12V2x6 vs 12VHPWR

[slim01]

Hey all.

So, I don't like using adapters, but thinking looks like I might need two.
I just got an SFF GPU (MSI inspire 3x OC 5080). A used one unfortunately as despite OCUK having stock, they couldn't price match a competitor site 5080 for £950, due to it being a pre-order and I already waited 3 months on a 5070ti so caved in.

Anyway, it's going in an (albeit modded) small-ish HTPC case, where the the height of the gpu will hit my 14cm fans for SURE if I use the included 12pin to 3 x pin dongle monstrosity that comes with the card. A shame AIBs don't put the 12pin on an angle like eg the old 3080ti. The cablemod ones here on OCUK won't do either as the clip looks too rigid.

on a competitor site I got a

LINKUP - AVA 16pin PCIE 5.0 GPU Power Extension Cable (12VHPWR)​

Is it safe to use
1) The 12VHPWR extension from gpu to:
2) The included 12pin to 3 x 8 pin female.
Then attach the 3x8 pin from my psu?


I see so much confusing info online... People saying 12V2x6 is the new 12VHPWR, and you shouldn't mix a 12VHPWR cable with a 5000 series card. Yet when I shop, 9 times out of 10 a "12V2x6 cable" just has "12VHPWR" in brackets?

Some people are saying the new 12V2x6 format is just a change on the port, some say it isn't. The cables from Linkup certainly look different for the "V2" that state good for 5000 series.
Who here can set the record straight? Are the cables exactly the same, just the port is different? Is it safe to use a 12VHPWR extension cable on a 5000 series?

With all the gpus melting I'd rather know what I'm doing isn't dodgy.

Even Cablemod comment in posts online where people have said they have said to not use a 12VHPWR cable on 5000 series but then don't actually answer the OP's questions or say why, just that they stand by their product in case of failure, buy another new cable yada yada

 

[slim01]

heres a link to a pic of what I got:

cable hosted at ImgBB

Image cable hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

I can return if I got the wrong one easily. Will see what you guys think
P.s
I have an old Evga 850w P2 if people think I should get one with zero adapters that just has 3x plugs to go into the psu (it looks like thats possible as seen some asus/seasonic specific ones eg) but not sure how i feel about plugging 3rd party cables directly into my PSU?

 

[Rogueywon]

This has been debated at length here and the outcome of that debate left me pretty confused. But from what I can tell:

- The difference between 12vHPWR and 12v2x6 is in the ports, not the cables.
- 5000 series cards have 12v2x6 ports.
- Ideally, you should use an ATX 3.1 PSU, which also has a 12v2x6 port, as having 12vHPWR on the PSU side may be a risk factor.
- The cables are the same, but more recently-manufactured cables, made after the weaknesses in the spec were well known, may be made to a slightly higher standard. Or they may not.

 

[Tetras]

Some people are saying the new 12V2x6 format is just a change on the port, some say it isn't. The cables from Linkup certainly look different for the "V2" that state good for 5000 series.
Who here can set the record straight? Are the cables exactly the same, just the port is different? Is it safe to use a 12VHPWR extension cable on a 5000 series?

With all the gpus melting I'd rather know what I'm doing isn't dodgy.

Even Cablemod comment in posts online where people have said they have said to not use a 12VHPWR cable on 5000 series but then don't actually answer the OP's questions or say why, just that they stand by their product in case of failure, buy another new cable yada yada

The specification change is about the connector, not the cable, but several cable makers have said specifically do not use 12VHPWR cables on 5000 series cards.

The main reasons I've seen are:
- It wasn't tested/validated for those cards.
- They have made changes to the design/parts that are unrelated to the specification (see below).

Are there no changes in specifications between 12VHPWR and 12V-2X6?

Yes, 12VHPWR and 12V-2X6 are fully compatible, and there is no change in cable specifications. However, this does not imply that the cable cannot be improved or enhanced.

It is a misconception that a product cannot be enhanced, or a new product cannot be released unless there is a change in specifications. This is clearly not the case.

In the PC industry, every product is continually improving and evolving. New products are introduced regularly, offering better features, superior performance, enhanced durability, improved materials, and more attractive designs, regardless of specification changes.

Can I use the existing 12VHPWR cable with the new RTX50 GPU?

Upgrade to the Latest 12V-2X6 Cables for RTX50 Series GPUs

help.moddiy.com

Ultimately, I doubt any of the cable/PSU makers are going to say "oh, our cable was dodgy, but we fixed it", so you're unlikely to get a straight answer from anyone about what they changed and how safe/unsafe it is.

 

[tamzzy]

having 12vHPWR on the PSU side may be a risk factor.

No. The psu-side is exactly the same.
The cables are interchangeable.

 

[slim01]

Thanks all! Seems to be a good consensus here then that a 12vhpwr cable should work just fine in an rtx5080.


So what are you guys thoughts on using two adapters? I'm not upgrading my PSU... it was like £200+!

Maybe this one with 3x8 pins is better than the simple extension posted above? Would save me one adapter I guess.

cable2 hosted at ImgBB

Image cable2 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

FYI all - found a forum post where cable mod actually said you don't have to upgrade to the newer cable.

CableMod_Matt
•4mo ago
CableMod

Top 1% Commenter

Must have been a little confusion there. 12VHPWR is compatible with 50 series cards, we are just recommending to follow Nvidia's own recommendation and update to 12v-2x6, as this ensures a better overall connection. You don't need to though of course.


What I'm still confused about is what exactly separates in terms of standards etc, a 12v-2x6 cable from a

12VHPWR... if the difference of the spec is in the port itself i dont see how manufacturers can claim one is the newer spec or not if that new spec even exists.​

 

[no_1_dave]

Officially the cables are the same...

Unofficially they're not. After the burning issues with 12VHPWR the 12v2x6 tend to be made to a higher standard. But as the official spec has not changed companies can't really advertise it.
Some companies will say the spec hasn't changed and then recommend you not use 12VHPWR cables, but use the 12v2x6 instead... Why would the say that if they hadn't made them differently? lol