Intel prepares for revision of 12VHPWR connector
At the end of last year, many users reported that the 12VHPWR interface and power supply line of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card overheated and melted. The specific reasons for the damage were debated for a considerable amount of time, and even some RTX 4090 users decided to file a class-action lawsuit against NVIDIA, accusing the company of selling defective and dangerous power cord plugs and sockets in the RTX 4090, rendering the cards unusable and posing serious electrical and fire hazards to consumers.
NVIDIA conducted an investigation and ultimately concluded that if the cable was inserted incorrectly, or if foreign particles were produced during its manufacturing process, the power line could overheat and melt during use. PCI-SIG, which is responsible for developing and designing the 12VHPWR specification, subsequently issued a statement, apparently attempting to clarify the scope of responsibilities to avoid unnecessary criticism from the public.
Recently, Twitter user @harukaze5719 revealed that Intel is preparing to revise the design of the 12+4Pin 12VHPWR connector, particularly the part of the graphics card connection base, to improve the connection and minimize potential safety hazards, thus avoiding overheating, melting, or even fire.
Intel seems to be changing the structural design of the 12VHPWR connector base pins to make the joint more flexible, reducing the pulling and detachment caused by cable bending at contact positions, thereby providing better structural integrity for the connector. This move by Intel is not surprising, as its data center GPU is based on Ponte Vecchio, the PCIe specification of Max 1100, which also uses a 12VHPWR interface.
As the 12VHPWR interface gradually becomes more popular in the next generation of graphics cards, many users are hoping for a more robust design to reduce safety hazards during use.
