On Amazon, there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to 12VHPWR adapters for RTX 40s. As you know, with its latest generation of cards, NVIDIA has dropped 8-pin PCIe in favor of a more compact connector, capable of carrying up to 600W of power. And even with the official adapters, problems still occur. In short, imagine a model made over the leg from China!
12VHPWR: beware of crappy adapters!
Oh, how rude that title is, but it’s the reality of the situation. On Amazon, just type in the connector name and you’ll come across a whole host of adapters and cables. Apart from a few Corsair or Lian Li models, a large number of Chinese no-name products such as Linkup, EZDIY-FAB, etc., stand out.
There are a number of things to bear in mind here: firstly, the type of cable used. If the data sheets mention 16 AWG, it’s not unlikely that we’re talking about even thinner 18 AWG cables. As we said here, China is the realm of counterfeiting, even when it comes to cable quality. And when you’re dealing with a connector that can handle up to 600W, using a cable cross-section that’s too small can quickly lead to disaster.
Otherwise, you’ll also have to avoid wacky adapters based on three-four, why not five, PCIe, all at 90°, on a PCB. That alone smacks of burning. As for cables with double-pin connectors, no way.
In fact, sad to say, anything that doesn’t come from a well-known power supply manufacturer is a no-go. Cablemod is okay, because in the event of failure, the brand will change your equipment. And failing that, you’ll have to make do with NVIDIA’s adapter (or the one supplied with your GPU) to benefit from the warranty. We’ve seen it before: some manufacturers refuse to accept warranty claims if the cable used is not their own. So don’t expect to be reimbursed for any damage to your hardware caused by one of these Chinese products, because you’ll be left with nothing but tears in your eyes.
