{"id":277104,"date":"2026-04-27T19:21:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/?p=277104\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T19:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:21:47","slug":"asus-rog-equalizer-robust-124pin-connectors-that-dont-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/en\/asus-rog-equalizer-robust-124pin-connectors-that-dont-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Asus ROG Equalizer: Robust 12+4pin connectors that don\u2019t burn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Failures of the 12V\u20112×6 power cable<\/a> (formerly 12VHPWR) have become the scourge of recent GPU generations. Especially for Nvidia cards pushing this power standard, but also for a few Radeon models using these connectors. Various attempts to work around or mitigate the risks have popped up; this time, Asus is introducing the Equalizer special\u2011purpose cable for its power supplies, that aim to prevent connector melting in several ways.<\/p>\n

The ROG Equalizer cables are direct 12+4\u2011pin cables compliant with PCIe 5.1 and ATX 3.1 standards, designed for Asus power supplies (though they should work with others). In the future, they will be included with new batches of Asus ROG Thor III and Asus ROG Strix Platinum PSUs. Owners of older PSU versions will be able to purchase them as an upgrade, and they should receive a discount. This option is expected to be available starting in May, so if you\u2019re considering such an upgrade, wait a bit longer before buying.<\/p>\n

Update: <\/strong>According to Asus\u2019s announcement<\/a>, PSUs bundled with the ROG Equalizer cable will be more expensive than the original versions.<\/em><\/p>\n

These cables include thermal protection in the form of a sensor that monitors whether the connector or wires are overheating, which is indicated by two additional conductors that connect to the PSU via a separate plug (this function will naturally work only with appropriate Asus PSUs). The connection should transmit temperature data to the PSU, which can then cut power supply if overheating is detected (which typically signals a connector failure).<\/p>\n

\"Asus<\/a>
Asus ROG Equalizer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This protection should\u00a0automatically work on the hardware level, without requiring any monitoring or intervention from a software running on the PC. However, the temperature data should be readable from the PC, and this capability is expected to be added to the GPU Tweak III+ application.<\/p>\n

MSI recently introduced a similar ability of their PSUs to monitor 12V\u20112×6 cable health with the GPU SafeGuard+ solution, but that technology monitors not only temperature but also current distribution and over\u2011current manifesting on individual pins, which is a higher level of protection.<\/p>\n