Although it may seem that you can put and remove the PCIe connectors from the power supply as many times as you want, in reality they have a certain durability and therefore a certain useful life, so there is a maximum (average) number of times that you can connect and disconnect them from your graphics card. In this article we are going to tell you what types of PCIe connectors exist and what is their durability .
If you change a lot of graphics card, or if you tend to disassemble and mount it frequently, it may be the case that the PCI-Express connector of the power supply says enough and either its hook breaks or it stops fitting. You may notice that, with the uses, it can cost you a lot for it to fit into the connectors of the graphics card, and that is a sign that you are close to reaching its maximum number of uses. Let’s see why.
What types of PCIe connectors are there?
The body in charge of manufacturing and designing power supply connectors is MOLEX, and it will sound familiar to you because that’s what 4-pin power supply connectors are called, due to their manufacturer. Although there are different types of connectors, when we refer to the PCI-Express in PC, essentially two types are used, Micro-Fit 3.0 and Mini-Fit.
Micro-Fit 3.0 connectors
This type of connection system is available in multiple circuit sizes and cable lengths, but they have in common that they offer a diameter of 3 mm, withstand 8.5 amps of current intensity per pin, and all of them are cable-damper, that is, They have a terminal that is where the electricity goes.
Among its characteristics, the following stand out:
- They offer the option of having a clamping hitch or not.
- They withstand high temperatures (up to 260ºC).
- Fully polarized heads to avoid insertion in the wrong direction.
- Insulated terminals to avoid short circuits.
- Terminals made of TPA plastic for great flexibility in design.
- Available to enclose 30 and 18 AWG wire.
- Micro-Fit RMF variant for 22, 24, 26 and 30 AWG wire.
Mini-Fit connectors
These types of connectors are slightly larger than the Mini Fit, and are used in components that require a higher current intensity since they support up to 13 amps per pin .
Its features include:
- Terminals fully isolated from each other to avoid short circuits.
- Polarized geometry to avoid inserting the connector in the opposite direction.
- Self-aligning interface for easy connection.
- Made of TPA plastic that supports up to 260ºC.
How durable are the power supply connectors?
Now that you know the types of PCIe connectors that are used, you should know that the vast majority of power supplies on the market – if not all – use Micro Fit 3.0 connectors. Each type of connector has a mechanical durability (connections and disconnections) determined by the manufacturer, although it is a medium durability and of course it can be more and it can be less, especially if you are careful when connecting and disconnecting the cable.
On the one hand, Micro Fit 3.0 connectors have a mechanical durability of 30 cycles , that is, you can connect and disconnect them 30 times. The Micro-Fit RMF (reduced mating force) connectors are more used in PC and have a little conductive lubricant inside, which allows increasing the cycles to 250 , much more suitable to have a durability that we consider reasonable.
As for the Mini-Fit connectors, they have a mechanical durability of 100 cycles when we talk about standard connectors, but there are variants with tin-plated connectors with only 75 connection and disconnection cycles, while in industrial applications gold-plated connectors are used that increase the connection and disconnection cycles to 1,500 cycles.
So, you should keep in mind that the PCIe connectors of your power supply have a limited life by the times you connect and disconnect them. Normally, in Tier 4 or higher sources you will have Micro-Fit 3.0 RMF connectors with a durability of about 250 cycles, while in low quality power supplies you will find normal Micro-Fit 3.0 connectors, with only 30 connection cycles and disconnection.
