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