News Gainward Reportedly Replaces RTX 4090's 12VHPWR Adapters

[Admin]

One of Nvidia's partners voluntarily replaces potentially hazardous 12VHPWR adapters, says retailer.

Gainward Reportedly Replaces RTX 4090's 12VHPWR Adapters : Read more

 

[Darkbreeze]

So does this mean, as our previous article stated, that all of Gainward's customers will have their warranty voided? I doubt it. Just like I very much doubt that using one of the adapters from Seasonic, Corsair or Cablemod will void the warranty. Pretty sure Magnussun-Moss covers that too.

 

[PlaneInTheSky]

The discussion at Gainward HQ that started it all:

"Hey Huang, you think people's house catching on fire would be bad for our reputation?"

 

[geogan]

I predict this power connection standard will be DOA very soon. To much damage already inflicted to its reputation.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would not argue against that opinion as being very probable. In the 35 years or so I've been working with computer systems, I think this is the very first time I've ever seen anything remotely like this happen and I think this is a direct result of companies trying too hard to rush things these days without a reasonable amount of real world testing in addition to any lab testing that's been done. I think PCI-SIG has to take some responsibility for this as well, not just Nvidia, since they apparently signed off on it and since we've now seen evidence that it is happening on native 12VHPWR connections from ATX 3.0 power supplies that are not using ANY adapters, as well. Seems like a major clusterfrack all the way around IMO.

 

[Sleepy_Hollowed]

This is the smart thing to do, not just for consumers, but for the company.
This is the first time I’ve seen this and I was around for the pcie switch from AGP.

 

[RodroX]

If native PSU cable are also melting (not many reports yet compared to adapters, but it did happend), What will a different adapter change?

 

[Darkbreeze]

It probably won't, unless it is grossly over-engineered, and that might be exactly what needs to happen. The native connectors might not be using much better designs than these adapters and that might need to change. Thicker terminals, actual soldering and larger gauge wiring with far more thermally resistant plastic for the body might have to happen. And if that won't work, the whole design might have to be scrapped. Who knows? Better minds than mine are struggling to come up with solutions so who can say?

 

[RodroX]

Yeah I know, I was just wondering because from what I can understand after all I read and watched so far, main issue seems to be closer to the "tip" of the connector, where the male and female pins make contact with each other. Thats why I was wondering if theres really something to fix.

You can use better soldering, larger gauge cables, but from all the pictures I have seen so far the issue is not much the cable or the soldering, but the contact between the pins.

Perhaps only 6 pins for 450~600 watts is not enough? (Its 6 pins for 12V, 6 pins for ground, and the extra 4 "sense/data", right?).

The old 8 pin pcie power cable, was 3x 12V + 3x ground + 2x sense, each of this cable was designed for 150 watts use, so you end up with 12x12volts pins for 600 watts, and 9x12volts for 450 watts (~ 50 watts x pin).
I know the old 8 pin could handle more wattage (Can't remember the exact number) with the right gauge cable, but maybe for the new ATX V3 16 pin connecor, 2 times the wattage peer pin is too much for the actual pin to pin contact, and the closer each pin is to each other could also be a factor.

I don't know.... maybe one day we will find out what is really happening.