MSI's new power supplies have a buzzer that warns you if your graphics card is about to melt, which seems like a solution to a problem that really shouldn't exist
Hey, remember Meltgate, in which 12VHPWR (and latterly, 12V-2x6) GPU power connectors were blamed for melting graphics cards in a horrifying fashion? MSI remembers, and as a result, two of its newest PSUs have been equipped with an upgraded version of its GPU Safeguard tech to keep an eye on the current levels being delivered to your card.
MSI says that not only will a software pop-up alert you to any power-related issues, but a hardware buzzer will merrily scream "your very expensive hardware is about to be ruined" if it detects anything going pear-shaped with the pins. Okay, it probably just buzzes.
GPU Safeguard+ is supported by MSI's MPG Ai 1600TS PCIE5 and MPG Ai1300TS PCIE5 power supplies, and works by interfacing between your graphics card and MSI Afterburner to form an "intelligent bridge" with your PSU.
If any abnormalities in the power delivery are detected, MSI says the system will instantly throttle consumption and provide the aforementioned warnings. It's also GPU agnostic, which means it should work on all graphics cards that make use of a 12V-2x6 connector, MSI or otherwise.
Given that both of the supported PSUs are very high wattage, this strikes me as an excellent idea. They're the sort of power supplies you'd buy if you were building a machine with an RTX 5090, and that card can pull some serious juice.
Not to mention the price. Any graphics card melting is a tragedy, but a $4,000+ model? It doesn't bear thinking about.
That being said, the melty-power-connector fiasco seems to have been primarily caused by improper installation, so it's a concern no matter what kind of GPU you're using with the modern 16-pin connector designs. No matter the power supply, it's always worth checking the graphics card connection is properly seated several times before first boot.
Here's hoping the tech trickles down into lower-specced PSUs, as I think it's a good shout for anyone who wants total peace of mind from their machine. MSI has missed the opportunity to give it a hilarious "Awooga" sound effect, though. Perhaps a Star Trek-style red alert? I'm just spitballing here. Call me.