It seems that MSI is planning to bundle yellow-tipped 16-pin power adapters with its upcoming Nvidia GeForceRTX 50-series graphics cards, including the RTX 5070 Ti,RTX 5080, andRTX 5090. This move aims to address issues related to power delivery and overheating, which plagued some users of previous-generation adapters. According to a report fromVideoCardz,these adapters are designed to provide a visual guide, ensuring users fully insert the connectors into the GPU for safe operation.
MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G GAMING TRIO OC
MSI GeForce RTX 5090 32G GAMING TRIO OC
The yellow-tipped design works as a precautionary measure: if the yellow section is still visible after insertion, the connector has not been seated properly. This simple yet effective tweak helps prevent theoverheating and rare cases of meltingobserved with improperly connected adapters on the RTX 40-series GPUs. Such incidents underscored the need for better safety mechanisms, and MSI’s redesigned adapters are expected to enhance user confidence.
This isn’t MSI’s first attempt to tackle connector issues. In 2023, the companylaunched its MAG GLseries power supplies featuring similar yellow connectors on their 16-pin cables. At that time, MSI highlighted frequent user complaints about burnt power supply connectors when paired with high-end GPUs like the RTX 4090. MSI identified improperly connected cables as a primary cause and introduced the yellow-tipped design to help users avoid such problems. The company plans to expand this feature across its range of power supplies with native 16-pin cables, ensuring broader compatibility and safety.
The RTX 50-series GPUs, part of Nvidia’s next-generation line-up, will reportedly continue to use the PCIe Gen 5 16-pin connector, also known as the 12VHPWR connector. While this connector supports high power levels, it has faced criticism for its durability and installation challenges. By bundling redesigned adapters, MSI aims to mitigate these concerns while ensuring compatibility with existing power supplies.
Similarly, Zotac introduced its own precautionary"Safety Light" featurefor its upcoming Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs atCESthis year to prevent issues with 16-pin power connectors The mechanism uses a built-in LED indicator on the GPU to alert users if the connector is not fully inserted, and the GPU will not power on until the cable is securely seated.
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Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
