Sapphire adopts ASUS’ GC-HPWR connector with new “Phantomlink” motherboards and GPUs

Sapphire adopts ASUS’ custom BTF power connector with new “Phantomlink” series products

Sapphire has become the first company outside of ASUS to adopt the new GC-HPWR connector for “cable-free” GPU power. ASUS has used this connector with its BTF series GPUs and motherboards, and Sapphire is following suit with its new “PhantomLink” series products.

(Images from Computerbase)

Sapphire has integrated this new connector into a new variant of its Radeon RX 9070 XT Nitro+ graphics card. Additionally, Sapphire showcased its new Nitro+ X870EA WIFI PhantomLink motherboard. Strangely, this new motherboard has standard power and I/O connectors. When ASUS uses its GC-HPWR connector, it is exclusively on its hidden-cable BTF series motherboards. These motherboards place their power and IO connections on their rear.

(Images from Computerbase)

This leads us to one simple question for Sapphire? Do you want your cables to be hidden or not? Honestly, this is like wearing camo trousers with a high-visibility jacket…

With Sapphire’s adoption, ASUS’ GC-HPWR connector has made a big step towards widespread adoption. It may only be a matter of time before other GPU brands follow suit, potentially making ASUS’ 1000W GC-HPWR connector a new industry standard.

Sapphire has confirmed that these new GC-HPWR products will be released later this year.

You can join the discussion on Sapphire’s adoption of ASUS’ GC-HPWR (BTF) power connector on the OC3D Forums.