Ampinel Offers Load Balancing That Nvidia Forgot to Include
Credit: Aqua Conputer
Many of the best graphics cards on the market use a 16-pin power connector (12VHPWR). However, due to several unfortunate incidents involving this connector melting, manufacturers have begun producing devices to prevent such failures. Aqua Computer, a German company specializing in liquid cooling, recently introduced its solution – Ampinel.
Incidents involving melting of the 12+4-pin connector have been occurring since the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series. The leading theory is that Nvidia removed the load balancing circuitry found on the GeForce RTX 3000 series, which prevented the connectors from melting. Some believe the company did this to reduce production costs. Most existing solutions simply monitor current or temperature within specified limits. Ampinel, however, is an active component and includes a six-channel balancer to evenly distribute the load across all the wires in the power cable. Upon detecting a current exceeding 7.5 A, Ampinel redistributes the load, thereby preventing overheating and connector melting.
The Ampinel housing features a compact OLED display with a resolution of 128 x 64 pixels, which displays the current for each of the six 12V lines. When the nominal current on one line is exceeded, the device emits a loud sound—approximately 85 dB, which is comparable to the noise of a city, a lawn mower, or a truck passing 5-10 meters away.
Pre-orders for the Ampinel will open soon, but a specific release date has not been announced. The expected price is €79.90 (approximately $93.58) excluding shipping and taxes, with shipments expected to begin in mid-November 2025. Aqua Computer is also considering releasing a white version of the device in the future.
