While there is now little doubt that future RTX 50s will make use of the new 12V-2×6 power connector, Intel and AMD are less certain. Indeed, while there are rumours that both companies are testing this connector internally, doubts about the adoption of this standard continue to linger.
12V-2×6, AMD RADEON and Intel Arc equipped?
The least we can say is that this connector has been the subject of a lot of ink. There have been countless cases of burnt-out cards (and even power supplies, and sometimes both) due to faulty use… or faulty design… or both. In any case, if AMD had considered it for its RX 7800/7700 XT, it didn’t happen.
However, according to our Hungarian colleagues at ProHardver, both the Reds and the Blues are testing this type of connector internally. However, just because it is being tested does not mean it will be adopted. Indeed, if we are to believe what is being said, the 16-pin connector would be almost as reliable as the classic 8-pin PCIe under 300W of load.
What’s more, the main advantage of the latter lies in its ability to supply up to 600W of power on its own. However, neither AMD nor Intel seem to be looking for a competition with NVIDIA and the RTX 5090, so it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see cards consuming this much power.
However, Overclock3D indicates that the two companies could still adopt it out of compulsion. Whether we like it or not, this standard is increasingly present in our power supplies. The latest PSUs are equipped with it, although they have fewer 8-pin PCIe than before.
In short, it remains to be seen what will happen. It would not be surprising to see Arc and RADEON cards come out with 8-pin PCIe for the reference designs, and with 16-pin for certain prestigious custom models.