(Credit: Asus)
Asus has introduced a new 12v-2x6 power cable for its ROG PSUs, and it's offering it at a discounted rate to existing ROG power supply unit owners, VideoCardz reports.
With improved power delivery balancing across the internal wires, lower operating temperatures, and improved standard support, the new cables could be the best and safest way to run high-end modern graphics cards.
When Nvidia's RTX 40 and 50-series GPUs launched, they faced reports of burned-out cables, damaged PSUs, and faulty graphics cards due to unbalanced power loads on the 12-pin power cable, which led to wires overheating, melting, or even catching fire. Although many solutions have been tried, from color-coded cables to those fitted with heatsinks, Asus' Equalizer solution completely redesigns the cable.
The new Equalizer 12v-2x6 cables use an Asus-patented design to maintain temperatures significantly below the 105-degree material limit and to increase the cable's rated current capacity from 9.2A to 17A. The cables are also made with individual wire braiding and a cable comb with the ROG logo. These can be adjusted along the length of the cable for cable management or removed entirely. The Equalizer also comes with a three-year warranty.
During an internal test, Asus disabled four internal wires to trigger a severe load imbalance. On a standard 12v-2x6 cable, a single wire received 25A and reached an operating temperature of 146 degrees. The ROG Equalizer cable in the same scenario maintained just over 8A on each wire, with a maximum temperature of just 73.4 degrees.
The new cable is ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant, and it features a dual-color system to make it easier to confirm whether the cable is fully inserted (if you can see the purple, it's not). The gold-plated pins also increase surface area contact with the graphics card pins, reducing contact resistance and improving durability over repeat insertions. Asus also promises future support in its GPU Tweak III application, where Power Detector+ will be able to monitor the status of the Equalizer cable at all times.
This cable will be included free for all 2026 purchases of ASUS ROG Thor III and ROG Strix Platinum Power supplies. If you already own one of these units, you will be able to apply for a discounted upgrade for the new cable at some point in May.
Considering this cable is compatible with most power supplies from other manufacturers too, it might be worth picking one up even without the discount if you're running a high-end RTX 50 graphics card, especially following recent price rises.