A hardware manufacturer will soon release a device to protect your graphics card connectors from melting. This new small device will monitor, among other things, power and temperature values.
What kind of device is this? The new device is a graphics card connector adapter from Thermal Grizzly names WIREVIEV PRO II GPU. It is a 120 Euro monitoring tool that shuts down the entire PC if necessary, provided you use the included splitter cable.
The device can be useful for graphics cards with very high power consumption, such as Nvidia’s 80 and 90 series. They are known to repeatedly fail due to melting connectors. For example, a €2500 graphics card melts twice; the community suspects a problem that could affect you too
So anyone with a graphics card that is at risk of melting could benefit from the new adapter. The graphics cards from Intel do not melt yet:
Small device, expensive responsibility
Why can such a device be useful? Since Nvidia’s 40 series, there is the so-called 12VHPWR connector, which causes problems. The cable presents a potential danger. There is now a successor called 12V-2×6, which is backward compatible, but also reportedly problematic.
It consists of 12 individual pins that can each deliver up to 108 watts. Maximum, the entire connector delivers up to 600 watts. This means that with balanced performance, the current flowing and the heat development should distribute evenly across all pins.
After the connector was released, it became clear: Current does not always flow evenly, and individual pins or sections of the cable get too hot. Worse still, the already fragile cable easily slips out of the graphics card socket.
This situation can end with a melted cable. This is particularly annoying with high-end graphics cards like the Nvidia 40/5090, which place a heavier load on the power connection than graphics cards with lower power consumption. The loss is especially frustrating because the graphics card is not only broken but was also quite expensive. It is additionally frustrating because Nvidia could solve the problem at any time.
Various cable mods and tools aim to help
What does the device from Thermal Grizzly do in detail? Essentially, it is just a plug adapter for the graphics card connection to which you connect the 12VHPWR cable. Once plugged in, it continuously monitors parameters such as current (Amps), voltage (Volts), temperature, and power consumption (Watts).
Thermal Grizzly states that it sets its own threshold values, which will emit a warning sound and display an alert on the adapter’s screen when exceeded to prevent damage. Thresholds can be adjusted in the adapter’s configuration menu. How loud the warning sound is and whether it can even be heard with headphones is still unknown.
According to Thermal Grizzly, the mini adapter is cooled by a semi-passive fan, and the aluminum housing also helps dissipate heat. The device documents various data and error events and stores them for 360 days. The device is said to be compatible with nearly every 12-volt graphics card connector and is available in two orientations.
Who is the device for? 120 euros are a lot for a power adapter, but anyone who wants to be on the safe side should take a look at the gadget. The device may prevent a melting connection or a full apartment fire.
It is certainly annoying that you need a tool at all to avoid a potential fire hazard. So check your graphics card connector to make sure it fits properly and keep an eye on your power cables. Here you can see how a hobby PC builder takes the matter into his own hands and creates his own solution.
