Gigabyte has announced its new Gaming PSU series, boasting high efficiency, quiet operation, and improved hardware protection. All models feature thermal protection technology on the 12V-2×6 cable, meant to safeguard graphics cards against cable melting or burning.
Named T-Guard, this feature uses active thermal monitoring to address the safety concerns surrounding the use of the 12V-2×6 cable on high-wattage graphics cards. The 12V-2×6 design has been linked to multiple melting and burning incidents, which resulted in significant damage to both graphics cards and PSUs. While improper user installation played a role in some of these incidents, a big chunk of reports indicated that the wire gauge and connector size are simply too small to be able to sustain up to 600W while remaining totally safe.
As a result, since the first reports of melting cables, many brands have come up with solutions, from add-on adapters that split the power evenly on each wire to cooling fans and warning buzzers. Gigabyte takes things up a notch with T-Guard, reducing power when overheating is detected without crashing the system.
T-Guard cables feature a built-in sensor that constantly monitors temperatures in real-time, the company says. If the temperature exceeds a set threshold or abnormal loads are detected, T-Guard reduces the power fed to the GPU to prevent damage to the cable, graphics card, or PSU. Since the power isn’t completely cut to the system, your open apps and unsaved files don’t get lost, giving you the possibility to safely shut down the machine.
This is especially handy on PCs with integrated graphics, where you could connect the video cable to the motherboard’s HDMI port to regain visual control over the system and save any ongoing work. Even if this isn’t an option, pressing the case power button or ‘Win+D –> Alt+F4 –> Enter’ should safely shut down the system, minus any unsaved work. Also, note that no software is required, making it a set-and-forget solution.
On top of this, each 12V-2×6 connector comes with colour-coded pins, which allow you to see whenever the cable isn’t properly seated, adding an extra layer of safety. This is one of the main causes that results in melted cables, as improper connection forces more power through a few wires, overloading them and creating excessive heat.
The PSUs aren’t bad, either, offering 750W, 850W, and 1,000W capacity options in either black or white colours. More importantly, all have earned Cybenetics ETA Platinum and LAMBDA A+ certifications, indicating high energy efficiency and low noise levels – below 20dBA on average. Inside, you will find 100% Japanese capacitors, cooled by a 135mm FDB fan capable of stopping automatically under low loads for a near-silent experience. And all of this is complemented by a generous 10-year warranty.
