Identical to the PCIe 5.0 specification, Intel’s ATX 3.0 spec introduces quite a lot of new measures meant to help upcoming graphics playing cards with extraordinarily excessive energy draw. Amongst these are some stringent exams that merchandise need to cross earlier than the producers can name them “ATX 3.0”-compliant. Sadly, obscure language in Intel’s documentation signifies that distributors can decide to keep away from the exams by skipping the 12VHPWR connector.
Beneath the ATX 3.0 specification, energy provides with the 12VHPWR connector should be capable of deal with as much as 200% of their rated energy for no less than 100μs, 180% for 1ms, 160% for 10ms, and 120% for 100ms. The sort of overload capability is particularly meant to deal with the extraordinary “transient hundreds” that trendy graphics playing cards can create. The technical time period for these usually transient spikes is “excursions.”
Now, elsewhere within the documentation, Intel clearly states that energy provides with rated load over 450 watts should embody the 12VHPWR connector. As you may see within the above chart, the spec additionally supplies for energy provides with out mentioned connector. What provides, Intel?
It was complicated sufficient to {Hardware} Busters‘ Aris Mpitziopoulos that he reached out to Jon Gerow (higher often known as Jonnyguru, now working for Corsair). After some dialogue, the 2 of them consulted with Intel. Because it seems, no—energy provides rated for 450W and better are usually not really required to have 12VHPWR connectors. Nevertheless, solely items that do have the connectors are required to cross the extra stringent tour testing.
What this implies in apply is that producers can skip the flowery new PCIe 5.0 connector and thus low cost out on their items’ means to deal with transient spikes from power-thirsty graphics playing cards. These spikes could be fairly excessive; numerous retailers have recorded sub-millisecond spikes of over 800 watts from the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Keep in mind that that is along with no matter the remainder of your system is drawing.
Whether or not that is really an issue in the end depends upon your buying habits. For those who’re shopping for a brand new graphics card after which utilizing a creaky outdated energy provide to drive it, might no matter God you select enable you. Likewise, should you’re shopping for a graphics card with a PCIe 5.0 connector on it after which utilizing adapters to attach it to 2, three, or 4 old-school eight-pin PCIe energy connectors on the ability provide aspect, you’d higher ensure that energy provide can deal with the load.
The safer wager, should you’re shopping for a brand-new graphics card this vacation season, is to choose up a brand new ATX 3.0 energy provide. Fashions that include the 12VHPWR connector will not be low cost, however because of the excessive requirements of the ATX 3.0 spec, they need to be able to extra reliably dealing with the ability calls for of upcoming GPUs. After all, this does imply customers have to confirm if the 12VHPWR connector is, the truth is, included. The ATX 3.0 certification just isn’t a assure by itself.
