An innovative solution from Seasonic OptiGuard™ provides outstanding protection for your GPU and CPU, ensuring reliable and high-performance operation. Find out more about how this innovation protects your GPU and how it stands out from standard protection features. 

What is OptiGuard™?

OptiGuard™ is a new feature under the OptiTech™ umbrella name from Seasonic, primarily designed to protect systems using high-power graphics cards. It’s a brand new technology geared toward making a Seasonic power supply a custom-tweaked, flawlessly working, super-efficient unit. 

Powerful GPUs can often create an unbalanced load, potentially causing a contact to overheat and in extreme cases, melt the cable or connector. Recognizing the increased need to protect equipment in the most effective way possible, Seasonic engineers developed a reliable solution to avoid any damage that could result from overload or overheating. 

The OptiGuard™ technology works in the following way:

1. Sensors on each of the 12V-2×6 connectors constantly monitor the flow of current and collect measurements.
2. A chip processes the collected data, and if it detects any anomalies (like overload or overheating), the protection function kicks in. 
3. When the protection is activated, the user gets a warning (visual or sound), and if the issue is not fixed, the system shuts down the power. 

Emergency shutdowns may affect tasks or risk data loss, but in many cases, they are still safer to deal with than potential hardware damage. For further optimization solutions, Seasonic is working on new ways of motherboard integration.

How does it work in power supplies?

OptiGuard™ technology is designed to protect today’s high-performance PCs that support advanced GPUs, including those with a 12V-2×6 or a 12VHPWR connector.

Its operation is based on the following steps.

1. OptiGuard™ built-in sensors monitor the current through each of the six pins of the connector. They measure the temperature on both sides of the connector. This is where any temperature changes or other tech disruptions can be detected and fixed at the onset of their negative effect.
2. The integrated chip analyzes the indicators and, if abnormal values are detected, the software displays a visual feedback or voice warning to the user. (Abnormal readings can be a warning about current overload or overheating.) 
3. If the user does not respond to correct the risky scenario and the indicators continue to rise dangerously, the PSU automatically shuts off the power. This procedure is necessary to avoid damage to the GPU, motherboard, or cables.

In a nutshell, OptiGuard™ technology is your intelligent defense system that detects potential risks for your power supply, GPU, and the entire PC altogether.  

Why do modern GPUs need electrical protection?

The need to provide electrical protection to GPUs is mostly connected to factors that directly influence highly performing GPUs. 

Many times, excessive loads can occur due to uneven current distribution. It is known that in high-end GPUs (such as RTX 4090/5090), 12V-2×6 cables transmit up to 600 W. This corresponds to 50 A, or about 8.3–9.5 A for each of the six power contacts. Any imbalance (poor contact, wear, or incorrect connection) could lead to overheating and melting of the plastic housing. Even small errors can significantly overload individual contact points and can cause damage. 

The next factor influencing high-performance GPUs is the minimum safety margin. Although the contacts themselves are rated at ~9.5 A, they operate at almost their limit under heavy load; therefore, any imbalance quickly leads to their overheating. 

The lack of current monitoring on the contacts is also an important reason to protect your graphics card. There is no partial sensor on the RTX 40 and 50 series GPUs to monitor and control the amount of current flowing through the contacts. Instead, two or three are distributed separately. This means that all the current can flow to only a few contacts and cause local overheating without the possibility of automatic protection.

Any PC system, no matter how well it’s built, can fail without proper protection, causing issues like overheated connectors or broken components. With Seasonic’s OptiGuard™ technology, you can avoid such accidents and keep your GPU safe so it can continue to work stably even under high system loads.

How does OptiGuard™ prevent power surges and overcurrent?

OptiGuard™ creates a closed protection cycle: diagnostics → warning → shutdown. This sequence helps to eliminate dangerous situations on time and prevent system crashes such as overheating, GPU damage, and connector melting. OptiGuard™ is especially important for systems with modern, powerful RTX 40/50 series graphics cards because it minimizes the risk of overheating-related component damage.

Here is how the whole GPU protection process looks in detail: 

1. Built-in sensors monitor the current through each of the six 12 V contacts. This system helps to detect uneven loads because sometimes contacts receive excessive current, which directly causes overheating. 
2. Sensors detect overheating or hot spots before they can cause damage to cables and connectors.
3. The system collects current and temperature values and compares them with the limit values. If the limits are exceeded, the system activates an alarm or performs a protective shutdown. 
4. When a hazard is detected, visual, audible, or software signals are sent to notify of the problem. This gives the PC owner time to respond before the indicators exceed dangerous limits by saving all necessary work processes and documents and shutting down the PC, troubleshooting, and eventually replacing cables or other PC parts.
5. If the overload situation is not eliminated, the power supply forcibly cuts off the power to protect the video card, cables, and the entire PC. Although during a sudden shutdown, there may be some data lost, by avoiding the damage to the (sometimes very costly) graphics card or other critical PC components, one can save some trouble and get back to safe operation soon.

What is OptiGuard™ different from standard GPU protection features?

OptiGuard™ is an advanced electrical protection technology used in power supplies for modern GPUs. 

Although most modern power supplies already include standard protections (OCP, OPP, SCP, etc.), Seasonic’s OptiGuard™ has a special place in protecting each and every connector point on the 12V-2×6 cable.

Standard protection features typically include basic voltage limits and short-circuit mechanisms. OptiGuard™, on the other hand, is very specific as it monitors the current at each connector contact, and temperature is measured at the two hottest points of the connector. OptiGuard™  allows it to detect faults much earlier than standard protection features, and it provides a more effective protective response that warns the user before shutdown occurs. This is especially important in systems with powerful GPUs (RTX 40/50 series) that can produce heavy loads on each contact.

OptiGuard™ ensures stable system operation, increases equipment durability, and reduces the risk of data loss.

Can OptiGuard™ help extend the life of your graphics card?

OptiGuard™ was specifically designed to protect and extend the life of your graphics card. Modern systems often fail due to overheating connectors or current imbalance. This is especially true for new GPUs with a 12VHPWR / 12V‑2×6 connector, which have to be able to handle sometimes more than 600 W of power. When things go wrong, hot spots occur, cables overheat, and connectors melt, which can lead to GPU and motherboard damage or even system failure.

OptiGuard™ proactively prevents such situations by monitoring the current separately on each of the six contacts and controlling the temperature on both sides of the connector and potentially shutting down the PC when anomalies are detected. This way, OptiGuard™ not only strengthens the protection of the video card but also helps to extend its lifespan. 

What happens if a power supply does not have OptiGuard™’s advanced protection?

If the power supply is not equipped with advanced protection technology such as OptiGuard™, there is an increased risk of PC malfunction.

Without active current and temperature monitoring at each 12V-2×6 connector pin, the system will not be able to detect anomalies. OptiGuard™ technology is capable of preventing overheating or uneven current distribution in time. Not using such advanced protection can lead to component damage, like melting connectors, damage to components, or even short circuits, which in turn can cause system failure or data loss. 

OptiGuard™ keeps your equipment safe, ensures more stable performance, and extends its overall lifespan.

Should you choose a power supply with OptiGuard™ for high-performance builds?

OptiGuard™ is a 100 % worthwhile investment, especially when talking about high-performance systems with powerful RTX 40/50 series GPUs.

OptiGuard™ technology, first shown at Computex 2025, was developed in response to frequent overheating issues with 12V-2×6 (12VHPWR) connectors.

As standard PSU protections (OCP, OVP, OPP, SCP, OTP) do not take into account the current imbalance inside the connectors themselves, the system was not able to detect local hot spots that could cause damage to the GPU or cables.

With the invention of OptiGuard™, the key benefits for high-end builds became clear:

1. Proactive connector protection, including current balancing and thermal control.
2. An earlier response to abnormal situations than standard protection algorithms.
3. Reduced risk of GPU damage, cable melting, and unstable PC operation.

If you are building a complex configuration with flagship GPUs, choosing a power supply with OptiGuard™ is a worthy investment. OptiGuard™ is an innovative technology that guarantees the stability, safety, and longevity of your PC. Choose a Seasonic PSU with OptiGuard™ smart protection to get uncompromised power delivery and peace of mind for your high-performance build.

What do experts and PC builders say about Seasonic’s OptiGuard™?

At Computex 2025, reputable sources, such as KitGuru and the FPS Review, named OptiGuard™ as Seasonic’s key innovation, which actively addresses the issue of overheating in regards to the 12V-2×6 (12VHPWR) connectors used with the newest GPUs. The OptiGuard™ technology instantly responds to overloads or high temperatures, protecting the system by shutting it down in an emergency. 

The rating publications Club386 and Overclocking also gave OptiGuard™ reviews. They describe this technology as a closed safety loop that detects anomalies (current imbalances, overheating) and can automatically shut down the PSU to prevent damage.

Experts and experienced users point to OptiGuard™ as an innovation that truly enhances the safety of modern PC systems with powerful GPUs. If you are planning a high-end build, Seasonic PSUs with OptiGuard™ technology are the best choice.

Conclusions

The OptiGuard™ technology is proof of how innovative solutions affect the performance of modern PCs by receiving feedback from users and finding great engineering solutions associated with the performance of the 12V-2×6 (12VHPWR) connectors with new GPUs.The OptiGuard™ technology has quickly proven its practical significance, and computer enthusiasts are already giving positive feedback on its effectiveness. 

When creating innovations, we always focus on solving critical user issues and improving our existing product lines. In the near future, the OptiGuard™ technology will be available in upcoming Seasonic power supplies. Choose the best technological solutions for your PC and get the most out of its performance. Your components deserve the reliable protection of OptiGuard™ and stable operation even under the pressure of modern games and work tasks.