- Asus announced the ROG Equalizer 12V-2×6 power cable
- Cable aims to solve fusion issues with high-power GPUs like the RTX 5090
- It is compatible with all PCIe 5.0 power supplies from other manufacturers
It’s no secret that high-powered GPUs, including Nvidia’s RTX 5090, still suffer from connector fusion issues, even with upgraded cables with improved power connectors – but luckily, Asus has apparently introduced a solution.
As reported by TweakTown, Asus has announced the ROG Equalizer, a 12V-2×6 power cable for GPUs using up to 600W, designed to further protect them from melting issues.
Of course, as a general rule, RTX 5090s using 12VHPWR and 12V-2×6 cables don’t experience blending issues, but there have been enough cases to worry consumers. The two cables are actually identical, and the only major difference in the revamped 12V-2×6 design is that it has shorter sense pins and longer power pins, which helps ensure the cable is installed correctly. It’s a bad connection that theoretically causes the melting problem.
Article continues below
That’s why Asus opted for a 12V-2×6 power connector, but with a tweaked design that was specifically fine-tuned for greater load capacity in each wire, now at 17 amps (it’s typically 9.2 amps with regular 12V-2×6 cables). These are also “premium etched cables” that are flexible for easy cable management.
Combined with the GPU Tweak III software and its Power Detector+ feature, the ROG Equalizer should effectively prevent hardware from melting, or that’s the theory. In an extreme test case from Asus, the company observed that even if the connector was not properly inserted into the GPU, the ROG Equalizer would still maintain a temperature of 73.4°C.
Meanwhile, a standard 12V-2×6 cable would reach 146°C in the same scenario, which is a very high temperature that would likely cause the connector to melt.
This is a big claim from Asus, and if it can be replicated in further independent testing once the ROG Equalizer becomes available, it might just be the perfect tool to eliminate any merging issues with the RTX 5090 GPUs.
The ROG Equalizer is compatible with power supplies from “all major manufacturers,” which is a massive bonus for all PC owners equipped with ATX 3.1 (PCIe 5.0) power supplies. It will also come with the ROG Thor III and ROG Strix Platinum series power supplies, but there is currently no release date for these.
Despite the marketing talk here, Asus hasn’t done enough to convince some gamers, and some suggest it’s simply better to avoid graphics cards linked to connector issues.
These connector melting issues have been a problem for years, ever since the RTX 4090 launched in 2022. If the ROG Equalizer can finally put an end to all this, it should make high-powered GPUs like the RTX 5090 more accessible – well, aside from the obvious stumbling block of price, anyway.
The best graphics cards for every budget
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube And TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
