There is a new PSU standard from Intel, leading to huge changes in the IT market!

On February 1st, 2022, the ATX12V v3.0 spec became final, bringing considerable changes to power supplies. From now on, any PSU with more than 450W should include one of the new 12+4 pin connectors for Add-In Cards (like GPUs), and have various changes that allow it to deliver up to 200% of its max-rated capacity for short periods!

Skepticism rises, and makers push back around the proposed ATX12V0 power standard.

In preparation for Intel’s Alder Lake launch later this year, the company has been trying to convince manufacturers to move over to its more energy efficient ATX12V0 power standard, ready for these 12th generation, monster CPUs. But since this would involve big, and potentially awkward changes for manufacturers of both motherboards and PSUs, Intel has been met with a “united front of rejection” from both sides.

The proposed power standard would deliver just a single rail of 12V direct current through a 10-pin connector—as opposed to the current 24-pin,

There’s a real reluctance, then, to move away from the now 25-year-old current standard. Not only are manufacturers unhappy, but they cite users who may have recently purchased high-performance PSUs that could easily be repurposed in future PC builds, would also be unlikely to be accepting of the changes.

Buy a whole new, probably more expensive PSU, as well as a new mobo just for Intel Alder Lake? No thanks.

Considering the first round of Alder Lake S CPUs are set for a late October/early November launch with K and KF models, along with the Z690 motherboard chipset, it doesn’t look like the power standard will gain much traction before then.