The 12V-2x6 Connectors Appear to Handle Full Load While Partially Inserted

[dragontamer5788]

He has a point. Why did the 6-pin and 8-pin GPU connectors even come into existence? The answer likely has nothing to do with capacity of the connectors but more about separation of use. Maybe to prevent inappropriate use, or to allow power supply designers more flexibility about internal partitioning.

Because instead of running a bulky 300W connector to 3 or 4 different PCIe cards (when each one only needs +75W), you make a 75W connector supply 75W.

Then GPUs started taking 150W, so instead of sending 2x 75W 6-pin connectors, you created a more compact 8-pin 150W connector.

Lets say you're a 500W PSU. You assume the CPU will take up 100W (despite giving the CPU a 300W cable). How many additional cables to you have coming out of your PSU? Well, you can supply ~400W. Lets say 100W is for fans / hard drives / other stuff. Leaving 300W for GPUs, and that's an easy and simple 2x 8-pin connector (which could convert into 4x 6-pin connectors).

--------------

Wires have a "language". The power-supply designers are talking to us through the shape of the wires. You can immediately and instinctively tell whether or not a PSU has enough power simply by counting the 75W or 150W connectors dedicated to each task. This was perhaps more important in the days of dual-rail PSUs (ex: you had 600W of power but across two rails. The first rail could send maybe 400W and the second rail could send like 200W. You juggle the wires just right to handle a balanced load). All modern PSUs are advanced enough to just be single rail these days, but you still need a language to estimate different power-consumption metrics.

 

[user556]

The EPS connectors are only 4-pin each. And substantially predate the others.

 

[Crackong]

I don't get the purpose of another connector. I don't even get get the purpose of the PCIe connectors when we have the EPS12V. I've run 300W through it for hours on end. It locks into place firmly. I struggle to get it off the motherboard. No need for those sense pins.

+1
EPS12V is the industry standard for quite a while and even the RTX 6000 Ada uses EPS12V instead of the 12pin.
So the 12pin isn't necessary to begin with.
2 x EPS12V should be fine enough for any GPU up to 600W.

 

[フェイル]

12V-2x6... How should I pronounce this? It's a name that bothers me when I read it out loud.

 

[R-T-B]

12V-2x6... How should I pronounce this? It's a name that bothers me when I read it out loud.

It still is generally refered to as just a "PCIe High Power" connector in consumer speak, I picture.

It would indeed be awkward to read out the full name.

 

[Mussels]

I don't get the purpose of another connector. I don't even get get the purpose of the PCIe connectors when we have the EPS12V. I've run 300W through it for hours on end. It locks into place firmly. I struggle to get it off the motherboard. No need for those sense pins.

Because these new GPU's go well above 300W by a very large margin?

12V-2x6... How should I pronounce this? It's a name that bothers me when I read it out loud.

That's something these people entirely forget, and a nightmare for tech support when you ask someone what connector they have and what cable they use

 

[フェイル]

That's something these people entirely forget, and a nightmare for tech support when you ask someone what connector they have and what cable they use

Identification is even more difficult because these cables and connectors cannot be readily identified without a comparison. This confusion could have been avoided if there was a dedicated logo, revision stamp, and color symbol like USB3.0.

 

[STSMiner]

https://cdrdv2-public.intel.com/336521/336521_Rev2p1a.pdf

 

[Mussels]

I've got one GPU that uses the new connector.

Two seperate adaptors including the one in the box and the one that came with the GPU have already failed. I hate this standard.