Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 5090 may require two power connectors to handle its increased power consumption. Recent reports have sparked concern that Nvidia’s new flagship might consume significantly more power than the RTX 4000 series. A breakdown of MSI’s latest power supplies has fueled speculation that Nvidia’s new GPU might handle the extra load with two power connectors.
Nvidia, AMD, and Intel are expected to introduce new generations of graphics cards between late 2024 and early 2025, but recent rumors have singled out Nvidia’s upcoming lineup for increased power consumption. Its upcoming flagship – likely called the RTX 5090 – could draw significantly more power than its predecessor, the 4090.
If the reports prove accurate, splitting the higher wattage across two cables might prove safer, potentially helping Nvidia avoid the PSU issues plaguing the 4090. Since late 2022, RTX 4090 owners have complained that the GPU fries power connectors. Nvidia concluded its investigation by attributing the issue to user error, but repair shops have reported receiving hundreds of melted 4090s per month, indicating a fundamental design problem.
MSI’s new offerings boast impressive stats for customers shopping for a new high-end PC build. The company’s new high-wattage MEG Ai1600T PCIe 5.0 and MPG A1250 power supplies include two 16-pin 12V-2×6 power connectors, which could accommodate Nvidia’s next-generation GPUs. Users could theoretically use it to power two lower-end GPUs.