PCIe 5.0 '12VHPWR' power connector: 150W, 300W, 450W, 600W settings

We might not ever see the next-gen graphics card released this year that actually uses PCIe 5.0 power connectors, but the PSU market is gearing up for the big launch of next-gen PCIe 5.0-ready GPUs.

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Well, now the official specifications of the new PCI-Express 5.0 cable for next-gen GPUs has been leaked, with data approved by Intel who are part of defining the ATX specs. We now know there should be up to four different power settings, with the PCIe 5.0 power cable supporting 150W, 300W, 450W, and a huge 600W over a single 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power cable.

It looks like the binary configuration of the Sense0 and Sense1 sideband signals, but when both of the signals are grounded, the GPU will have up to 375W of power pumped into it, with a maximum of up to an insane 600W of sustained power.

• Read more: GIGABYTE teases UD1000GM PCIe 5.0 PSU: ready for next-gen 600W+ GPUs
• Read more: Cooler Master launches V1300 Platinum PSU: next-gen PCIe 5.0 connector
• Read more: ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L: up to 1200W, 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power for up to 600W
• Read more: AMD's first ROG Thor II PSU: PCIe 5.0 cable down to 450W from 600W
• Read more: This is what the next-gen 12-pin PCIe 5.0 power connector looks like

We should see NVIDIA's next-gen Ada Lovelace-powered GeForce RTX 40 series Founders Edition graphics cards debuting with the powerful new PCIe 5.0 power connector, where I'm sure the flagship GeForce RTX 4090 would use that huge 600W. The new GeForce RTX 4080 will probably consume up to 300W, while the RTX 4080 Ti could slot in at 450W.

I'm sure we'll see NVIDIA use the new PCIe 5.0 power connector on its GeForce RTX 40 series Founders Edition GPUs exclusively, with AIB partners and custom RTX 40 series GPUs using multiple 8-pin PCIe power connectors.