Motherboard with connector for powering graphics cards

The most powerful graphics cards use a lot of electricity. Among them, the 12VHPWR connector stands out in particular. It has a total of 16 contacts available. At full load, this can supply up to 600 watts of electrical power directly to the graphics card. However, many users are concerned about it, as photos of the destroyed 12VHPWR connector have surfaced online. It literally melted during operation, and in certain cases even caught fire, which upset many.

Problems with connectors for additional power supply of graphics cards often occur because the connector is not attached correctly. That is why the Asus company presented a prototype of a completely new concept for powering powerful graphics cards some time ago. This concept is about using an additional intermediate PCIe X1, which is located on the underside of the graphics card, instead of annoying power connectors. Of course, this must also be located on the base plate, which will have to be taken care of by their manufacturers.

The new connector for powering powerful graphics cards directly from the motherboard, at least according to the engineers of Asus, was capable of as much as 600 watts of electrical power. In practice, this means that eForce RTX 4090 graphics cards could also be powered with the help of the base plate. In addition to a more reliable connector, the novelty will also help to make the case look better, as there will be no annoying cables.

At the moment, unfortunately, it is not yet known when the new connection will be available to regular users. In addition, it is not yet known whether other motherboard manufacturers will also decide on a similar solution. However, since the prototype has already been presented to the public, perhaps the novelty could be seen on store shelves already this year.