The Green Team has apparently confirmed that the Nvidia Ampere GeForce cards will include a 12-pin power adapter in the Founders Edition box. In a recently released video showcasing the first Ampere Founders Edition design, Nvidia also discusses the oft-discussed reason for the new power connector the company is using on its GeForce RTX 30 series cards.

The new enthusiast-class GPUs, which are scheduled to launch with a live stream announcement at a GeForce special event next month on September 1, will feature a new "compact electrical design, a new 12-pin power connector that allows more space for components and cooling , and compatible with existing power supply 8-pin connectors using included adapters".

This implicit confirmation that there is an adapter in the box is good news for those who were worried about having to buy a new PSU to get a 12-pin power cable for their shiny new Ampere graphics card.

Nevertheless, some of those looking to buy the Nvidia RTX 3090 will likely have to consult the Best PSU Guide to find a new PSU, as Seasonic's recent leak seems to recommend an 850W PSU as the minimum requirement .

Another major change over previous generations is that the new 12-pin connector is mounted vertically on the card's printed circuit board (PCB) to save space. From what we have seen, this socket is similar in size to a single 8-pin socket, but could potentially provide the same or a bit more power than a pair of sockets.

Vertical mounting is smart and greatly reduces the footprint of the power connector on the card, but it is going to require serious engineering around the shroud to make it absolutely painless to plug and unplug the "attached adapter". It is also going to need to be rugged, and its small schematic makes me worry about its longevity if the cable is pushed in a little too hard...

This also confirms that the GeForce Ampere PCB is going to be an impressive compact, with large cutouts to fit the X-shaped shroud and underslung axial fan design that leaked a while back. However, this is only the Founders Edition PCB, and we expect that add-in board partners (AIBs) such as Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte will be able to use more standard rectangular PCBs. It is also possible that less expensive twin 8-pin power sockets will be used.

With Nvidia now dropping its own amp breadcrumbs for the big September 1 announcement, this new era of graphics is really about to begin in earnest; when will AMD's Big Navi try to ruin this party?