MSI Preps 1300 W Power Supply With PCIe 5.0 Power Connector

According to a new report from Wccftech, MSI is working on the company's next-generation MEG and MPG series of power supplies. In addition, the new units will arrive with the novelty PCIe 5.0 power connector to power the next wave of the best graphics cards.

The MEG series, the flagship lineup, will debut with capacities between 1000 W and 1300 W. The power supplies carry the 80 Plus Platinum certification and utilize MSI's G.I. Engine, although we're unsure what the latter feature brings to the table. On the other hand, the MPG series will be available in 750 W, 850 W, and 1000 W capacities. These come with 80 Plus Gold certification and do not feature the G.I. Engine.

Despite the model and capacity, MSI's upcoming power supplies offer the PCIe 5.0 CEM (12VHPWR) power connector. It delivers up to 600 W of power, 150 W more than Nvidia's 12-pin PCIe power connector that hasn't caught on outside the chipmaker's Ampere Founders Edition graphics cards. The 12VHPWR connector has 12 power contacts and four signal contacts. Unfortunately, there isn't any information on whether the signal contacts are optional or not.

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The 12VHPWR power connector allows manufacturers to simplify their designs on power-hungry graphics cards and, at the same time, significantly reduces the cable clutter for the consumer. For example, a single 12VHPWR power connector could replace three 8-pin PCIe power connectors that you typically find on high-end and overclocking-oriented graphics cards.

Early rumors claimed that Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3090 Ti would be the first graphics card to arrive with the PCIe 5.0 power connector. Since Nvidia hasn't launched the Ampere graphics card yet, it's impossible to confirm whether there is any truth to the rumor. The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X 24G, which went up for backorder at $5,500, reportedly has a 480 W TDP and requires a 1000 W power supply. MSI seemingly stuck with a three 8-pin PCIe power connector configuration, though.

Pricing for the MEG and MPG power supplies is unknown. However, Wccftech's sources claim that MSI will launch the new units by the second quarter, just in time to feed upcoming PCIe 5.0-compatible graphics cards.