Modern graphics cards without annoying powered connectors?

At Computex, ASUS presented a new solution for managing cable clutter in desktop computers. The company presented a prototype of the motherboard and graphics card, where the latter receives power through an additional power connector on the board itself.

Official documentation and renderings of the new standard for GC-HPWR/HPCE power connections have also appeared, designed to provide additional power to the graphics card through the motherboard. The connection can provide more than 600W of power, matching the capabilities of the 12VHPWR connection in terms of peak continuous power. It is worth noting that this connector is not new, but a modified version of a standard that is widely used in the server market. Based on experience in the server segment, the HPCE (High Power Card Edge) consumer connection could solve the reliability issues associated with the new 12VHPWR connector.

According to the media Tom's Hardware, the connection is divided into four sets of connectors, 16 of which are dedicated to the power circuit, and 12 to the communication between the board and the card. This connection is the same size as a standard PCIe x1 connector and is located directly next to the main PCIe x16 slot on the motherboard. The documentation also confirms that it can provide up to 600W of power. So far, the most powerful graphics cards using this connection are the RTX 4070 versions with a TDP of around 200W.

There are hints that the new connector could eventually become a standard, but that process could take a long time and would of course have to be adopted by manufacturers first.