GeForce RTX 4000 and power supplies: NVIDIA and partners reassure enthusiasts

Video cards NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4000announced in recent days, are high-end and therefore require a platform that is up to par, first and foremost thepower supply. La GeForce RTX 4090 is accompanied by a TGP of 450Wlike the previous 3090 Ti, the GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB stops at 320W (like the 3080 10 GB and 30W less than the 3080 Ti) and the GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB touch 285W (65W less than the 3080 12GB). According to the specifications released by NVIDIA, the new solutions require a power supply with one power respectively of 850, 750 e 700W.

It is about powers that are not at all different from those of the top of the range GeForce RTX 3000, nevertheless for many fans it has become a discussion ground. Perhaps to create particular attention on this issue were the indiscretions of recent months (there was talk of 600W and more for the new GPUs), but also the news circulated recently on potential risks of overpower and overcurrent raised by the PCI-SIG in the ” use of adapters to connect new GPUs equipped with a 12VHPWR connector to PSUs that do not comply with the new ATX 3.0 standard.

What is the genesis of everything, it does not matter, but above all it is welcome why both NVIDIA and Corsair have decided to take the matter head on and talk about the consumption of video cards and compatibility with power supplies.

“The RTX 40 series does not require a new power supply though already meet the power supply recommendations“, explains NVIDIA indicating the numbers that we have reported in the first paragraph. The company clarifies that the new generation boards, both Founders and custom, will be sold with adapters that “will allow you to use power supplies with existing 8-pin PCIe connectors. The RTX 40 series can also use a PCIe Gen 5 connector (12VHPWR, ed) through which to power the video card with a single cable “.

As for the risks of overcurrent and overpower raised by the PCI-SIG, NVIDIA is adamant. “They do not affect new NVIDIA products. During initial development and testing, we identified a potential problem with a connector prototype manufactured by a single vendor. As a member of the PCI-SIG, we informed the vendor, asked for action (which it did), and shared our findings to help those who were implementing the new standard. The PCI-SIG was passing on what they learned to the other suppliers. “

Another aspect that some newspapers have raised by sifting through the technical specifications of the new GPUs on the sites of the partners of NVIDIA is the finger loop of PCIe Gen 5 connectors: there is talk of a cycle of 30 connections and disconnections, a number that has caused a bit of agitation in the fans. “The 30 cycle specification is the same as the last 20 years for existing 8-pin PCIe / ATX connectors and has not changed for PCIe Gen5 connectors or adapters“explains NVIDIA.

When an RTX 4000 is connected to a power supply conforming to the ATX 2.0 specification, the adapter takes advantage of active internal circuits that translate the states of the 8-pin connector to the correct sideband signals according to the ATX 3.0 specification. Simply put, the active circuit detects and reports the power required by a video card based on the number of 8-pin connectors connected. “This allows the RTX 4090 to increase the power headroom for overclocking when 4 8-pin connectors are used versus 3 connectors.”

As for the functioning of theadapter when physically “twisted” (or bent)NVIDIA assures that it has carried out tests that have shown “operation in a wide variety of conditionsThe company recommends leaving a “minimum of 36mm clearance above the top of the video card for cable kink and proper airflow.”

In addition to NVIDIA, Corsair sent us a note with which “he wants to reassure all partners about the real state of things and, as also specified in a specific press release last week, all current high-end power supply models are capable of providing the necessary power to support the demands of the boards (obviously with the due proportions) “.

“An 8-pin PCIe adapter for the 12VHPWR connector should already be included in the package of each video card; it will also be possible to purchase a 600W 12VHPWR adapter (which requires a power supply of at least 1200W), 450W (power supply minimum 1000W) or 300W (minimum power supply 750W) “.

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