Der8auer pulls over 750W on 12V-2x6 cable on ASUS ROG MATRIX RTX 5090: no BIOS or shunt mods

Overclocker "Der8auer" has shown how to run more than 600W of power through the 16-pin 12V-2x6 power connector without the need of BIOS flashes or shunt mods on the ASUS ROG MATRIX GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. Check it out:

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Der8auer used a modified BTF power adapter that is included with the ROG MATRIX RTX 5090, focusing his efforts into the MATRIX power configuration, with the GPU shipping with an 800W BIOS that requires both the 12V-2x6 power connector, and the ASUS BTF edge power connector.

The overclocker tried both ways, first using the 12V-2x6 power connector which limits the card to the 600W board power, and the same limitations apply for the GC-HWPR adapter. Der8auer used a riser and a cut-down test bench, probing the BTF adapter contact pins, identifying the shorter "presence" pin and ground pin, and first bridges those to the adapter.

In his video -- which is a fantastic watch by the way -- the ASUS ROG MATRIX RTX 5090 reports the connected "motherboard" in ASUS's in-house GPU Tweak software, but the power draw hits a 600W limit, confirming that more sense pins must be used.

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Der8auer found that by measuring the resistance between the sense pins on the 12V-2x6 connector and placing small contacts on the BTF edge, he found the two sense lines that were being used, unlocking them to provide higher power limits.

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The BTF power connector doesn't carry any current, but Der8auer has successfully tricked the ASUS ROG MATRIX RTX 5090 into thinking that it has a full BTF power path, and enables that higher 800W power limit. With the new modded adapter used, ASUS GPU Tweak detects around 700W of board power, peaking at around 750W, all over the single 12V-2x6 power cable.

The current per power per pin passes 10A, and the status LED on the connector turns red, with Der8auer saying that the cable even felt warm to the touch. He added that this is just simply a technical experiment, and not something he recommends for daily use or for gamers.