MSI X870, X870E motherboards have an extra 8-pin PCIe power connector for next-gen GPUs — unofficially aimed at GeForce RTX 50 series

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Next-generation graphics cards could pull up to 225 watts from the PCIe slot alone.

MSI's MPG series boards
(Image credit: MSI)

MSI is making some interesting upgrades to its upcoming X870 and X870E motherboards. Cowcotland reports that the motherboard manufacturer showed off new X870 and X870E motherboards at Gamescom 2024, featuring an 8-pin PCIe power connector installed at the bottom of the PCB. 

The additional power connector is reportedly designed to power next-generation graphics cards. Assuming MSI is taking full advantage of the capabilities of a single 8-pin PCIe connector, these new X870/X870E motherboards will have up to 75W of additional power routed to the primary, secondary, or both PCIe slots thanks to that additional 8-pin power plug. A single PCIe x16 slot can already give up to 75W of power to the slot so that the extra 8-pin will give these new MSI boards up to 225W of power generation entirely from the x16 slot (or slots) alone.

The 8-pin PCIe power connector is located strategically at the bottom of MSI's new motherboards. It is an optimal place, as it positions it very close to the PCIe slots and makes it easy for builders to manage the 8-pin power cable needed to power the connector.

MSI unofficially indicated to Cowcotland that these new 8-pin connectors on their X870/X870E motherboards are aimed squarely at next-generation graphics cards, such as the GeForce RTX 50 series. Alternatively, the additional 8-pin PCIe power connector could be used for multi-GPU setups typical of AI systems.

On the one hand, MSI's changes suggest that next-generation graphics cards will consume more power than outgoing GPUs like the RTX 4090 already do. Having extra power wired to the PCIe slot will enable GPUs to pull more than 600W—660W of power without opting for a secondary 12v2x6 power connector. There is little reason to add extra power to the PCIe slot if the GPU doesn't exceed the 12v2x6 connector's power specification.

Given that Asus has implemented the supplementary 8-pin PCIe connector on its own competing X870 and X870E motherboards, motherboard vendors likely already know the power necessities of next-generation graphics cards.

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Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Amdlova
    225w is the max power draw of my system with screen and sound
    At this Rate it's better to those motherboards and graphics make some Tea or coffee with this heat!
    Reply
  • wakuwaku
    Given that Asus has implemented the supplementary 8-pin PCIe connector on its own competing X870 and X870E motherboards, motherboard vendors likely already know the power necessities of next-generation graphics cards.
    This statement is 99% false. I only attribute 1% to the fact that yes Asus did put a 8-pin PCIE power connector on ONE of their X870/X870E boards that has been announced so far, the ROG Crosshair X870E. But that is the only correct thing in this statement. The 8-pin PCIE power connector implemented on that board is for powering the 60W USB Power Delivery feature of one of the front panel USB-C ports, NOT for extra power for the PCIE slot.

    You do not need to take my word for it. I cite my sources, unlike writers for tom's hardware who seem to hallucinate just as well as real AIs do. Scroll down until you see the USB ports section and click on the arrow:
    https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-crosshair/rog-crosshair-x870e-hero/
    This is not the first time Asus implemented this. A relative of mine has a Proart X670E, whom I helped build the PC for, that has the exact same feature. There might be other boards, possibly from other vendors, that have it too. I didn't look up all of them.

    Also dear readers, here:

    https://www.asus.com/microsite/motherboard/amd-am5-ryzen-9000-x3d-x870e-x870-b850-b840/
    Do you see any of the boards having a 8-pin PCIE besides the ROG Crosshair? No need to look at tech specs, just look at the image of the motherboards.
    Reply
  • Pierce2623
    Well….running 200w GPUs with no 8 pin would be the first interesting motherboard development in at least a decade.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    Pierce2623 said:
    Well….running 200w GPUs with no 8 pin would be the first interesting motherboard development in at least a decade.

    changing a pci-x 16x slot IS way harder than changing the 4090 melting connector
    Reply
  • thestryker
    As far as I'm aware the PCIe spec is still 75W maximum from the slot (I may be wrong I haven't checked in a while). What adding PCIe power connectors to the motherboard is generally used for is making sure secondary PCIe slots can still deliver all 75W. Given that the context was AI the implication is that one would have multiple video cards that need 75W from the slot.
    Reply
  • Hotrod2go
    Reminds me of an MSI Z590 board that has a 6 pin power connector at the bottom of it for the power hungry rocket lake cpus! System would not boot without it plugged in, even without a dGPU.
    Reply
  • DavidLejdar
    wakuwaku said:
    The 8-pin PCIE power connector implemented on that board is for powering the 60W USB Power Delivery feature of one of the front panel USB-C ports, NOT for extra power for the PCIE slot.
    Are you sure about that?

    Yeah, it says that it needs the 8-pin connector for the USB-C 60W quick charge on front panel. But that's for one of the ports only, and it is for 33W extra only. And for these extra 33W, a 8-pin connector is quite overkill, isn't it?

    On the other hand, ASUS may be preparing for more power supply for USB-C ports in general (starting with the mentioned MB). But like that, it seems a bit silly. I mean, USB-C PD 3.1 can do up to 240W transfer. So, when one needs quick charging, even a direct connection between front panel and PSU (as already exists in my case, in regard to fans via fan hub), for a dedicated charging port - such would take of a lot of the PSU capacity, with that capacity being somewhat limited for a lot of users.

    And meanwhile, e.g. myself, I can also use the power socket tower here, which comes including USB-C ports. Also, here in Berlin, we can do up to 3,680W (230 Volt x 16 Ampere) on one wall socket, whereas in some country, it isn't even half of that, setting a hard limit on how much a single PSU can run, even if everyone would be willing to upgrade the PSU to be able to also run a coffee machine via PC front panel, and whatnot.

    So, I'd argue, that it would make more sense, when the extra power to MB is also be about other stuff. Such as perhaps about GPU in particular, and that perhaps mostly as mentioned for high-end or multiple GPUs - but it would also make builds more viable, which don't require extra width for a GPU-PSU connection. And additional stuff. E.g. the three M.2 slots, for up to NVMe 5.0 SSDs, they apparently can require up to 30W - which needs to come from the MB, plus two additional M.2 (up to NVMe 4.0), with further around 10W (at peak).

    And then there is also a question about cooling. Like, the 8-pin connector may indeed be mostly about next-gen GPUs, but not so much in regard to the power supply of the GPU, as it may be about power supply for the PC case cooling. :)
    Reply
  • Pierce2623
    Amdlova said:
    changing a pci-x 16x slot IS way harder than changing the 4090 melting connector
    A 200w GPU isnt melting anything. Even the 4080 doesn’t melt connectors. That’s just a problem with stupid levels of power draw.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    The rx480 and rx 470 scandal over pci-x drawing more than 75w. It's not only about power but noise EMI and other things can hurt other components in process.
    I don't belive PCI-SIG will change something 75w is enough for many applications. Maybe when change the voltage for 24 volts wee see more power on pcie.
    Reply
  • jlake3
    thestryker said:
    As far as I'm aware the PCIe spec is still 75W maximum from the slot (I may be wrong I haven't checked in a while). What adding PCIe power connectors to the motherboard is generally used for is making sure secondary PCIe slots can still deliver all 75W. Given that the context was AI the implication is that one would have multiple video cards that need 75W from the slot.
    Per Wikipedia at least, the maximum of 75W from the slot has not yet changed.

    Also, I've personally seen boards as far back as Haswell with supplemental power connectors for running a large number of PCIe devices. Some old SLI/Crossfire boards had a 4-pin Molex near the graphics slots, then later mining boards had PCIe 6/8-pin sockets. It's not the first time a motherboard manufacturer has done this.
    Reply