The TecLab team modified a GALAX HOF OC LAB GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card by replacing its standard 16-pin power connectors with three 8-pin connectors. The experiment aimed to test the reliability of older power standards against the newer 16-pin interface, which is prone to melting.
Although a single 8-pin connector is officially rated for 150 W, the modders successfully pushed the card to consume 900 W during testing. This setup utilized nine 12 V lines, with each line handling a current of 8 to 8.5 A. The card operated at a frequency of 3400 MHz while managing peak currents exceeding 60 A.
The modified hardware remained within safe electrical and thermal limits throughout the stress tests. Even when using a single cable at a current of 65 A, the cable temperature did not exceed 65 degrees Celsius. The results suggest that the 8-pin configuration remains a viable alternative for high-power GPUs.
