102 PCWorld APRIL 2020FEATURE INTEL IS CHANGING FUTURE OF POWER SUPPLIES
ATX12VO. One told PCWorld the move would
let a motherboard better manage the power
sequence during boot-ups, which can get
sticky when a non-standard PSU is used. With
the motherboard in control of all three rails, it
can better monitor and calculate power
consumption, and it can reduce the risk from
abnormal PSU power spikes.
Motherboard manufacturers interviewed
also believed local control of the 5-volt and
3.3-volt rails could be more dynamic, potentially
benefiting power-sensitive devices like USB and
audio controllers. Vendors also said having the
voltage on the board could lead to better
over-current and over-voltage protection.
Still, our motherboard sources said,
moving both the rails and the power
connectors to the motherboard
means a greater burden of
components, a larger PCB, and
more PCB layers, meaning more
complexity and more cost. Also as
you move to higher-wattage
needs—say 1,500 watts—heat
dissipation becomes an issue.
Another board vendor said
ATX12VO was “interesting” and
really could help with the internal
aesthetics of a system. Today’s
ATX12V Main Power Connectors
are thick, awkward cables.
ATXV12VO would make the
connector smaller and the cables
thinner, so they’d be easier tobuild with and easier to tie back or hide.
One vendor noted that controlling noise on
the PCB could be a challenge, let alone
performance. The first ATX12VO-compatible
motherboard will likely be expensive as a result,
but costs could come down as volume ramps up.NOT FOR DIYERS JUST YET
Intel first released the ATXV12VO spec in July
2019, but there’s no set timeline for hitting
the streets. Intel said it’s really up to the
OEMs to introduce hardware based on it
when they’re ready.
Most of this doesn’t apply to the DIY
crowd, at least not yet. Not only do
consumers tend to freak out if they’re
suddenly required to get a new motherboard,One faction that might benefit from ATX12VO are Mini-ITX
boards, which can save space just in the connector itself. The only
question is how much space will be needed to add the 3.3-volt
and 5-volt rails to a board, as well as SATA power connectors.