Modders Retrofit a GeForce RTX 5090 with Three 8-Pin Connectors and Test with over 900W of Power to Reach 3.4 GHz

Those clever folks over at Teclab are at it again, and this time around they’ve not only ditched the infamous 16-pin connector but replaced it with 3x 8-pin connectors. The modders from Brazil took a Galax GeForce RTX 5090D HOF OC LAB XOC graphics card and retrofitted it with a setup commonly used on many GPU PCBs up until the release of the GeForce RTX 3090. Galax is well known among overclocking circles for its over-the-top premium cards, which often feature multiple 16-pin connectors and custom BIOS, something we’ve only recently seen with other manufacturers such as MSI and ASUS so it makes sense the team chose this well-built card as a test subject.

Testing showed the modified card at one point pulling over 900 Watts, 120A, of power as it kept the core clock at a whopping 3.4 GHz, a 1 GHz increase over the NVIDIA FE and 400 MHz over the ASUS Astral stock speed. TechPowerUp reports that two of the 8-pin connectors were able to keep the GPU at 3.2 GHz while pulling 66A, and a single capable support 3.1 GHz with 65A of power. Cooling was provided via a custom water loop. Now, it should be noted that a standard GPU 8-pin connector is rated for up to 150W of power delivery, and an ATX CPU connector or 8-Pin PSU-side can be around 300W or more. The following, per Corsair:

“The 150W rating only applies to the connector on the GPU. In other words, the primary difference between the 6-pin and 8-pin is based on PCI-SIG’s specification, and not the conductors. A well-constructed 8-pin cable, such as our PSU cables with pigtail connectors, should be well capable of providing more than 300W of power.”

– Corsair

That being said, three GPU 8-pin connector designs, as used on older graphics cards, were designed for up to 450W power delivery in mind, with any additional power coming from the motherboard. Teclab may’ve pushed the GPU 8-pin connectors beyond spec for testing, but those thinking of doing the same should be aware of this if aiming for higher power draws and clock rates.

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