We call ourselves Hardware Busters because one of our many missions is to debunk hardware-related myths. Today’s article and video are an excellent example of that! I got suspicious when I noticed an article on Tom’s Hardware titled: “User Reports 12VHPWR Connector Melting From the PSU Side (Updated)“. However, that looks odd for two reasons: First, since when do reports from individual users make it into the news of such a large site, and second, we usually hear about problems at the other end of the 12VHPWR cable leading to the video card, not on the PSU side. Of course, when you run a headline like that, you have to back it up and measure it somehow. I’ll just do that now…
I quickly prepared a test setup with four array electronics loads capable of pulling up to 900W from the PSU, and since I happen to have the same PSU as the user who reported the problem on Reddit, which is a be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W, I thought of putting a full load on its 12VHPWR output while monitoring the temperatures on both ports. I intentionally didn’t use a limited graphics card because I wanted to push the limits. I also wanted to simulate a scenario where the other end of the connector did not make ideal contact to see what would happen.
I started with 60A, about 720W, which was fine for the two 12VHPWR connections, but it put a massive strain on the test setup with the cable I was using to transfer the power to the loads, even melting the solder used on the bridge! In addition, the temperature rise was remarkable due to the less than ideal contact on the load side of the 12VHPWR connection. In contrast, the operating temperature on the power supply side of the 12VHPWR connection was close to 30C!
I reduced the load to continue the experiment until the connection I made simply broke due to the high temperature. But there was still no problem with the 12VHPWR cable, whose power supply side was only slightly above 30C. The conclusions of this short experiment are the following:
According to my information, PCI-SIG plans to take measures to ensure proper connection of 12VHPWR connectors. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal more since I don’t leak information, but something is already in the works. I know this.
The article by our guest author first appeared on hwbusters.com and has been shared on igor’sLAB courtesy of the author. Thanks also to Aris for his work and sharing!
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