ASRock powers their Radeon RX 9070 XT with 12V-2×6

ASRock’s RX 9070 XT Taichi is the first RDNA 4 GPU to use 12V-2×6

ASRock is showing off its Radeon RX 9070-series graphics cards at CES, and TechPowerUp has been able to get a closer look at its upcoming RDNA 4 lineup.

In this article, we will be drawing attention to the ASRock RX 9070 XT TAICHI, as it is the first, perhaps only, Radeon RDNA 4 graphics card that will use this connector. So far, all of the high-end RX 9070 XT models we have found use three 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The more mainstream models only use two 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

(Images from TechPowerUp)

Unlike Nvidia, AMD doesn’t appear to push its GPU partners to adopt the 12V-2×6 power standard. Because of this, most newly revealed RX 9070-series graphics cards appear to be using 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Why? The simple answer is that not all PC gamers own power supplies that feature 12V-2×6 power connectors.

Another reason AMD’s GPU partners aren’t adopting 12V-2×6 is because the standard is unpopular. 12V-2×6 is a refined version of the 12VHPWR standard, which has a bad reputation. Just Google 12VHPWR and you will find reports of melted power connectors and damaged graphics cards fairly quickly. For that reason, many PC builders will actively avoid this power connector style whenever possible.

So why has ASRock used 12V-2×6 on their Radeon RX 9070 XT? One reason could be that it differentiates ASRock’s TAICHI GPU from other brands. Another thing to note is that cable management is a lot easier when you only need one cable to power your GPU. If the alternative was three 8-pin power connectors, it’s easy to see why ASRock may have chosen this path.

You can join the discussion on ASRock’s RX 9070 XT TAICHI using 12V-2×6 power on the OC3D Forums.