A recent rumor has suggested that Nvidia's top-tier GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card could potentially consume as much as 600 Watts. While this figure remains speculative and not officially confirmed, looking at the Ada Lovelace architecture, it's evident that a xx90 class GPU could easily reach that power draw under maximum load. Fortunately, with the introduction of Blackwell-based models, users won't have to contend with the unreliable 12VHPWR power connectors that came with the Ampere series.
New Power Standard
Corsair has introduced a new power standard called "12V-2x6" for the upcoming graphics cards. At a first glance, it may seem just like the existing 12VHPWR slot. However, while it shares similar functionality, it will necessitate a compatible power supply unit (PSU) and the appropriate cables. According to an earlier leak, the 12V-2x6 slots are capable of delivering up to 675 Watts of power, which should provide ample capacity for future GPUs to run at their peak wattage.
Market Landscape
At this moment, the new 12V-2x6 connector will only appear in a few high-end models from Nvidia. Currently, AMD and Intel do not have any direct competition for the GeForce RTX 5090 or even the RTX 5080 in this generation. This situation could shift with AMD's RDNA 5 architecture, as they aim to make a significant return to the high-performance GPU market. Meanwhile, Intel's success will heavily rely on how well the Battlemage series is received by consumers.
