ASUS seems to have solved the problem with melting power connectors on NVIDIA graphics cards. Its new metal GC-HPWR connector in BTF 2.5 format on the GeForce RTX 5090 BTF Edition can handle up to 1900W of power without overheating.
The connector showed outstanding results in stress tests. At a typical load of 670 W, its temperature did not exceed 35 °C, and at extreme 1300-1900 W, it did not rise above 41 °C. For comparison, conventional 16-pin plastic connectors heat up to 70 °C under the same load, which can reduce stability and often ends in melting.
ASUS has also made the GC-HPWR adapter removable, allowing users to easily switch between the proprietary metal connector and the standard 12VHPWR with a special tool. This simplifies compatibility with existing motherboards, even if they do not support the BTF format. This development will also be especially useful for enthusiasts and professionals working with resource-intensive tasks, including AI and 3D graphics.