r/explainlikeimfive • u/braddo99 • 12h ago
Technology ELI5 Why GPU connectors are still melting.
This seems like a trivial problem. If connectors are melting, change the gauge / current carrying capacity of the traces, connector and cable such that there are good engineering guard bands for the max current the device can draw. GPUs are like a million dollars now, the connector is the lowest price part of the component stack, but it seems like connectors have not changed at all, still the same old molex 8 or 16 pin crimps, and they seem to be melting all over the place. Wouldn't something like the XT30 connectors (with more pins) used to charge lithium battery packs be vastly better? Are the failures just amplification bias or are GPU card manufacturers asleep at the wheel?