AMD is NOT using PCIe 5.0 '12VHPWR' connector on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs

AMD confirms it will NOT be using the explosive new PCIe Gen5 '12VHPWR' power connector on its upcoming Radeon RX 7000 series 'RDNA 3' graphics cards.

AMD is NOT using PCIe 5.0 '12VHPWR' connector on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs
Published Oct 25, 2022 7:07 PM CDT   |   Updated Sun, Nov 13 2022 5:26 PM CST
2 minutes & 46 seconds read time

AMD has confirmed that its next-gen Radeon RX 7000 series "RDNA 3" graphics card will NOT be using the new PCIe Gen5 "12VHPWR" power connector... which is something we kinda knew already, but now 100% confirmed from AMD themselves.

Scott Herkelman, General Manager for AMD Radeon (and ex-NVIDIA GeForce exec) confirmed on Twitter with Kyle "HardOCP" Bennett, where he said that the Radeon RX 6000 series and upcoming RDNA 3 GPUs will "not use this power connector".

Given that there are multiple reports of GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards MELTING, it makes sense that AMD won't use the power connector. We've known for a while now that AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 7000 series flagship GPU will be using 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors, but now we have official confirmation from AMD themselves.

Bennett said he's reached out to multiple sources to confirm that AMD's in-house Navi 31-based reference cards will NOT use the new 12VHPWR power adapter. Bennett adds that he couldn't verify that AIBs would be using the new 12VHPWR on Navi 31-based designs, either. It looks like AMD will be skipping it, but again, I think we knew that based on previous rumors and reports on Navi 31.

We heard that AIB partners would be clocking the Navi 31 GPU "to the moon" on custom Radeon RX 7900 XTX or Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards, where we could see 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors using up to 450W. The newer 12VHPWR power connector looks sleek, and sure it can feed 600W+ of power, but we now know at what cost... melting GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards.

AMD is expected to use the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, but not the PCIe Gen5 "12VHPWR" power connector... makes sense. The reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX (and/or the Radeon RX 7900 XT) should ship with 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors with a triple-fan cooler... it looks mean, and it could give NVIDIA's new flagship GeForce RTX 4090 (and also benefit from not exploding, catching fire, or melting).

Buy at Amazon

ASUS TUF Gaming AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT OC Edition

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$1149.99$742.87$996.01
* Prices last scanned on 12/26/2022 at 9:39 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering.

Newsletter Subscription

    Related Tags

    Newsletter Subscription
    Latest News
    View More News
    Latest Reviews
    View More Reviews
    Latest Articles
    View More Articles