Discussion Rumor: Intel Z690 chipset Motherboards for "Alder Lake-S" client CPUs to retain 24-Pin Connectors ??

[Deleted member 2731765]

Hi all, what do you guys think about the new Intel's ATX12VO strategy which it recently tried to enforce vs the standard 24-PIN connector cable ?

According to a recent rumor, with the user having some reliability in leaks, it appears that Intel's Z690 motherboards for Alder Lake Desktop CPUs will retain the traditional 24-pin connector design, as reported by Yuuki_ans. The leaker states that most motherboard makers have chosen to drop Intel's ATX12VO strategy.

The ATX12VO power connectors were going to be a big deal on 600-series motherboards including the flagship Z690 chipset-based products. Intel was actively trying to standardize the new and more power-efficient power connector configuration on its motherboards starting next generation but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Featuring support for Alder Lake Desktop CPUs, the Z690 motherboards were going to adopt the new standard which is shown to reduce idle power by half, but the power efficiency gains are not as significant as power increases all the way up to a full load. To get ATX12VO running, you would need a proper PSU & a motherboard with the necessary power connectors. This is just too much of an upgrade for existing users and could be one of the many reasons why motherboard makers are deciding against using the standard.

It is also stated Intel had made it a requirement for each motherboard manufacturer to make at least one motherboard that supports the ATX12VO standard. This has forced some board makers to bundle a 12VO to 24-pin adapter board rather than a proper implementation on the board itself. Sources our at motherboard makers have stated that while Intel has forced them to make at least 1 ATX12VO motherboard, they haven't said that they should release it.

As for ATX12VO boards themselves, currently, there are only a limited amount of options that include the MSI Z590 PRO and ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming 4SR. MSI also demonstrated the Z590 PRO 12VO in an Insider video last month which you can see below:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1PJkRqr6Mg&t=2021s&ab_channel=MSIGaming

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419990008719572993

View: https://twitter.com/yuuki_ans/status/1419990008719572993

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419708750945005572

View: https://twitter.com/yuuki_ans/status/1419708750945005572

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

So no takers and any opinion/thought yet on this news/leak/rumor ?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Most of the pushback from motherboard manufacturers is from adding more DC-to-DC converters and moving some power connectors, like SATA, onto the board since 12VO power supplies won't provide 5V or 3.3V. Their manufacturing costs are going to go up and they're going to pass the bill to the consumer. But really, motherboards over the last decade have vastly been simplified. They look more bare now than they did back then.

EDIT: for example, compare ASRock's Z68 Extreme7 board to their B560 Pro4

I'm all for simplifying the power supply and getting rid of things we don't need from the current 24-pin connector. For example, we don't need a -12V rail anymore because it was used for RS-232 ports and conventional PCI slots. And I'm pretty sure with smart layouts regarding power distribution, the amount of DC-to-DC converters you'd really need wouldn't be that bad. The only sticking point I do agree with being an issue is moving SATA power connectors to the motherboard if a 12VO PSU can't have them.

 

[DSzymborski]

It's definitely hard for me to get excited since it doesn't really do anything for me personally. I get power supplies that competently generate rails and I don't give a fig about the efficiency of my desktop power consumption at low loads. So for me, it's either having to replace parts that use +5V and +3.3V power or rely on motherboard's to generate that power instead of specialized PSUs. Neither of those interest me.

 

[Zerk2012]

Intel can't make them do anything.

What would Intel do if they all said no?

 

[Bazzy 505]

ATX12VO may eventually happen, but it's safe to say ATX24 + EPS will be around for at least another generation if not two. There are some advantages to ATX12VO, but to board vendors it means more expensive motherboards. System builders tend to carry their PSU over multiple builds and be it Asus, Gigabyte or MSI; they will not shoot themselves in the foot by not taking that into account.

it kind of reminds me of that time when intel announced, they would do away with cpu sockets and all future processors would be soldered directly to motherboards by board partners. Well that was about 10 years ago and i'm looking at an LGA1200 motherboard through a sidepanel plexiglass ;p as i'm typing this..

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Thanks for the input guys .

I'm all for simplifying the power supply and getting rid of things we don't need from the current 24-pin connector. For example, we don't need a -12V rail anymore because it was used for RS-232 ports and conventional PCI slots. And I'm pretty sure with smart layouts regarding power distribution, the amount of DC-to-DC converters you'd really need wouldn't be that bad. The only sticking point I do agree with being an issue is moving SATA power connectors to the motherboard if a 12VO PSU can't have them.

To be honest, even I prefer simple and a clutter-free RIG. But it appears that the next-gen motherboards will indeed retain the current ATX 24-pin + EPS power interface, and Intel won't force adoption of ATX12VO. But it is also obvious that the new ATX12VO standard would have increased the motherboard costs as well, as it essentially transfers DC-to-DC switching components from the PSU to the motherboard (12 V to 5 V; 12 V to 3.3 V, etc), and adds output connectors.

Intel can't make them do anything.

What would Intel do if they all said no?

Yeah, that seems to be the case. Earlier I thought Intel will try to enforce such a requirement. As a matter of fact, Intel is actually selling 600-series chips at a lower price, but only if the motherboard maker is willing to adopt it for the 12VO version. But despite this, it's up to the motherboard vendor to agree with Intel. Though, how cheap the board can actually be, remains to be seen.

Most of the Z690 24V motherboards have already been finalized, but there are plans to launch some sub-variants with ATX12VO support. No big deal though.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Intel can't make them do anything.

What would Intel do if they all said no?

While Intel can't make them do anything, they can certainly "incentivize" doing going for ATX 12VO. The other thing I think would happen is large system builders like Dell, HP, etc. who make their own boards (or at least orders something super custom) will likely use this as a way to force people to buy their hardware that, while standardized, isn't readily available. For example, the BTX formfactor lived far beyond with system builders than with the DIY market. I suspect such because it meant that people could still upgrade and swap out some parts as necessary, but they couldn't put in their own motherboard or move that motherboard out to another case.

Similarly we could see a return to "proprietary" power supplies, even though they follow the 12VO standard.

 

[Zerk2012]

While Intel can't make them do anything, they can certainly "incentivize" doing going for ATX 12VO. The other thing I think would happen is large system builders like Dell, HP, etc. who make their own boards (or at least orders something super custom) will likely use this as a way to force people to buy their hardware that, while standardized, isn't readily available. For example, the BTX formfactor lived far beyond with system builders than with the DIY market. I suspect such because it meant that people could still upgrade and swap out some parts as necessary, but they couldn't put in their own motherboard or move that motherboard out to another case.

Similarly we could see a return to "proprietary" power supplies, even though they follow the 12VO standard.

Still it's just a rumor and I would disagree with your statements .

Buy a Dell or HP not me would you?

All it would do is run off a bunch of people that buy Intel ( like me) and switch to AMD that already has caught up on the performance.

Power supply makers would also have a mess on their hands.

 

[sizzling]

Given how Intel’s market share has been impacted by AMD I would think that is enough of a reason. If you say all upgrades on Intel require a new PSU regardless of what you have now compared to AMD where you have a choice that would be just another positive for AMD.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Update. I find this OC3D article pretty interesting, which sheds some light on Intel's ATX12VO power standard, as well clears some misconceptions as well. A really nice read, if you are interested. So I'm sharing it here as well.

https://overclock3d.net/news/power_...ts_got_wrong_about_intel_s_atx12vo_standard/1