12VHPWR cable for 3080-some questions

[inquisitor1]

so im not in the know much about gear from the last few years. over a few months reading researching

1-is the 12v nvidia connector on the 3080? all some none?

2-if my psu doesnt have this connector and I buya used card and the seller doesnt have one included, what does one use to not get the melting issue?

3-what if my psu just has regular 8pin (6+2) connectors. what do you do if they are modular cable or non modular?

4-are there cables that fit into a modular psu or are there female 8pin to 12VHPWR adapter cables?


I remember seeing burnt wires connectors videos in YT feed but cant remember for how long back but never saw any video since I wasnt looking for a card. never knew what the hubbub was about.

looking though some videos nvidia is saying you have to use their cables. how true is this and what do you use? are the other cables you buy a problem?
I dont want to burn my house down obviously

 

[dirtyferret]

1. the RTX 3080 has a 12 pin power connector

2 you would need an official adapter from the board partner, or PSU brand or risk using an after market one; as far as melting issues that seemed to be more about not fully plugged in adapters ex.1 and ex.2

3. for modular contact the brand for adapter cables specific to your make include the serial number. For non-modular you need an adapter

4 - isn't this basically question 3?

 

[inquisitor1]

thnks for the help. I guess 3 and 4 could have been combined. im trying to get more info.

so if I cant get the cards original one, then have to take a chance. are there better brands to buy from instead of cablemod?

 

[taka]

Not all 3080 had the 12VHPWR, check this Asus one

ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC Review

The ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC comes with a small factory overclock and a huge cooler that achieves amazing temperatures that are much better than the NVIDIA Founders Edition. The TUF also features a dual BIOS with a "quiet" mode that makes this 4K monster card almost silent.

www.techpowerup.com

Cheers!

 

[inquisitor1]

yes exactly coming toi write this. saw a video right now evga xc3 has 2x8pin. good. happy that they dont all have that horrible 12pin one. not sure why it has to be so small ffs. like who give a rats ass is its double the size for ease and safety concerns

and seeing another video with the ftw3 12gb has 3x8pins.

 

[arbiter]

12pin isn't that bad, just had a few people that didn't plug cable in completely had something happen.

 

[inquisitor1]

12pin isn't that bad, just had a few people that didn't plug cable in completely had something happen.

6/8 pin have done their job perfectly well for 2 decades. it aint broke dont fix it. such a big asz card and so much power going to a small connector. why..this is idiotic design for sure. idiots at nvidia.

I doubt its as simple as "they didnt connect it in all the way" im sure there are instances where they did and it happened. its assumed they didnt.

but how many have had melting with 6/8 pins? much much less. I would say a small amount over millions of gpu over many years with many psu. but this 12v has caused many issues in a short time. pass. recall, fix, switch.

and , why would they say only use nvidia or gpu makers cables if its a good connector. I can use ANY 6/8 connector with any (reputable brand) psu and not worry about it melting.

shetty design in every way. go back to 8 pin. put 3 or even 4 if you need to. easier to use and plug in and familiar. idiots at nvidia

at least amd is smart not to follow this idiocy

 

[chrcoluk]

As far as the founders edition 3080 goes, I never heard of an issue on that, and the connector is angled so the chances of an issue due to excessive bend is much reduced anyway, why Nvidia didnt keep that design on the 4000 series is beyond me.

I think by far the best bet for a reliable solution is getting a cable from the PSU manufacturer, as those all seem to have really good feedback from consumers, however it seems not all PSU vendors have been providing good support here, seasonic e.g. provide one for all of their PSU's, whilst Antec a rebadged seasonic, are only doing it for their most expensive models. I would assume seasonic cables are good for rebadged seasonic's (this is what cablemod claim) but it wouldnt be the same assurance as getting one from the PSU brand itself directly.

Cablemod right angled adaptors were recalled, but apparently the right angled cables are ok. These cables however dont seem to be the refreshed somewhat safer specification.

So for me, it would be either the official PSU vendor supplied cable, or the one that comes with the GPU, newer Nvidia GPUs should have the refreshed specification. Or if space was really tight, then right angled cablemod cable (not the adaptor).

 

[inquisitor1]

good video for info/information on plugs 8/12

 

[Caring1]

good video for info/information on plugs 8/12

Not a good video at all.
The issue was found to be the ribbon cable used when flexed caused some parts to connect poorly, the issue was NOT the connector on the GPU at all.
Newer cables use individual cables similar to custom cables that alleviate that issue.

 

[Ruru]

Not all 3080 had the 12VHPWR, check this Asus one

ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC Review

The ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 TUF Gaming OC comes with a small factory overclock and a huge cooler that achieves amazing temperatures that are much better than the NVIDIA Founders Edition. The TUF also features a dual BIOS with a "quiet" mode that makes this 4K monster card almost silent.

www.techpowerup.com

Cheers!

Yeah, I have this exact card and I love that it has two classic connectors.

 

[inquisitor1]

Yeah, I have this exact card and I love that it has two classic connectors.

ill take 8pin all day long vs the horribly designed and small 12pin. and really theres no need. just add more 8pin if needed. goto 3 or 4.


do you do other things besides game? video editing?

have you undervolted the card or run as is? thanks for the feedback

 

[Ruru]

ill take 8pin all day long vs the horribly designed and small 12pin. and really theres no need. just add more 8pin if needed. goto 3 or 4.


do you do other things besides game? video editing?

have you undervolted the card or run as is? thanks for the feedback

No undervolting, the total opposite I undervolt only AMD cards since they have almost always too high factory voltage.

And I have no clue how to edit videos or anything so I just game with this.

 

[inquisitor1]

happy with the card or feel you need "more"

im looking for a used card. highest card I have is a rx590. im sure itll be a significant jump to go to either 2080ti/3060ti/3070. but im strict with my budget so waiting to see what comes up. id love a 3080. if I can find one in good condiiton and good price

No undervolting, the total opposite I undervolt only AMD cards since they have almost always too high factory voltage.

View attachment 362426

And I have no clue how to edit videos or anything so I just game with this.

 

[xtreemchaos]

My 3080 has 2x 8pin.
GIGABYTE RTX 3080 GAMING OC WaterForce WB Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database

 

[inquisitor1]

My 3080 has 2x 8pin.
GIGABYTE RTX 3080 GAMING OC WaterForce WB Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database

do you use msi afterburner? do you control your fans manually or on auto?

I simply hate the spinning up and down sounds on fans so just prefer to set it at a medium level that will run the game at decent temps.

 

[Ruru]

happy with the card or feel you need "more"

im looking for a used card. highest card I have is a rx590. im sure itll be a significant jump to go to either 2080ti/3060ti/3070. but im strict with my budget so waiting to see what comes up. id love a 3080. if I can find one in good condiiton and good price

Happy with this, at least currently. I had a RX 6700 XT previously* but I got a good deal from this card so I bought this. Came with a waterblock but I run my rig currently aircooled, I'll return to watercooling later when I buy more gear.

Still a capable card even with 4K, especially when using DLSS.

*still have it, put it to my media PC as it's a beast with 1080p.

 

[Laurijan]

12pin isn't that bad, just had a few people that didn't plug cable in completely had something happen.

It was also the fault of power cable getting bent because of cable managment or the case. Some adapters that turn the connector 90 degrees were also complete trash that caused even more problems

 

[xtreemchaos]

do you use msi afterburner? do you control your fans manually or on auto?

no fans for the gpu ive a custom loop so the fans are controlled by cpu temp.
i do use afterburner but to undervolt.

 

[inquisitor1]

no fans for the gpu ive a custom loop so the fans are controlled by cpu temp.
i do use afterburner but to undervolt.
View attachment 362431

holy cow. thats a big ass pc.

all that power to play on a 7" screen?

Happy with this, at least currently. I had a RX 6700 XT previously* but I got a good deal from this card so I bought this. Came with a waterblock but I run my rig currently aircooled, I'll return to watercooling later when I buy more gear.

Still a capable card even with 4K, especially when using DLSS.

*still have it, put it to my media PC as it's a beast with 1080p.

ill see if I can find one. my gtx660 held me off for at least 10 years so the 3080 should hold for some years for me. dont think ill goto 4k ever. but never say never. I didnt think id need 1440p. I think its the sweet spot. for now

 

[xtreemchaos]

all that power to play on a 7" screen?

yes, no ive a 50inch uhd outa the shot + VR the biggest screen in the world .

 

[inquisitor1]

kick ass!

 

[Zach_01]

ill take 8pin all day long vs the horribly designed and small 12pin. and really theres no need. just add more 8pin if needed. goto 3 or 4.


do you do other things besides game? video editing?

have you undervolted the card or run as is? thanks for the feedback

nVidia needed the 12+4pin.
Was the “solution” to its FE pcb-cooler design.

Try and fit 3 or 4 8pins on this…


Later on, most AIBs adopted the same layout for their reasons…

 

[evernessince]

It was also the fault of power cable getting bent because of cable managment or the case. Some adapters that turn the connector 90 degrees were also complete trash that caused even more problems

Yes, unlike the 6 pin / 8 pin you really want at least a couple of inches of straight cable out of the 12VHPWR before you start bending it. This includes any diagonal misalignment as well as either will put pressure on the pins and increase the chance of a runaway thermal scenario.

The chance of you encountering the issue is very low but the fact remains that safety wise it's inferior to what we had.

nVidia needed the 12+4pin.
Was the “solution” to its FE pcb-cooler design.

Try and fit 3 or 4 8pins on this…
View attachment 362446

Later on, most AIBs adopted the same layout for their reasons…

What exactly would have stopped them from adding 2-4 more pins to their current connector though? Certainly that would have fit and it would have increased the safety margin for the product. People always present this argument like it's a one or the other scenario when no, they could have had a more compact connector while retaining a decent safety margin. It's just Apple level product design, safety was low priority and that's why we got what we got.

 

[Zach_01]

What exactly would have stopped them from adding 2-4 more pins to their current connector though? Certainly that would have fit and it would have increased the safety margin for the product. People always present this argument like it's a one or the other scenario when no, they could have had a more compact connector while retaining a decent safety margin. It's just Apple level product design, safety was low priority and that's why we got what we got.

Can’t answer why nVidia chose this specific design. Probably they were convinced (on paper) that it is more than adequate for 600W without counting for manufacturing issues and user usability and handling.

For AIBs I believe the topic is multi dimensional.

You probably need to redesign the whole power supply components from scratch to add more connectors and that add cost.
If we take rumors for granted then nvidia left AIBs with less headroom for profit margins than any other GPU series, so why bother do things differently.
nVidia most likely pushed its design to AIBs. It’s known that AMD is leaving AIBs with more degrees of freedom.
nVidia likes proprietary stuff…