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 1. PC Components
 2. Motherboards


NEW GPU POWER CONNECTOR ELIMINATES CABLES, DELIVERS MORE THAN 600W

News
By Aaron Klotz
published August 29, 2023

No more 16-pin 12VHPWR issues.

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 * 
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 * 
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 * 

Comments (39)

(Image credit: Asus)


@momomo_us on X (Twitter) has unveiled official documentation on a new
customized HPCE power connection standard aimed at delivering supplementary GPU
power through the motherboard. The documentation reveals all the key
specifications of the new connector, including its ability to deliver more than
600W of power, which is even more power than what the new 12VHPWR connector
provides.

According to the documentation, the HPCE power connector behaves very similarly
to a PCI Express connector. There are four groups of pins in total, with 16 pins
dedicated to power delivery and another twelve dedicated to signaling or
communication between the mainboard and the graphics card. The connector itself
is roughly the size of a PCIe x1 connector.


See more

When utilized on a motherboard, the HPCE power connector resides in line with
the primary PCIe x16 slot and sits behind the x16 slot where the motherboard
chipset heatsink usually resides. This allows the graphics card to be slotted
into both the x16 connector and HPCE connector, making the installation process
less complicated. The official documentation recommends not to install a locking
mechanism on the HPCE connector itself, since the x16 slot's built-in locking
mechanism is already adequate enough to hold the graphics card in place.

This new connector is stated to be capable of delivering over 600W to the
graphics card. The documentation does not state an upper limit, but it stresses
the necessity to deliver more than 600W of power to support future graphics
cards. 600W is a lot of power, but current generation RTX 4090s are already
capable of surpassing that mark with modified firmware. RTX 4090's designed for
LN2 overclocking (like the HoF cards) are also capable of surpassing 600W, and
as a result, come with dual 12VHPWR power connectors.

Image 1 of 2


(Image credit: Asus)



(Image credit: Asus)




We first saw this connector at Computex, where several prototype motherboards
and graphics cards were showcased featuring the hidden power connector. The goal
of the new connector is to improve cable management and aesthetics by removing
all supplementary power cables from the graphics card and providing power
instead via the motherboard. This way the graphics card looks super clean
without any power cables getting in the way, and cable management is simplified
behind the motherboard tray.

An interesting detail about this new connector is that it is not an original
design. Instead, it is a modification of the High Power Card Edge (HPCE)
standard that is used heavily in the server industry. In theory, this means this
new consumer-focused HPCE connector won't succumb to similar reliability issues
as the new 12VHPWR connector, since the connector has already been field-tested
in the server space.

We'll have to wait and see what companies, if any, adopt the standard for
consumer devices. So far, everything has come via Asus, so it could end up being
limited to its motherboards and future GPUs.






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Aaron Klotz
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Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics
related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.




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See all comments (39)


39 Comments Comment from the forums
 * rluker5
   Maybe I'm just old fashioned in that I like copper lines that deliver a lot
   of power to have decent cross sectional area, but I don't like it. Will we
   have to plug an extra 4x 8 pins into the mobo and then have all of that EM
   pollution all up in there next to our ram traces?
   
   ...
   Read More Reply
 * -Fran-
   So... It'll get the extra juice from the 24 pin? the EPS 8pin? Still requires
   plugging the PCIe 8pins or the new 12pin to the motherboard still?
   
   I would rather Intel get a new version of ATX and work with PCI-sig to get
   this on their documents so it's a proper standard instead.
   
   Personally, I don't mind...
   Read More Reply
 * TJ Hooker
   > Admin said:
   > The specifications for a new HPCE GPU power connector have been unveiled,
   > which allows a high-power graphics card to skip the cables and pull all the
   > power from the motherboard.
   > In theory, this means this new consumer-focused HPCE connector won't
   > succumb to similar reliability issues as the new 12VHPWR connector, since
   > the connector has already been field-tested...
   
   Read More Reply
 * Kamen Rider Blade
   > -Fran- said:
   > Personally, I don't mind the cables, but I can see why aesthetic
   > enthusiasts would want this and all in all, I don't think it's a bad
   > idea... Problem I'd have is the way they go about it.
   
   You really don't want the "Aesthetic Enthusiasts" determine ANYTHING about PC
   Hardware.
   
   We're already inundated with RGB Rainbow-Puke on everything...
   Read More Reply
 * -Fran-
   > Kamen Rider Blade said:
   > You really don't want the "Aesthetic Enthusiasts" determine ANYTHING about
   > PC Hardware.
   > 
   > We're already inundated with RGB Rainbow-Puke on everything that serves no
   > real functional purpose other than creating a gaudy Rainbow light show.
   
   RGB can be turned off and having less cables is not a bad thing, overall. As
   I said, it'll depend on...
   Read More Reply
 * Evildead_666
   If it works for servers, why not ?
   Morherboards might need extra, or thicker layers, so it might add cost here
   and there.
   Motherboard, and likely gpu too
   Reply
 * hotaru251
   > rluker5 said:
   > Just give me fat wires and big connectors.
   
   and if they dont liek the look? do what EVGA did in past where they had a
   adapter that moved plug to a different location.
   Reply
 * tenow
   Awesome, but have they seen a Mini-ITX motherboard?
   Reply
 * InvalidError
   > -Fran- said:
   > I would rather Intel get a new version of ATX and work with PCI-sig to get
   > this on their documents so it's a proper standard instead.
   
   Intel kind of missed the mark on that by giving its 12VO spec insufficient
   power on the main connector to ditch the EPS12 cable and continuing with 12V.
   It think it needed...
   Read More Reply
 * Alvar "Miles" Udell
   It's something that should have been done ages ago, and especially when
   mutli-GPU consumer setups bit the dust, but the problem is cost and
   reliability. In server setups it's not an issue as they're built to a
   standard, consumer boards though, especially lower end ones and ones from
   certain OEMs, would you really trust, say, an ASRock A730 Mini-ITX...
   Read More Reply
 * View All 39 Comments

Show more comments

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