In context: Several hardware companies have offered solutions to the melting 16-pin connectors on some Ada Lovelace cards, especially the RTX 4090. Corsair is joining the party with its own take: a 180-degree bridge that eliminates strain and looks good while doing it.
Incidents of melting connectors in RTX 4090 cards started surfacing last October. While there weren't a huge number of cases, there were enough reports to put some people off buying Nvidia's $1,600 graphics card (if the price didn't already do the job).
It was eventually discovered that the problem was occurring due to the cable pressing and bending against the side of a case, close to the connector. It was also happening when the 16-pin connector wasn't fully inserted into the graphics card header.
We've seen a few companies offer solutions that address the problem of the melting connectors, but Corsair's 12VHPWR GPU power bridge is arguably one of the most stylish.
The 180-degree 12VHPWR adapter prevents power cables from pressing against the side of the case, removing stress from the components. Corsair says it can withstand temperatures of up to 105 degrees. There's also a warning that it is not compatible with Asus ROG STRIX and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 40-Series GPUs due to their rotated power connectors. There will likely be other custom cards that are also incompatible, but Corsair is reportedly working to revise the adaptor so it fits more products.
Tom's Hardware notes that a lot of information is missing from the product's page right now, including the fact that the bridge comes with both black and white snap-on covers, so those with a white build don't ruin their aesthetic.
Corsair's bridge still isn't available to buy, hence the missing information. Other 180-degree and 90-degree adaptors cost around $40 or less, so this one could be roughly the same price.
Earlier this year, MSI offered a surprisingly simple yet effective answer to the melting GPU problem by adding brightly colored connection tips. If users can no longer see any color once a cable is inserted, it means the connection is solid. Gigabyte, meanwhile, "cut out" a piece of the RTX 4090 (above) to hide the 16-pin connection and change the direction it faces, allowing plenty of space for cables. Thankfully, a new 12v specification could mean the end of melting power connectors.