@momomo_us on X (Twitter) has unveiled official documentation on a new customized HPCE power connection standard aimed at delivering supplementary GPU power through the motherboard. The documentation reveals all the key specifications of the new connector, including its ability to deliver more than 600W of power, which is even more power than what the new 12VHPWR connector provides.
I remember when PCI express was introduced and everyone was satisfied by how futuristic it was with 75w power limit. No one thought there’d be need for more power.
How about we make the GPUs more efficient instead of raising the limit?
since the current limit from the slot is 75w, I’d say there’s room for both…
If it’s just adapting an existing standard used in servers for use with graphics cards, this might actually have a chance of gaining a foothold. It would probably make people feel more comfortable with high power graphics cards too, considering the recent melting-cable fiasco.
HPCE slot melting fiasco incoming /s
Doesn’t it still need power cables to the motherboard though, so it would more be like just moving the cables to a different spot?
Oh for sure, but it’ll be easier to cable manage if it’s closer to the edge of the board like over by the 24-pin or something, which is probably the real W with this standard.
Yes, but at least they won’t be blocking your cooling. My ITX case is very cramped, I have to carefully move the cables so they don’t impede air flow
I with my colleague joked about galvanic plating power sources used at my job will be in our PCs.
They deliver about 10V 2000A of power.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
When utilized on a motherboard, the HPCE power connector resides in line with the primary PCIe x16 slot and sits behind the x16 slot where the motherboard chipset heatsink usually resides.
The official documentation recommends not to install a locking mechanism on the HPCE connector itself, since the x16 slot’s built-in locking mechanism is already adequate enough to hold the graphics card in place.
The documentation does not state an upper limit, but it stresses the necessity to deliver more than 600W of power to support future graphics cards.
600W is a lot of power, but current generation RTX 4090s are already capable of surpassing that mark with modified firmware.
RTX 4090’s designed for LN2 overclocking (like the HoF cards) are also capable of surpassing 600W, and as a result, come with dual 12VHPWR power connectors.
Instead, it is a modification of the High Power Card Edge (HPCE) standard that is used heavily in the server industry.
The original article contains 469 words, the summary contains 157 words. Saved 67%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I don’t think I want to pay the extra motherboard cost for 600w capacity when the highest GPU power I’ve ever used is only 225w.
