Multiple power supplies featuring two 12V-2×6 (aka 12VHPWR 2.0) connectors have some wondering if NVIDIA’s next flagship GPU will require them. While PSUs featuring more than one of the 600W connectors are somewhat rare, they have been popping up more over the last couple of years. Still, they are usually marketed for PCs designed for AI tasks or other systems needing multiple GPUs such as content rendering. Now, following their recent tour of MSI’s factory in Shenzhen, China, Tweaktown has reported on two models featuring dual 12V-2×6 connectors and they were told they were to support next-gen GPUs. It was during their tour that they spotted the MSI MPG A1250 (1250W) and MEG Ai1600T (1600W) power supplies featuring two of the aforementioned connectors.
Per Tweaktown:
- “Interestingly, these new PSUs feature two 12V-2×6 power connectors (the updated 16-pin 12VHPWR that can deliver up to 600W on a single cable). MSI’s reason for the additional connector is to support the next generation of graphics cards.”
- “Credible sources claim that the flagship GeForce RTX 5090 can draw up to 600W, so spreading the load across two connectors would be a more stable solution in a system with multiple components, including a high-power CPU.”
NVIDIA would not be the first to include two of the connectors on one of its graphics cards as GALAX released a HOF RTX 4090 and a HOF RTX 3090 Ti with two of them and a PSU for it back in 2022. Vince Lucido (aka K|NGP|N ) showed off a custom RTX 3090 Ti model, also with two of the 16-pin connectors, made from EVGA right before it stopped producing graphics cards. Although somewhat unlikely, it is a possibility that NVIDIA could move in this direction given that there have already been multiple rumors that the GeForce RTX 5090 will have a TDP in the 600W range.
While a single 12V-2×6 connector, combined with power from the PCIe slot could suffice, having two connectors could lessen the load. Given the past history of the 12VHPWR connector, this might be a good idea. However, most PC builders would be left having to update their PSUs which is something many would not want to do just for the sake of a graphics card that is already expected to have a high price tag.
AI and Video Rendering
As already mentioned, the more likely purpose of these multiple 12V-2×6 connectors is to power multiple GPUs for compute-intensive tasks such as AI, edge computing, or video rendering. In looking at MSI’s 1600W model, AI is actually listed in the model name. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be custom models, or that NVIDIA itself, won’t feature two of the connectors on select GPUs but for now this should be considered simply a speculative rumor. The other rumor, and at this point seemingly more likely considering how many have reported on it over the majority of 2024, is that NVIDIA is expected to announce its next-gen RTX 50 series graphics cards either by the end of the year or Q1 25, quite possibly around CES 2025.