ATX12VO, new standard that will change all PC sources and boards

This standard ATX12VO (the "O" is "Only", "only" in English) would force manufacturers to completely redesign their components, since + 3.3V and + 5V rails are removed, making the power supply just provide the + 12V rail to the motherboard, graphics card, hard drives, etc. This obviously has its consequences in terms of design.

Goodbye to the 20 + 4 pin ATX connector

One of the most important changes to this standard is that the famous 20 + 4 pin rectangular ATX connector is removed of power supplies, and it is replaced by a much smaller 10-pin that would already provide all the necessary energy. Nevertheless, 4 + 4 pin EPS connector is maintained but will be optional completely, only used in very high-end systems.

For its part, the rail 5VSB (Standby) that use devices such as USB peripherals to stay on even with the PC turned off, it will also be replaced by the 12VSB, although the USB output will still be 5V through a converter on the motherboard itself.

For SATA devices, such as 2.5 ″ SSDs that need a 5V input, power will now be supplied by the motherboard instead of connecting to the power supply directly, so what Intel proposes is that the motherboards now carry SATA power connectors installed near the SATA data connectors to facilitate these connections.

Will we have to buy another motherboard and power supply?

As you can imagine, all these changes that Intel proposes with the new ATX12VO standard involve a complete redesign of both power supplies and motherboards. But don't worry because for now, and although the new standard is released this year, we will not have to buy new components of hardware … yet. But in the medium term, count on us to make it safe.

Initially, the ATX12VO standard will only be used by system integrators, that is, on OEM equipment. The reason for this is because for a motherboard manufacturer, for example, making a design change is much easier if you already receive an order from many units, which will make this change profitable. Intel is quite likely to remember the debacle that the BTX standard once assumed And don't want to repeat it.

Over the past few years, power supplies have already evolved their design to focus on the AC-DC conversion to 12V directly (12VDC), and then make smaller conversions from those 12V to 5V and 3.3V currently use This means that the ATX12VO standard would eliminate this last step, letting the motherboard do the conversion (which they already do).

All this Simplify the internal design of the sources as well as the cables and connectors that they will use, so in theory they should lower your costs and significantly improve its efficiency (the less voltage conversions there are, the less power losses and greater efficiency). Of course, as for the motherboards it is quite likely that it further complicates its electrical design, of course.