Is AMD starting to adopt the 12V-2x6 connector?

[evernessince]

No, AIBs are. 12V-2x6 will replace all other connectors for the simple fact that it's cheaper to use a single 2x6 connector versus multiple 8- and 6-pin connectors. It also significantly simplifies logistics and stock management because you only need 1 connector for all SKUs, versus a hodgepodge conglomeration of 8- and 6-pin. For the same reason as the latter, manufacture becomes cheaper because it's quicker and easier (in terms of pick and place machine programming) to install one connector versus multiple, so AIBs can make more GPUs in less time.

The bottleneck in manufacturing isn't that they have to place 1 additional power connector, it's almost always the amount of GPU chips they are allocated. The only exception to that might be during periods of component shortages but it's a lot easier to come up with additional connectors than it is GPU cores.

Your same argument could be used to justify Apple's removal of the headphone jack from their phones. It's ticks the cheaper, quicker, and easier points you made although given automation of assembly today of both GPU and phones adding a single additional component mounted on the PCB is nearly irrelevant time wise. It's not a strong argument. Quicker and easier are essentially the same thing in this instance as well given the automated assembly. Adding 2 power connectors vs 1 isn't "harder" for the pick and place machine, it just takes more time.

My relatively recent phone still has a headphone jack and that's proof that not every company thinks one less PCB mounted component is going to make a huge difference vs the benefit of having that component.


I think if AMD were to go with the new connector, standardization is a far stronger factor than any of the points you presented above. Easier for AIBs to just use the same power connector across all GPU products.

 

[Dr. Dro]

This connector could have been crisping up AMD cards this last gen and I'd still give it a wide berth this coming product cycle until it's certain the teething issues are a thing of the past.
What does Nvidia have do with this? You see anyone crying about nvidia? You seem to be the only butthurt fanboy here.

To be frank, the only people who ever aggressively complained about this connector are AMD fans. Not even people whose 4090s burned out were that angry with it, after all, RMA covered them and all parties involved (including PSU manufacturers and cable suppliers) did their part.

Cheaper and easier on the GPU end but the cables themselves are harder to make, have tighter tolerances, and overall lower safety margins. There's no free lunch.

Nah. Aftermarket cables have not proven to be any pricier thus far (CableMod's cable range for non-3.0 PSUs are all below $25) and most new PSUs come with one now. Moot point.

 

[freeagent]

My connector doesn't even get warm.. to me its a none issue.

 

[Dr. Dro]

My connector doesn't even get warm.. to me its a none issue.

It doesn't happen to the RTX 4070 Ti at all, only to 4090s and exceptionally overclocked 4080s (most 4080s pushed to their air limit won't come close to drawing the kind of current required to melt the original 12VHPWR), 2x6 is immune to meltdowns even beyond max load.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Is AMD starting to adopt the 12V-2x6 connector?​

So I'm looking at two SKUs:
ASRock Creator Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ATX Video Card RX7900XT CT 20G
ASRock Creator Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ATX Video Card RX7900XTX CT 24G

They're both 7900 series ASRock model AMD cards and they appear to be blower style.

View attachment 355879
Yup, that's a card...✔

I don't see any listing on TPU but the real interesting thing that caught my attention was this:

View attachment 355880

Never seen that on an AMD card before and I guess it makes sense that I haven't.
The 7000 series is just new enough to get it and these are the only two big power cards in that list.
Is it just an ASRock thing or a sign of more to come?

Looks like they are. Kinda sad..

My connector doesn't even get warm.. to me its a none issue.

Let's be real for a moment, you have a 4070ti(per your specs). That card doesn't pull enough wattage to kill that connector.

 

[Totally]

To be frank, the only people who ever aggressively complained about this connector are AMD fans.

I dunno, I just feel like it's odd thing to say considering.

 

[95Viper]

Discuss the topic.
Stop the insulting remarks of other members... be civil.
Stop the flame bait posting.

 

[Caring1]

The 2x6 connector does not fry even if you intentionally try to do it.

It is safe, and IMHO its industry-wide adoption is to be expected

The original wires were fixed like a flat ribbon and thought to cause weakening and the eventual melting.
Since then manufacturers moved to individual wires and the issue seems to have resolved.

 

[lexluthermiester]

To be frank, the only people who ever aggressively complained about this connector are AMD fans.

Not true, I'm an NVidia guy and I HATE, with a fiery passion, this poorly designed house-fire-waiting-to-happen connector.

 

[Caring1]

That card is more like server/workstation environments basically

I'd agree if the card was open both ends so a fan could be fitted to blow through from the end.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Not true, I'm an NVidia guy and I HATE, with a fiery passion, this poorly designed house-fire-waiting-to-happen connector.

Fair, no generalization is really true, I suppose

 

[eidairaman1]

When our powers combine, do we summon Ruby?

Ruby's appearance is like her Sisters ;⁠-⁠)

So I'm looking at two SKUs:
ASRock Creator Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ATX Video Card RX7900XT CT 20G
ASRock Creator Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ATX Video Card RX7900XTX CT 24G

They're both 7900 series ASRock model AMD cards and they appear to be blower style.

View attachment 355879
Yup, that's a card...✔

I don't see any listing on TPU but the real interesting thing that caught my attention was this:

View attachment 355880

Never seen that on an AMD card before and I guess it makes sense that I haven't.
The 7000 series is just new enough to get it and these are the only two big power cards in that list.
Is it just an ASRock thing or a sign of more to come?

Until there is an AMD Reference Card by AMD and not AsRock, Sapphire, XFX, HIS/Visiontek Asus/MSI/Gigabyte with said connector, I'd say no and not hold my breath over it.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Until there is an AMD Reference Card by AMD and not AsRock, Sapphire, XFX, HIS/Visiontek Asus/MSI/Gigabyte with said connector, I'd say no and not hold my breath over it.

That's a fair point.

 

[freeagent]

Let's be real for a moment, you have a 4070ti(per your specs). That card doesn't pull enough wattage to kill that connector.

Yeah I know. To me 400w is still a lot.

 

[ARF]

If this unfortunately happens sometime in the future, I would play safe - never buy a card with higher than 100-watt TDP..

 

[DaemonForce]

I think the 12VHPWR connector is inevitable, unfortunately.

Looking at what's going on with chips and the way a lot of this is being received, I'm not so sure if I can agree with this one.
At the very least I would like to see some options to retain dual PCI-E 8pin on the high powered models.

My connector doesn't even get warm.. to me its a none issue.

Should it be? It's not about you but the design and whatever snowflake loadout involved. 400W is a lot for a card, yeah I get that.
That's not comfortable even under my best performing junk. That's a little too close to hell even for me.
Coming from a 185W Red Devil and picking out another Hellhound/Pulse to compete with 4080 performance because 300W is "low power" sounds goofy but it's a goal.
Enthusiast nVidia stuff has been my blind spot the past 20 years and I don't know how they overclock. 400W from this, is that real?

285 pushing 400 ain't no waaaaay. ✖ That's more likely your total system power consumption.
Pushing ~200W through PCI-E power alone sounds like minimum spec.
One of the reasons I considered the 7900 lineup is familiarity with AMD equipment and how it behaves with mine.
I've drawn well over 300W with a custom chiller on top of the usual but a 300W accelerator would be the comfy spot.

Would I be worried about powering on a 7900XT with the 12v-2x6? Nah. If the next cards are ranged 300-500W I'd worry.
I'm confident that ~300W TBP is well below the point of power delivery problems even for the provably crap connector.

2x6 is immune to meltdowns even beyond max load.

So that's good to know.

If I could find a card that fits this performance+feature set with a less than 11% DOA rate I could finally get back to work.
After the last one I might hold out for 8000 series if good but if they all turn out like this, I'm gonna cut and run.
It's another nonsense situation because either the card ships well below the power threshold and doesn't need the 2x6...
Or it's a big honkin chonkin graphonker and better off making use of dual/triple 8pin.
Something tells me we're not gonna see another Dual Core R9 290X situation for a very long time.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Looking at what's going on with chips and the way a lot of this is being received, I'm not so sure if I can agree with this one.
At the very least I would like to see some options to retain dual PCI-E 8pin on the high powered models.

Should it be? It's not about you but the design and whatever snowflake loadout involved. 400W is a lot for a card, yeah I get that.
That's not comfortable even under my best performing junk. That's a little too close to hell even for me.
Coming from a 185W Red Devil and picking out another Hellhound/Pulse to compete with 4080 performance because 300W is "low power" sounds goofy but it's a goal.
Enthusiast nVidia stuff has been my blind spot the past 20 years and I don't know how they overclock. 400W from this, is that real?

View attachment 355972

285 pushing 400 ain't no waaaaay. ✖ That's more likely your total system power consumption.
Pushing ~200W through PCI-E power alone sounds like minimum spec.
One of the reasons I considered the 7900 lineup is familiarity with AMD equipment and how it behaves with mine.
I've drawn well over 300W with a custom chiller on top of the usual but a 300W accelerator would be the comfy spot.

View attachment 355988

Would I be worried about powering on a 7900XT with the 12v-2x6? Nah. If the next cards are ranged 300-500W I'd worry.
I'm confident that ~300W TBP is well below the point of power delivery problems even for the provably crap connector.

So that's good to know.

If I could find a card that fits this performance+feature set with a less than 11% DOA rate I could finally get back to work.
After the last one I might hold out for 8000 series if good but if they all turn out like this, I'm gonna cut and run.
It's another nonsense situation because either the card ships well below the power threshold and doesn't need the 2x6...
Or it's a big honkin chonkin graphonker and better off making use of dual/triple 8pin.
Something tells me we're not gonna see another Dual Core R9 290X situation for a very long time.

That Antec PSU is positively ancient, it's just like the Sapphire/Enermax 1050W PSU I have. Those were the last multi-rail power supplies about. It is not suitable for a modern machine IMHO.

 

[wolf]

Truthfully, I miss tech demos.

Such an awesome art form that seems virtually dead now, I still run them as (effectively) screen savers on multiple of my boxes.

To be frank, the only people who ever aggressively complained about this connector are AMD fans.

I wouldn't say only (absolute), but from what I've seen over the past 2 years, I'd easily say vast majority from my perspective. In any case the almost non-issue connector has been replaced with a better one anyway, still important to plug it in correctly though, as it was from the start.

 

[AusWolf]

Such an awesome art form that seems virtually dead now, I still run them as (effectively) screen savers on multiple of my boxes.

I do that with the 3DMark 06 demo. There's something comforting about graphics that barely reached 10 FPS (if that) on my main gaming rig 18 years ago run fluently on a passively cooled 1030!

 

[wolf]

I do that with the 3DMark 06 demo. There's something comforting about graphics that barely reached 10 FPS (if that) on my main gaming rig 18 years ago run fluently on a passively cooled 1030!

10 FPS? you lucky son of a gun, my recent FX1300 (PCX FX 5900) overclocked managed 0.971 fps in test 1 and 1.253 fps in test 2

 

[freeagent]

285 pushing 400 ain't no waaaaay.

Sure I guess.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yeah I know. To me 400w is still a lot.

Oh totally agree! And if that was the threshold of wattage being pumped though that connector, I would have no issues with it. However, some cards push 50% or more than that.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Truthfully, I miss tech demos.

Yeah man can't remember what it is called but that Tech demo Nvidia released during the 600 series was awesome.

here it is lol

NVIDIA's 'A New Dawn' GeForce GTX tech demo looks mighty pretty

NVIDIA releases new tech demo for GeForce 600 series, 'A New Dawn'

www.tweaktown.com

still doesn't run all that great on my 4090 lmao...

 

[Apocalypsee]

Yeah man can't remember what it is called but that Tech demo Nvidia released during the 600 series was awesome.

here it is lol

NVIDIA's 'A New Dawn' GeForce GTX tech demo looks mighty pretty

NVIDIA releases new tech demo for GeForce 600 series, 'A New Dawn'

www.tweaktown.com

still doesn't run all that great on my 4090 lmao...

You kidding? I need to test them when I go back home.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

You kidding? I need to test them when I go back home.

Well 200fps at 1440 UW isn't all that impressive to me for something so old lol.... Prior to swapping cpu I was cpu limited I am guessing never checked.



I keep this one on my system and run every new gpu on it lol Kinda crazy that the hair still looks impressive to me given the age.


Oh and glad AMD is adopting the best connector ever made glad Asrock is leading the charge!!!!...... JK JK lol I really don't care what connector a card uses. I've said this before I tried extremely hard within the 30 day return period to get mine to burn, it's not even the newer revision but running nearly 600w in speedway for 96 hours straight while having it barely plugged in basically to where it wouldn't even work if it was any less plugged in couldn't make it happen for me..... I was honestly mildly disappointed I kinda wanted a reason not to keep a 1600 usd gpu lol.