NVIDIA has begun selling the flagship RTX 3090 Ti after introducing this version at CES 2022. The RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition will have dimensions similar to the RTX 3090, occupying 3 slots, but it uses the new 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power connector.
Previously, NVIDIA equipped the Founders Edition versions of the GeForce RTX 30 series with the compact 12-pin MOLEX MicroFit 3.0 power connector. Its position on the front edge of the card caused many users to complain about difficult cable management and poor aesthetics. However, while the MicroFit connector was exclusive to NVIDIA’s FE versions, AIB partners like ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte still used standard 8-pin or 6-pin PCIe power connectors on their RTX 30 series versions. Nevertheless, with the GeForce RTX 40 series generation, the 16-pin PCIe 5.0 standard will be adopted by manufacturers due to increasing power demands.
The 16-pin PCIe 5.0 or 12VHPWR connector is a new standard replacing the 150 W 8-pin connector; a single port can now deliver up to 600 W of power, and the cable will feature 12 power wires + 4 signal wires. The role of these signal wires is to ensure a connection is established between the PSU and the graphics card, as well as to determine the card’s power requirements if they exceed 450 W. Otherwise, the power supply will only provide a maximum of 450 W through this port. The replacement of the 8-pin with the single-cable 16-pin PCIe 5.0 solves many issues, making PC building simpler and improving airflow.
The RTX 3090 Ti is the first graphics card to use the 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power connector. With current PSUs, the RTX 3090 Ti will require an adapter to draw power from two 8-pin cables to the PCIe 5.0 16-pin connector to achieve a maximum of 300 W.
The RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition has a similar size to the RTX 3090 Founders Edition, occupying 3 slots and featuring a push-n-pull cooling system with two fans facing opposite directions. According to initial reports, the performance of the RTX 3090 Ti is 5 to 10% higher than the RTX 3090 in 4K graphics. The advantage of the RTX 3090 Ti is the upgraded 21 Gbps GDDR6X memory.
Today, several AIB manufacturers will also launch custom RTX 3090 Ti versions. Previously, EVGA revealed the FTW3 version, Colorful has BattleAx Deluxe, Vulcan, and Neptune versions, and ASUS is expected to release the ROG Strix OC line. These custom versions all feature thick cooling systems, use the 16-pin PCIe 5.0 connector, and are very power-hungry. For example, the ROG Strix OC version will have a TDP of 480 to 516 W OC.
Source: Videocardz
