Intel recently commented on the 16-pin cable design currently used by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, which opted for a 12VHPWR connector comprising a 12+4-pin design to produce a large amount of wattage to power the company's GPUs.

Intel's new ATX 3.0 specifications reveal recommendations for NVIDIA's 12VHPWR connector with an alternative design

When NVIDIA introduced the new design, reports flooded in on users having melted plugs and connections which turned out to be a user error since the connectors weren't being plugged in fully. Intel has developed a way of eliminating the issues by creating a new connection design.

The 16-Pin 12VHPWR connector is part of the new ATX 3.0 specifications that were defined by Intel and incorporates the latest Gen 5.0 platform.

NVIDIA researched the situation thoroughly and found that if the cable is not fully inserted into the connection to the graphics card, there would be a fault in the link, causing a high temperature and melting of the cable and connection. Also, space to connect the graphics card to the cable was an increased issue with insufficient clearance in some users' personal computers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 design made the card one of the largest graphics cards developed to date and caused several difficulties for users. Since then, several cable alternatives have come out to allow better connection and enhanced clearance for the GPU.

A recent "recommendation" coming from Intel has recommended a design change of the 12VHPWR power connector from the current 3-dimple design to a 4-spring approach, as shown in the image below:

This is not to say that Intel is developing a graphics card offering the same connection as NVIDIA. This came to light because Intel further defined the ATX 3.0 specifications, and the cable design is part of its new generation.

The method also was derivative of discoveries made by Igor Wallosek of the website Igor's Lab. It turns out that the company had two different suppliers for the adapter, one was the three-dimple design, and the other was the four-spring design. NVIDIA chose to utilize the four-spring option as it was more accessible and capable of wearing above the other.

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A spokesperson for Intel explained what the company's engineers revealed in its in-house research, stating, "Crimp Contacts inside of the cable plug are recommended to use the 4 Spring design instead of 3 dimple design (as shown in below figure) which will increase the contact area for electrical current flow inside the 12VHWPR connector and reduce the temperature rise of each contact."

News Sources: VideoCardz, Intel, Igor's Lab, harukaze5719 (Twitter)