Nvidia’s upcoming line of graphics cards, codenamed Ampere, will indeed use a 12-pin power connector over the standard 8-pin, the company reveals in a new video.
The new 12-pin connector is more compact, saving on space, and allows for more cooling inside the next-generation graphics cards. “We designed a new connector that’s smaller than the PCIe express connector, but actually ends up carrying more power,” Gabriele Gorla, Nvidia’s director of system engineering, says in the clip.
The video confirms earlier leaks. As you can see, the new connector does appear to condense the size by almost half. But perhaps most importantly, it will work with existing PC desktop power supplies via a provided adapter.
Old 8-pin connector.
New 12-pin connector. (Credit: Nvidia)
The added power also promises to boost the graphics performance of the new GPUs, which are expected to be announced during a Sept. 1 company event. Today's video is intended to hype up that event and goes over the company’s thought process regarding upgrades to its GeForce desktop graphic cards for gaming.
“When we come up with a new architecture we have lofty dreams for performance, but one of things we would like to do is to generate more performance by getting more power into the GPU,” Andrew Bell, Nvidia’s VP of product design, says in the clip.
To do that without bulking up, Nvidia focused on increasing density inside the GPUs by adding more layers to the printed circuit board and reorganizing the layout. To offset the additional electricity and ensuing heat, the company changed the cooling system on the new cards. This involved using computer programs to simulate and then optimize the airflow into cards.
The resulting card will apparently use one fan on the GPU to suck in air, and send it out to the back of the PC. Meanwhile, a second fan will take in air, and send it up directly where the CPU fan would be placed inside the desktop.
(Credit: Nvidia)
“In order to achieve this perfect airflow, we have to remove the constraints that we had before,” says David Haley, thermal architect at Nvidia. “We have to change the PCB (the printed circuit board), we have to move the fans, we need to change the software stack that’s controlling the fans.”
The company released the videos as actual pictures and some specs for the so-called Nvidia RTX 3080 and 3090 cards have leaked. We're hoping for a massive performance increase, though the initial batch of new cards may be obscenely expensive. Rumors suggest the RTX 3090 will end up costing $1,399.
Further Reading
- Intel to Launch 'Xe HPG' PC Gaming Graphics Cards in 2021, Using Outside Foundry
- New Graphics Cards? Nvidia Teases A Big Announcement for Sept. 1
- Initial Specs Leak for Nvidia RTX 3080/3090 Founders Edition Graphics Cards
- Report: Leaked Images of Nvidia's RTX 3080 Graphics Card Appear Online
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