Intel and AMD are testing 12V-2x6 PCIe power connectors for their next-gen Radeon and Arc GPUs

The debut of the new 12VHPWR power connector with the arrival of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 Series wasn't smooth. With widespread reports of cables 'melting,' it led to a redesign with the newer and 'safer' 12V-2x6 power connectors. These new connectors can be found on the latest GeForce RTX 40 Series SUPER cards and will be utilized across NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce RTX 50 Series, coming early 2025.

According to a new report by the Hungarian outlet Prohardver (via Wccftech), Intel and AMD are currently testing 12V-2x6 power connectors with their partners to see if the new standard will be used in their upcoming GPUs. With Intel prepping next-gen Intel Arc 'Battlemage' and AMD prepping RDNA 4-powered Radeon RX GPUs for the desktop market, a shift in connector would mean that all next-gen GPUs will feature 12V-2x6 power connectors.

Interestingly, the report indicates that even though Intel and AMD are testing the new power connectors, they're still reluctant to change.

The reasoning comes down to the reliability of traditional 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connectors, which have no real issues with stability and temperatures. And with next-gen Intel and AMD cards set to target the mid-range and entry-level markets, the need for a single power connector that can deliver up to 600W isn't all that beneficial for cards that will likely top out at around 250W to 300W.

From a risk perspective, why change when the current model works just fine?

Plus, it will mean packing in adaptors for those with older power supplies, as the new 12V-2x6 connectors and ATX 3.1 PSU standard are still relatively new. If AMD were to stick with traditional Radeon RX 8800 XT power delivery, it would probably use two 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

This was the norm across the entire GeForce RTX 40 Series line-up, except for the RTX 4060, which used a single traditional 8-pin PCIe connector. Intel and AMD have used the newer 16-pin connectors in their professional GPUs for data centers and high-performance workstations, so they are familiar with them.

The resigned 12V-2x6 power connector includes sense pins to monitor the voltage to avoid overheating when inserted incorrectly, so it is widely regarded as more reliable. In addition to supporting up to 600W over a single cable, it's also smaller. In the age of panoramic cases and hidden-cable motherboards, less clitter is always better, so odds are this will also factor into their decision.