Asus has given the special stealth power connector on its RTX 5090 BTF edition graphics cards a little upgrade. To show just how capable it is, Asus China's general manager, Tony Yu, released a video showcasing his team pushing over 1,900W through the connector. While it got warm, it didn't melt or crash the system despite pulling over three times what an RTX 5090 would typically demand.
Since the release of Nvidia's RTX 4090 with its new 16-pin power connector designed for higher power draw than the traditional 8-pin PCI Express power cables, it's been struggling with some issues . These ranged from crashing GPUs to melted cables and even small in-PC fires, prompting a swift redesign that lasted through the launch of the RTX 50 series. But a number of those cards have had issues too, prompting a search for alternatives . Asus' solution is a unique one, but one that could hold a lot of potential for future GPU designs.
Asus' BTF cards use a stealthed "GC-HPWR" power connector that is designed to plug directly into the motherboard at the end of the PCIe slot. The latest version lets users choose to use it, or a standard Nvidia 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector, but even when using the Asus option, the 12V-2x6 has to plug into the rear of the motherboard to distribute power to the GPU. While these cables have encountered problems at general-use power draw around the 600W mark, this test was able to go way beyond that.
In another test, Yu had the GPU pull 1400W through the 16pin, and 1200W through the GC-HPWR.Credit: Asus
Yu said that his company designed its unique GC-HPWR to handle up to 1,000W, but he pushed 670W through it initially as a preliminary test, and the connector didn't break 35 degrees. Pushing it up a notch to 1,300 only saw it reach 38 degrees, as per Toms , while at a ridiculous 1,900W, it still didn't go over 41 degrees. The related power cables reached over 70 degrees at one point, but this is close to four times what they're supposed to handle, showing that there should be plenty of capacity for these sorts of cards without the risk of fire damage.
While this test shows that it should be possible for the Nvidia power connector to draw plenty of power for the RTX 5090 and then some more besides, it's not the only solution. Although Asus' BTF cards require a unique motherboard to take advantage of this unique way of delivering power to the GPU, it holds a lot of promise as a sleeker, more capable alternative that seems far less likely to burst into flames.
