The not-so-trivial problem of GPU power connectors melting seems to finally be being addressed in graphics boards that can actually be purchased; Igor's Lab has discovered that the new 12V-2x6 power connectors we reported on just two days ago are already present on Nvidia's RTX 4070 Founders Edition card already has it. Well, perhaps.

As Jorge previously explained, the new 12V-2x6 power connector replaces the problematic 12VHPWR connector while maintaining backward compatibility with existing GPUs Nvidia initially claimed that the 12VHPWR specification needed a bit of work before it became apparent that the The cable was blamed by gamers for not being plugged in correctly.

On the physical side, the new 12V-2x6 connector is very similar to the existing 12VHPWR, but the location of the sense pin has been changed further back in the socket to establish a more secure connection. The latching system has also been improved.

Igor's Lab has discovered that the RTX 4070 FE from Nvidia has already shipped with more recessed pins that seem to fit the new 12V-2x6 connector definition. However, it is not 100% clear whether these cards are the full 12V-2x6 specification or a temporary version with similar physical characteristics.

In fact, in our initial report, we noted that "the PCI-SIG has not yet finalized the revised specifications, so new connectors will not be released in the immediate future."

Therefore, there remains some question as to the status of the connector Nvidia is using here.

If this is a real 12V-2x6, this connector would support two new power modes, 150W and 300W, in addition to the existing 450W and 600W modes. Otherwise, it probably has some of the mechanical advantages while maintaining broad compatibility.

More generally, we hope they don't melt. And if they don't melt, then we can stop talking about power connectors melting.