What Is the Difference between PinProtect, PinProtect+, and ThermalProtect?

PinProtect, PinProtect+, and ThermalProtect are three technologies made to give gamers peace of mind by monitoring activity on a GPU’s 12V-2x6 connection to help prevent damage caused by excessive current or high temperatures. Let’s take a close look at each technology.

This technology is Over Current Protection (OCP) that is built into the power supply to monitor current on the 12V-2x6 port on a per-pin basis. Six pins provide power to modern GPUs and PinProtect monitors the current on each pin in real time. If the current exceeds a threshold on any of the pins for a prolonged period, it limits the power to the GPU, causing the GPU to turn itself off to prevent any potential damage.

This technology accomplishes the same goal as regular PinProtect but offers advanced features and iCUE integration, hence the + in its name. Users will be able to monitor the current of individual 12V pins in real time with iCUE, customize current thresholds, and configure the delay that occurs from when abnormal current is detected to when the GPU powers down. PinProtect+ also uses slightly lower current thresholds and measures current in smaller increments for increased precision.

In terms of the specific variables that are adjustable in iCUE, by default the current limit is set to 9.5 amps, but it can be changed by the user in iCUE to a value from 7 amps to 10 amps. Additionally, when the current is over the preset threshold, PinProtect+ will start a countdown timer to allow a brief power excursion to occur, but if the current remains out of spec for a prolonged period PinProtect+ will activate to protect the GPU. This delay period can be customized by the user, with the default period being 30 seconds, but it's user-adjustable to any value from 10 to 180 seconds.

This is a new technology that is featured on a 12V-2x6 cable made by CORSAIR. ThermalProtect is Over Temperature Protection (OTP) for the 12V-2x6 cable. If the cable gets too hot, it can facilitate the GPU shutting off to prevent damage. The actual ThermalProtect technology is embedded in a cable comb that is on the cable itself, 30mm from the connection point, and it monitors the cable’s temperature at that location. If the temperature exceeds 65°C at any time, ThermalProtect activates to reduce power draw on the cable, which results in the GPU shutting itself off to prevent potential damage.

The ThermalProtect 12V-2x6 cable is available either as a stand-alone item that works with any power supply with a native 12V-2x6 connection or as a bundle in the near future with select 850W and 1000W RMe power supplies.

All three technologies protect a GPU by helping ensure the 12V-2x6 connection does not overheat or carry excessive current, so it’s not a case of one technology being better than the others. Instead, it depends on your individual setup and what you prefer.

For example, if you’re happy with your current system and aren’t planning on upgrading any time soon and your power supply has a native 12V-2x6 connection, you could get the new CORSAIR ThermalProtect PCIe 5.1 600W 12V-2x6 Cable as a simple and effective bolt-on upgrade that would give you instant peace of mind. You’d just disconnect your existing 12V-2x6 cable and plug in the new one, and you’d be up and running with ThermalProtect active right away.

On the other hand, if you are building a new PC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 or 50-series GPU (and select Radeon 9000 series) and need more power, you could opt for a new RMe Series power supply with ThermalProtect 12V-2x6 in 850W and 1000W. They already include a CORSAIR ThermalProtect PCIe 5.1 600W 12V-2x6 Cable which protects your graphics card right out of the box. The launch for these power supplies is planned for Q3.

Additionally, if you're interested in PinProtect+, that is launching with the new HX1000i SHIFT CRYSTAL, which is planned for later this year.

You could, sure, but either technology is sufficient for protecting your GPU. Using both would provide an additional layer of protection against excessive current and temperature. If you want some peace of mind while gaming the easiest upgrade you can make is getting a 12V-2x6 cable with ThermalProtect, and if you eventually also buy a power supply with PinProtect or PinProtect+ it won’t break anything to have them both running at the same time, but it’s not necessary.