SilverStone’s HELO 2050 Platinum PSU showcases the future of GPUs

12-pin GPU connectors are appearing on high wattage PSUs, showcasing the future of gaming power  

 
SilverStone has just launched their new HELA 2050 power supply, a Cybenetics Platinum rated 2050W unit that supports the Intel ATX12V 2.52 specifications, offers users 100% modular cables and features the industry’s new 12-pin GPU power connector. 

Unlike many high wattage power supplies, SilverStone has managed to make their HELA 2050 power supply 180mm deep, which is significantly shorter than many competing 1500W+ PSUs, many of which are 200mm or longer in length. 

When this PSU delivers 820W of power or less, it HELA 2050 will operate in a passive/fanless mode, keeping noise levels low under most standard use cases.  

GPU Power – A Peek at Things to Come

SilverStone’s HELA 2050 will be one of the first PSUs on the market to ship with a 12-pin GPU power connector, a connector that is reportedly rated to handle 600 watts of power draw. That’s four times as much power as a standard 6+2-pin PCIe power connector. 

When installed on the HELA 2050, this 12-pin power connector will be plugged into two of the HELA’s PCIe/CPU power connector points. These connector points can be used to power two PCIe 6+2 pin power connectors, which can deliver up to 150 watts of power each. This lines up perfectly with the expectation of 12-pin GPU power connectors to handle up to 600 watts of power. 

SilverStone is not the first PSU manufacturer to reveal a new power supply that supports a 12-pin GPU power connector. Still, their inclusion of the new power standard is a sign that the power cable will receive more widespread use with AMD/Nvidia’s next-generation GPU designs. Expect GPU power draws to increase with AMD’s RX 7000 series and Nvidia’s RTX 40 series products. 

  
SilverStone’s HELA 2050 Platinum PSU is expected to become available in December with an expected US price of $599. The unit supports one 24-pin ATX connector, two 4+4 pin EPS connectors, one 12-pin GPU connector, up to eighteen 6+2-pin PCIe connectors, twelve SATA power connectors, three 4-pin molex connectors, and a 4-pin floppy connector. 

You can join the discussion on SilverStone’s HELA 2050 Platinum PSU on the OC3D Forums.