As you can see above, once we ran Furmark to apply 600W to the 5090, it did not take MSI Afterburner long to warn us of a fault. In addition to the pop-up warning, an audible alert sounded, and Afterburner automatically lowered the GPU power limit. MSI Center also detected a current imbalance, which also triggered a series of pop-up warnings, as did HWiNFO.
The alerts continued for three minutes before the PSU cut power to the GPU, causing the display to go black. At that point, we performed a forced shutdown of the system and properly reseated the cable. After powering the PC back on with the connector fully inserted, the system returned to normal operation.
Of the three software monitoring tools we tested, MSI Afterburner offers the most comprehensive monitoring and safety mechanisms. Not only does it issue a pop-up warning and an audible alert, but it also immediately limits the power to the GPU. It also allows you to conveniently monitor various metrics in real-time during gameplay.
The system worked well for us overall. The solution implemented by MSI is more comprehensive than simply having an improved cable that enlarges wire load capacity and reduces cable temperature. GPU Safeguard+ offers active protection that not only warns the user of an anomaly, but actually takes action to mitigate the risk of damage. Based on our testing, it works exactly as intended, but do be aware that we cannot simulate all possible failure scenarios or setups.
If we had one nitpick, it would be the three minutes between fault detection and the PSU finally cutting power to the GPU. In most scenarios, this is unlikely to cause any damage. Most users will also be close enough to their PC to hear the audible alerts and shut the PC down manually long before the protection kicks in. Still, we’d prefer a faster response for extra peace of mind. MSI says that the three-minute window is meant to allow users ample time to save their work before shutting down, but one to two minutes would also be plenty of time.
GPU Safeguard+ is an innovative protection feature that will hopefully become the standard on all high-end PSUs. Several other manufacturers have already announced similar technologies, and we hope to see every premium PSU adopt robust GPU protection in the near future. With the 12V-2×6 connector likely here to stay, features like this will be essential – especially for owners of power hungry GPUs.
Dan Mateescu is a PC enthusiast with many years of experience benchmarking PC hardware. In 2021, he started his own YouTube channel called 'Compusemble' where he benchmarks hardware in video games and the latest tech demos. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-23/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Dan Mateescu Social Links Navigation Contributor Dan Mateescu is a PC enthusiast with many years of experience benchmarking PC hardware. In 2021, he started his own YouTube channel called 'Compusemble' where he benchmarks hardware in video games and the latest tech demos.
Notton Does anyone remember the Asus Mars II, and how it's three 8-pin power connectors could handle a >700W load without melting, despite only being rated for 525W? Reply
setx Two 8-pin EPS connectors can handle 600W within spec (likely with wide safety margin). They are proven and widely used. Professional Nvidia cards also used to use them. No need to invent complex solutions for what can be solved by abolishing faulty standard asap. If you want something fancy and new – make 48V power line to cut current and energy loss on connectors. Reply
Li Ken-un once we ran Furmark to apply 600W to the 5090, it did not take MSI Afterburner long to warn us of a fault. In addition to the pop-up warning, an audible alert sounded, and Afterburner automatically lowered the GPU power limit. MSI Center also detected a current imbalance, which also triggered a series of pop-up warnings, as did HWiNFO. Now that there is a proof-of-concept demonstrated, perhaps there is a better place to implement this, say, right where the power is being guzzled like the GPU board . Reply
TechieTwo This is a complicated solution to a fifty-cent connector problem. A simple connector upgrade is the practical solution. The problem would never have existed in the first place if the original connector was appropriate. Reply
RTX 2080 This article states: With the launch of the RTX 40-series in 2022, high-end GPUs adopted the new 12VHPWR power connector. The 12VHPWR connector first appeared on consumer grade GPUs in 2020 with the launch of the RTX 30-series GPUs. Did the author miss this, or was AI used to write this portion? Reply
thestryker RTX 2080 said: The 12VHPWR connector first appeared on consumer grade GPUs in 2020 with the launch of the RTX 30-series GPUs. Did the author miss this, or was AI used to write this portion? The 30 series used nvidia's proprietary 12-pin connector which was a precursor for 12VHPWR. The power delivery on the 30 series was also designed for PCIe power connectors which means the 12V connections were paired rather than being all 6 connected together. Suggesting that the 30 series and 40/50 series use the same connector is wildly inaccurate in terms of what's relevant to the issues. Reply
t3t4 Yet another Band-Aid for a problem that should never exist! The actual permanent solution for this obvious problem is a mass recall and redesign of this pathetic connector. Only a "global settlement" can accomplish this task. Nvidia must be forced into spending some of those record profits to actually do the right thing. If my 4090 ever shows signs of melting, the 1st call I make is to my attorney. More then enough proof has been shown this is a bad product design and I have more then enough video proof showing my connector is fully seated. Good luck folks. Reply
usertests Just make a good connector that isn't crap and has a good safety margin. Make it expensive if you need to, since everything else can use old 6/8 pins, or 75W PCIe slot power. Reply
t3t4 usertests said: Just make a good connector that isn't crap and has a good safety margin. Make it expensive if you need to, since everything else can use old 6/8 pins, or 75W PCIe slot power. Linus Tech Tips solved the problem a while ago. These so-called engineers used multiple little baby wires and run them all right up to max capacity. Surly some dumb kid right out of college designed this connector. Any of use with actual experience can see the glaringly obvious problem. But I don't have a college degree, so what do I know.!? Here is the video I'm referencing by the way: WzwrLLg1RR4 View: https://youtu.be/WzwrLLg1RR4?si=P8ksQkeVThryh3yn Reply
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/testing-gpu-safeguard-on-the-msi-mpg-ai1600ts-psu-solution-aims-to-tame-melting-16-pin-connectors#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/subscription
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