Some RTX 4070 GPUs Will Use 16-Pin Power Connector

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The 16-pin power connector is here to stay.

GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC
GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC (Image credit: Gigabyte)

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40-series (Ada Lovelace) graphics cards were the first mainstream products to adopt the 16-pin (12VHPWR) power connector. However, Nvidia's insistence on the power connector may change with the upcoming GeForce RTX 4070. According to a new report from Igor Wallossek, only some GeForce RTX 4070 graphics cards will use the 16-pin power connector.

The GeForce RTX 4070 rumoredly launches in April. Wallossek's sources claim that the GeForce RTX 4070 has two categories. The premium or factory-overclocked models are reportedly in the first category with a 225W TBP. They will likely sport one 16-pin power connector or two standard 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The second category encompasses the standard GeForce RTX 4070 models; those are the MSRP level that adheres to a 200W TBP. Wallossek believes that the graphics cards in the second category will stick to a regular 8-pin PCIe power connector.

The 16-pin power connector has caused its fair share of havoc on the GeForce RTX 4090, one of the best graphics cards. Due to the more demanding power requirements, the power connector makes sense with GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and higher SKUs. However, there's no need for it with the lower-clocked GeForce RTX 4070 and inferior models.

Wallossek confirmed with his sources that the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and GeForce RTX 4060 would employ a single 8-pin PCIe power connector. However, according to an early leak, the GeForce RTX 4060 may have a 115W TDP, so it only pulls a little power.

The 16-pin power connector is here to stay. However, if the rumors are accurate, the GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition and a few 225W custom models may be the last Ada-based graphics cards to use the 16-pin power connector for a while. So unless Nvidia launches a GeForce RTX 4080 Ti, GeForce RTX 4090 Ti, or the Titan RTX Ada, we likely won't see the 16-pin power connector until the next generation of GeForce gaming graphics cards.

AMD was reluctant to use the 16-pin power connector on the chipmaker's latest Radeon RX 7000-series (RDNA 3) graphics cards. But, surprisingly, graphics cards are becoming more power-hungry graphics instead of consuming less power. So it may be a matter of time before we find the 16-pin power connector on a Radeon graphics card.

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Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • edzieba
    However, there's no need for it with the lower-clocked GeForce RTX 4070 and inferior models.
    Standardisation.

    Anyone who remembers early GPUs will remember cards with 'Molex'* connectors for external power input. Those vanished as soon as mini-fit Jr was adopted for GPU power. Even for cards there were only a few watts over the 75W card-edge power budget, they were saddled with a "no need" 6-pin 75W power connector, even if they could have worked just fine with a Molex connector. Similarly, standardising on the new 16-pin connector means the old 6-pin and 8-pin connectors can eventually be phased out. Personally I'd have loved to see a move to Micro-fit across the board with ATX12VO to further compact board area for cabling, but I'd have even more rather seen a move to 48V internal power rather than sticking with legacy 12V.


    * Ironically, unlike almost all the other internal ATX power connectors, the Peripheral Power Connector was actually a Mate-n-Lok connector designed by Amphenol.
    Reply
  • kal326
    edzieba said:
    Standardisation.

    Anyone who remembers early GPUs will remember cards with 'Molex'* connectors for external power input.
    The only worse than a Molex connector was a cheap Molex connector. The extension/Y cables provided to reach those and others with so much slop in the pins it was near impossible to line up.
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    kal326 said:
    The only worse than a Molex connector was a cheap Molex connector... with so much slop in the pins it was near impossible to line up.

    I miss those days and the full head of hair that came with them! Jiggling the wires at the base of the plastic housing to line up the pins as you finalized your connection...only to have one pin jam, bend or kink the connection forcing you to start all over. The memories....
    Reply
  • Mpablo87
    Standardization Not the worst thing ! ! ! ! ! !
    Reply
  • Winterson
    A greater problem is that many computer cases will only accommodate boards that are 4.4 inches in height or shorter. Then the only option is one of the Nvidia A series boards that are 3-4 times the cost of the full height boards in the RTX lineup. The RTX 4090 sells for $2,000 whereas the A6000 that provides half the performance of the 4090, sells for at least $4,800.

    Going to a gaming computer nearly always means having no PCIe slots for adding boards for more functionality. With the HP Omen there are zero slots available and with the Lenovo Legion there is only a 16-lane and one 4-lane slot available. Want to have 10GB Ethernet or USB 4 with your computer you will need to buy a whole new computer.
    Reply
  • cyrusfox
    Winterson said:
    A greater problem is that many computer cases will only accommodate boards that are 4.4 inches in height or shorter. Then the only option is one of the Nvidia A series boards that are 3-4 times the cost of the full height boards in the RTX lineup. The RTX 4090 sells for $2,000 whereas the A6000 that provides half the performance of the 4090, sells for at least $4,800.

    Going to a gaming computer nearly always means having no PCIe slots for adding boards for more functionality. With the HP Omen there are zero slots available and with the Lenovo Legion there is only a 16-lane and one 4-lane slot available. Want to have 10GB Ethernet or USB 4 with your computer you will need to buy a whole new computer.
    There are plenty of m.2 adapters if you have a spare slot and 2to4x lanes usually suffices. As well as riser cables enabling custom placement. Its easier than ever to Frankenstein components together thanks to the SFFPC movement.
    Reply