MSI motherboard has extra power connector for RTX 50

With the launch of Ryzen 9000 processors and the arrival of the next Intel Core Ultra 200, motherboard manufacturers are starting to reveal their new products. During Gamescom 2024, the Cowcotland website received information that MSI’s new motherboards will have extra power connectors for the future GeForce RTX 50.

During talks with brand representatives at the MSI booth, employees confirmed that the recently launched MPG X870E Carbon WiFi has an additional eight-pin connector next to the PCIe connector. According to the company, this connector, located on the bottom of the card, allows for up to 150W of additional power to be supplied to the GPU.

The traditional PCIe connection that video cards are plugged into can only deliver a maximum of 75W, meaning that entry-level GPUs do not use other power connections. With this connector on the motherboard, the system will be able to deliver up to 225W of power directly to the video card, presumably without a power cable connected as is normally the case.

The plate only comes in September

In a conversation with MSI, representatives of the brand confirmed to the website that this connection is intended for Nvidia’s next RTX 5000 model. It is still difficult to define what the ultimate use of this function will be, since it could replace the rear connectors on GPUs or simply serve as additional power for the graphics chips.

MPG X870E CARBON WIFI has arrived @Gamescom! Our first AMD X870 motherboard features 5G LAN with WIFI 7, Lightning Gen 5, USB4, and EZ DIY for seamless upgrades. Ready to unlock next-gen performance! #MSIxGAMESCOM2024 pic.twitter.com/Maev8X2RWi

— MSI Gaming (@msigaming) August 22, 2024

Theoretically, the 225 W provided by PCIe and the connector could power video cards such as the RTX 4070 and 4070 SUPER, which operate with a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of up to 220 W. However, such complex use of PCIe can lead to overheating if the connector is of poor quality.

MSI’s new X870 motherboards are expected to launch on September 30. The GeForce RTX 50, on the other hand, is only expected to be available from the first quarter of 2025.