Will they be the newer standard only or have dual connectivity to support two technologies?
Seems on top of inflated GPU prices people might soon be forced to upgrade PSU's.
Also as well am I the only one that thinks this trend for PC gaming pushing to high power is concerning? A 1600W PSU O_o.
Although the current 6 and 8 pins are rated for 75W and 150W respectively, the 12pin connector is designed to deliver up to 648W and since the release of the 12pin on the 3000 series fe cards 2x8pin to 12pin cables have been pretty common.
It seems to me that there should be no reason to upgrade the PSU, only the cables to ensure the wire gauge is sufficient for the load and the connector is correct.
This assumes you have a PSU capable of delivering 600W ish on the 12V rail plus whatever other power draw you have in the PC without shutting down
if, and only if, you have a gpu that draws that much power.
Keep in mind the 12pin is
up to 648W, it doesn’t necessarily mean that every gpu using the connector will be drawing 600W+ or even close to it. It just reduces the need for large 8 pin connectors where one much smaller 12pin will do the same job. The 12pin will supply as little or as much as is needed, just as current 6 and 8 pins do.
edit to add, where I say 12pin, I am including the 12+4 16pin.