A recent leak from Igor’s Lab claims that the upcoming RTX 4070s will come in two variants: one with a 16-pin connector, and another with an 8-pin connector. If the thing may seem anecdotal, we must not forget that this decision by Nvidia comes a few months after the huge controversy around the 16-pin connectors of its RTX 4090s which melted in the chain.
Remember: last October, the launch of the RTX 4090, Nvidia’s new spearhead, was marred by a nasty overheating problem. In question, surely a soldering problem within the 16-pin adapter, on which the power supply is connected. Far from being isolated, this problem quickly spreads among users, causing at the same time a big controversy around the manufacturing quality of graphics cards.
A few months later, the problem seems to be solved. But, understandably enough, it looks like Nvidia is now looking to avoid sparking further controversy. Indeed, a particularly interesting detail was revealed in a recent leak from Igor’s Lab. For the upcoming release of the RTX 4070, Nvidia would no longer require its partner manufacturers to use a 16-pin connector.
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The RTX 4070 will also exist in an 8-pin version, a way to avoid overheating?
So, if the leaker’s predictions turn out to be correct, the RTX 4070 will come in two models. One will be equipped with the 12VHPWR 16-pin connector, which is imposed on manufacturers on the RX 40XX range and which is affected by the overheating problem. The other will have the same connector, but this time in 8-pin. In fact, both will not offer the same TDP: 225W for the first, 200W for the second.
As a reminder, the 8-pin connector is usually found on smaller graphics cards. It is therefore logical that Nvidia agrees to rehabilitate it on the RTX 4070, which necessarily promises to be less imposing than its premium range neighbors. It is not known, however, if the two models will be marketed with the same MSRP. Answer probably next April 13, when the graphics cards are launched.
Source : Igor’s Lab