The 12V-2x6/12VHPWR power connector is already one of the most unreliable connector designs ever made for PCIe cards, even in optimal conditions. There's no telling what the connector might do if it's tampered with, but that is exactly what Cooler Master customer service recommended to one of its customers, Igor's Lab reports.
The customer, who owned an Asus RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, went to Cooler Master's support team to complain about their MWE Gold V2 1250-watt power supply's integrated right-angled 12V-2x6 power cable not working with their graphics card's power connector. The connector was allegedly offset inside the graphics card, preventing the cable from plugging in correctly.
Despite the customer requesting a different cable design to be shipped to them, Cooler Master customer support recommended the customer do the unthinkable, and jerry rig their existing 12V-2x6 power cable to make it work. Customer service recommended that they disconnect to remove two clips on either side of the power connector to free it from its external housing, so it would fit inside the GPU's own power connector. The external cover is what makes the cable right-angled, so removing it essentially turns the cable into a standard straight power cable.
Luckily, the customer was smart enough not to dismantle their existing power connector and instead bought a third-party cable from Cablemod, solving the connectivity issue and inevitably freeing the customer's RTX 5070 Ti from a fiery death.
Ironically, Igor's Lab reports that the modification Cooler Master's customer service recommended would not have solved the problem anyway. The problem is that removing the two clips holding the external housing of the cable together does not reduce the physical connector's flatness, which is the actual problem. Even with the "removable" cover removed, the internal housing juts outward and interferes with the GPU cooler. Igor's Lab tested the cable on an MSI RTX 5090 Suprim and had the same compatibility issue.
This wouldn't be a problem if Cooler Master's quality control department had caught sight of the error when it was initially designed. Igor's Lab points out that Cooler Master's cables' internal housing is not long enough to allow the connector to be fully recessed into the GPU power connector. Igor's Lab compared Nvidia's reference 12V-2x6 power adapter with the cable and discovered the Cooler Master connector's housing is 3.2mm shorter than the Nvidia one. Nvidia's adapter is built explicitly for the CEM 5.1 standard, so it can be used as a solid reference point.
Removing the right-angle cover from the original Cooler Master cable might not sound like a bad idea; however, these 12V-2x6 connectors are so delicate that bending the wires straight can wreak havoc with the internal integrity of the pins themselves. If you've read any of our previous coverage on the 12V-2x6 or 12VHPWR power connector, you'll know that subtle movements of the pins inside can increase electrical resistance, which can increase the chance of a fire or meltdown.
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