In my example the 970 only has one 8pin connector instead of a 6+8. Same watts, less areas for delivery.
My 970 has 2x6 pin PCIe connections which is the same as 1x8 which is enough for the rated power
with headroom for OCing. Some 980s (165W) have only 2x6. That shouldn't cause problems for the
connectors unless they are defective. The only real benefit I see with connector overkill is offloading
the PCIe bus, a good idea in multi GPU rigs.
As far as areas of delivery there are only 2, the bus on one corner of the card, and the connector cluster
at the opposite corner. Adding pins to the connector cluster doesn't create more areas of delivery, it
only increases the capacity of the cluster area. Adding more areas requires power connectors at different
locations on the card, but that would complicate cable management and airflow.
Anyway it looks like your problem is fixed and I don't expect your connectors to melt, but don't sue me.