@momomo_us on X (Twitter) has unveiled official documentation on a brand new custom-made HPCE energy connection commonplace aimed toward delivering supplementary GPU energy by the motherboard. The documentation reveals all the important thing specs of the brand new connector, together with its means to ship greater than 600W of energy, which is much more energy than what the brand new 12VHPWR connector offers.
In line with the documentation, the HPCE energy connector behaves very equally to a PCI Categorical connector. There are 4 teams of pins in complete, with 16 pins devoted to energy supply and one other twelve devoted to signaling or communication between the mainboard and the graphics card. The connector itself is roughly the dimensions of a PCIe x1 connector.
When utilized on a motherboard, the HPCE energy connector resides consistent with the first PCIe x16 slot and sits behind the x16 slot the place the motherboard chipset heatsink often resides. This enables the graphics card to be slotted into each the x16 connector and HPCE connector, making the set up course of easier. The official documentation recommends to not set up a locking mechanism on the HPCE connector itself, because the x16 slot’s built-in locking mechanism is already ample sufficient to carry the graphics card in place.
This new connector is acknowledged to be able to delivering over 600W to the graphics card. The documentation doesn’t state an higher restrict, nevertheless it stresses the need to ship greater than 600W of energy to help future graphics playing cards. 600W is a number of energy, however present technology RTX 4090s are already able to surpassing that mark with modified firmware. RTX 4090’s designed for LN2 overclocking (just like the HoF playing cards) are additionally able to surpassing 600W, and in consequence, include twin 12VHPWR energy connectors.
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We first noticed this connector at Computex, the place a number of prototype motherboards and graphics playing cards have been showcased that includes the hidden energy connector. The objective of the brand new connector is to enhance cable administration and aesthetics by eradicating all supplementary energy cables from the graphics card and offering energy as a substitute by way of the motherboard. This manner the graphics card seems to be tremendous clear with none energy cables getting in the way in which, and cable administration is simplified behind the motherboard tray.
An attention-grabbing element about this new connector is that it’s not an unique design. As an alternative, it’s a modification of the Excessive Energy Card Edge (HPCE) commonplace that’s used closely within the server trade. In idea, this implies this new consumer-focused HPCE connector will not succumb to comparable reliability points as the brand new 12VHPWR connector, because the connector has already been field-tested within the server area.
We’ll have to attend and see what corporations, if any, undertake the usual for shopper units. Up to now, the whole lot has come by way of Asus, so it may find yourself being restricted to its motherboards and future GPUs.
