Seasonic Advisory Guide: Safe Usage of 12VHPWR and 12V-2×6 Cables Including Recommendations and Video Instructions

The 12VHPWR cable fiasco continues – CableMod recently recalled its entire line of angled extender products due to potential damage to the graphics card and harm to the user. Connection cable updated to the latest standard 12 V-2×6 (CEM5.1), but despite this, some precautions are still required to prevent “potential” damage.

In the advisory guide, Seasonic has published a statement explaining to users how to use and install 12VHPWR and 12V-2×6 cables. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the latest card to use the new socket interface, while the RTX 4070, RTX 4060 Ti, and RTX 4060 come in both 8-pin and 12VHPWR. These cards have been updated to the new 12V-2×6 cable interface, which eliminates most of the issues encountered in early 12VHPWR designs, especially on many RTX 4090 GPUs, since they used the earliest specifications of the standard.

Almost all the fire and melting issues so far have been associated with the RTX 4090 as it has the highest power rating among the RTX 40 family. These cards are massive and in most cases do not have the ideal space to support such designs, resulting in overcrowding. Unlike the old 8-pin connectors, the new 12VHPWR/12V-2×6 cables must also have a 35mm clearance before any bending is made when routing the cable. This means that the side panels will interfere with the connector in most cases.

In its recommendations, Seasonic suggests using the same 35mm gap, and that any bend exceeding 35mm should be done using a gentle heat source, such as a hair dryer. The area to be bent must first be heated and then the user will bend it carefully before installation to ensure easy installation.

Recommendations for using the 12VHPWR/12V-2×6 cable:

• To avoid problems, all connectors must be INSERTED, LOCKED and INSTALLED correctly.
  NOT bend the cable in any direction after connecting it.
• NOT bend and do not force the cable too close to the connector.

Sometimes it may be necessary to bend the cables to fit them into the housing. If such a need arises, this must be done by following the recommendations below:

• Disconnect the 12VHPWR/12V-2×6 cable from the power supply and video card.
• Use a gentle heat source carefully (for example, a fan) to thoroughly heat the section of cable where you want to bend it.
• Carefully insert the connectors into the power supply and video card.
• Make sure the connectors are seated correctly and that the latch on the connectors clicks into place.
• It is very important that once the connectors are installed correctly, do not bend the cables or apply unnecessary force to the connectors, either from the power supply or from the GPU.

Video instructions for using a hair dryer to bend a 12VHPWR cable can be seen at TecLab.

Problems with 12VHPWR cables will continue to arise as many gamers have purchased a GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. Some people have seen their connectors melt months and even a full year after launch, so there’s no telling when your connectors might become loose and cause damage to your graphics card . It is recommended to check them from time to time to ensure they are connected correctly.