NVIDIA May Mandate PCIe 6.0 Power Connectors With the RTX 50 ‘Blackwell’ Series

MLID reports that NVIDIA is planning to mandate PCIe Gen 6.0 power connectors for the upcoming RTX 50 series. The new and updated connectors will be backward compatible, saving us costs. However, at the moment, only NVIDIA is mulling over such a decision, with other GPU-makers sticking to the old, trusty 8-pin connector.

RTX 50 ‘Blackwell’ to Use PCIe Gen 6.0 Power Connectors

MLID cites 4 sources, with 2 AIBs and one source each from AMD and NVIDIA. A major AIB claims that NVIDIA is planning to make PCIe 6.0 16-pin connectors a must with the RTX 50 series. Moreover, this design choice will include all GPUs, including the likes of the RTX 5060 and even an RTX 5050, if we’re lucky to see one.

A source directly from NVIDIA asserts that 16-pin connectors are now the industry standard. Unifying the entire market by making PCIe 6.0 connectors a requirement will save NVIDIA a whole lot of money. Anyone with an old PSU can simply buy a connector if they wish to use their newly bought Graphics Card, says the source.

For some context, PCIe 5.0 (12VHPWR) connectors were introduced but not exactly required with the RTX 40 series. A lot of OEM-built RTX 4070s were found using 8-pin connectors. Likewise, the RTX 4060 also only requires a single PCIe 8-pin cable. Before a design is finalized, the AIB first sends NVIDIA a copy for approval. It is up to NVIDIA whether they approve the design or not.

What is the PCIe 6.0 Power Connector All About?

After a large number of issues with the 12VHPWR connector, mostly brushed off as ‘User Error’, it is about time we see a change in our power standards. A while back leaked documents from PCI-SIG revealed the successor to 12VHPWR, termed ‘12V-2×6 PCIe 6.0‘.

This connector conforms to the ATX 3.1 standard, is a part of CEM 5.1 specs, and has been updated to PCIe 6.0. The design has, for the most part, remained unaltered, hence we are still seeing a max output of 600W. Interestingly, corresponding to NVIDIA’s plans, the new 12V-2×6 cable has designs for GPUs in the 150-300W TDP range.

Since these are just rumors, we suggest users take this leak with a grain of salt. NVIDIA is still yet to make the final decision in regards to the power delivery design.

Source: MLID, Igor’s Lab