W1x 75W1x 150W
 
300W
75W2x 150W
 
375W
Enthusiast75W1x 75W2x 150W
 
450W
75W3x 150W
 
525W
Next-Gen Flagship75W1x 600W
 
675W
75W2x 600W
 
1275W

Source: ASUS, Eteknix




Comment Policy
  1. Comments must be written in English and should not exceed 1000 characters.
  2. Comments deemed to be spam or solely promotional in nature will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic. Discussions about politics are not allowed on this website.
  3. Comments and usernames containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
  4. Comments complaining about the post subject or its source will be removed.
  5. A failure to comply with these rules will result in a warning and, in extreme cases, a ban. In addition, please note that comments that attack or harass an individual directly will result in a ban without warning.
  6. VideoCardz has never been sponsored by AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA. Users claiming otherwise will be banned.
  7. VideoCardz Moderating Team reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to the site without notice.
  8. If you have any questions about the commenting policy, please let us know through the Contact Page.
Hide Comment Policy
Comments