seasonal (opens in new tab) (via HXL (opens in new tab)) hinted at a sample of the brand’s upcoming 90-degree 16-pin power connector for Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards. This design may mitigate meltdown issues with the GeForce RTX 4090’s standard 16-pin power adapter.
So far, there have been 3 user reports of the 16-pin power adapter melting. Admittedly, this is a minority when compared to the number of his GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards Nvidia has sold. Therefore, it is possible that the victim has not yet come forward. However, Nvidia wasted no time investigating the situation, as the issue could potentially pose a fire hazard, as this is a serious issue.
Due to the thickness of the GeForce RTX 4090, consumers may have trouble installing the flagship Ada graphics card inside a space tight case. It’s not unreasonable to think that some users will have to bend the cable of the 16 power adapter more than necessary to close the side panel of the case.
As with any power cable, excessive vertical or horizontal bending of the 16-pin adapter cable can loosen the terminals and compromise mating integrity. As a result, the load is biased to the remaining terminals, increasing the risk of the connector overheating and fusing. Cablemod, a well-known custom cable vendor, recommends leaving at least 35mm of space from the 16 pin power connector before bending the cable.but we have seen User feedback Make sure that longer distances, such as 40mm, do not solve the problem.
Seasonic isn’t the only one with workarounds. Cablemod has announced a branded custom right angle 16 pin power adapter. It uses multiple of her PCB designs and promises zero bends. The adapter he will go on sale on October 31st, but the price is unknown. Seasonic’s 90-degree connector isn’t quite as pretty as Cablemod’s adapter, but it should work just as well. Unfortunately, I can’t see the other end of the cable, so I’m not sure if Seasonic’s is an adapter or a special cable designed to plug directly into a branded power supply. Yes, and Seasonic hasn’t revealed a release date or price.
Right angle adapters can reduce cable bending, but owners are still not out of the danger zone.The 12VHPWR power connector has a lifespan of 30 connection cycles. PCI-SIG detected the same mating issue at about 40 cycles.
So far, we’ve only seen complaints from consumers using bundled 4×8 pin to 1×16 pin power adapters. Owners of ATX 3.0 power supplies seem unaffected. These power supplies he comes with a 12VHPWR connector so you don’t need an adapter. On the contrary, his ATX 3.0 units on the market are not many and expensive.
It’s strange that the power adapter issue didn’t show up at all in Nvidia’s tests. I’ve checked the GeForce RTX 4090 documentation and the online user manual, but there are no instructions on working with the 16-pin power connector or its cable. So Nvidia honestly didn’t know about this issue. However, the chip maker warns against using third-party adapters such as Cablemod and future He Seasonic adapters. This will void your warranty.
