Secret change to the sense pins starting from the GeForce RTX 4070 FE and no one noticed it

Sometimes you are blind or just don’t look closely enough. This surprises me, frankly, with the mass of reviewers, but then again, I wasn’t any better. After having examined some headers of the Founders Editions from the current Ada series more closely, I noticed something interesting. Since the GeForce RTX 4070 FE, NVIDIA has already been using a modified 12VHPWR connector with significantly recessed pins! While the GeForce RTX 4080 Founders Edition still relies on the header from the CEM 5.0 with only 0.45 mm offset, the GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition has been using a modified variant with 1.7 mm inward offset since its launch, similar to the 12V-2×6 connector.

I have included a simple slider as a reminder, so you can compare the two variants even in the dimensioned sectional drawing.

And because it’s so nice, I will show you a close-up of a dismantled GeForce RTX 4070 from the warehouse. And now, we will move on to this very one.

And what about the board partner cards?

By now, I have been able to take a look at various cards from the launch period and have compared these cards with new stock, or have had them compared. First, we see an MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio White with the familiar header:

And now let’s look at the slightly newer MSI RTX 4070 Gaming X Trio and what do we see there? Oops, it seems like someone has shortened the pins! Mind you, here too it’s the familiar 1.7 mm offset and already a newer header model. But according to the label, it’s still the 12VHPWR with the old H+ label.

And where is the 12V-2×6 header?

Of course, one will ask oneself why one didn’t use the new H++ header right away. As far as I could find out, Astron is already producing it. Otherwise, NVIDIA wouldn’t be testing it there. But there is also something happening with the power supplies, because apparently an OEM like CWT is already using these headers on the power supply side for the new products (e.g. for MSI power supplies). Of course, the question arises why a header that has not yet been fully specified is already being used in mass production. But I hope to find out more about this soon.

Conclusion

It’s really interesting that such a significant change was made here without any communication to the outside. But in some way, this fits with the confusion around this connector. I find this approach of a covert live experiment on the customer quite interesting, although as a patient, I would have liked to know where and how much the doctor is cutting off me. Side effects and so on. Because there was no package insert and you couldn’t ask the pharmacist.

And for tomorrow, I’m going to tease the next green nail in the coffin: What does a GeForce RTX 4060 MSRP card with a real 115 watt power limit deliver? This answer will come tomorrow, because I still have to build all the metrics. It’s basically the scope of the launch article in Full-HD with supervised drinking. That’s sure to be exciting!

Rest in Peace 12VHPWR Connector – Welcome 12V-2×6 Connector, important modifications and PCIe Base 6 | Exclusive