NVIDIA recently announced that it continues to look for a solution to the problem with merging 12 + 4-pin power adapters for GeForce RTX 4090 video cards. Network “investigators”, in particular the resource Igor’s Lab, meanwhile found out that flagship video cards are equipped with adapters from Taiwanese companies Astron and NTK, and it seems that users should be wary of any of their products.
Image source: Reddit
Igor Wallossek, creator of Igor’s Lab, found out that two companies produce power adapters for new NVIDIA video cards and have a slightly different design, although they have the same type of connectors. First, the latches are a little different, as you can see in the photo below. As a result, connecting to the adapter connector from NTK requires a lot of effort.
Image source: Igor’s workshop
Most importantly, the adapters use contacts with different designs, as shown in the images below. The 12VHPWR connector design on the NTK adapter uses spring loaded contacts with a single slot, while the Astron connector has slots on both sides.
As a result, Astron adapters are less durable: they offer more resistance after 10 connection cycles. The source notes that NVIDIA is conducting its own investigation into exactly how the number of adapter connection cycles affects the resistance, which should be no more than 2 ohms.
Image source: Igor’s workshop
However, it is still impossible to say with full confidence that Astron adapters are of poor quality, since such conclusions can only be drawn from the results of a larger study.
Image source: videocardz.com
Along with this, Vallossek has published a list of known problems regarding the 12VHPWR connector, their causes and possible solutions. In short, you need to periodically check the contacts on the video card, if possible, refuse to use adapters in favor of a new power supply with a native 12 + 4-pin power cord, and also check the reliability of the connection to the connector – not there should be empty spaces!
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