The infamous 12VHPWR/12V2x6 connector is back again and continues to haunt Nvidia's RTX 40xx series. This time, the connector problem is popping up in the 4080 Super model of Nvidia's RTX lineup.
The issue does not have anything to do with heating or poor-quality materials, as the 30xx Series cards used the same connectors but didn't cause any issues. Heating from the extra power required is not the culprit either. The root of the cause lies in the design of the improper pin coatings for the 16-pin connectors that seem to jut out too much and hamper the locking mechanism.
The improper connection would result in the connector slipping out and potentially causing a spark inside your PC or melting the components attached. However, the failure rate for these seems to be quite low, as reported earlier by Nvidia. Only 50 of 125,000 units melted when this controversy last occurred for the 4090 model of the RTX Series.
Nvidia also clarified that the majority of these cases were due to user error as they had not plugged the cards in properly. However, the issue of the missing locking mechanism has been documented and was recently reported at Igor's Lab.
User error aside, 50 out of 125,000 is a fairly safe statistic, but the fact that the connector cable is designed in a way where this is a recurring issue should definitely be alarming.
If you plan on upgrading to a 4080 Super for your build, then be sure to listen in for the proper clicking sound. If it's missing, it could be possible that your 12VHPWR/12V2x6 connector might be faulty!
Perhaps this was a one-off, but it's also possible that more faulty connectors have been shipped alongside the batch Igor's Lab received. While we can't comment on how widespread this issue might be right now, it's always better to stay on the safe side!