Specification for PCI Express 225W/300W Card

[LeStoffer]

Yes, monster watt hungry PCI Express cards is coming as we already know. A specification for PCI Express 225W/300W cards are in the pipeline:

This specification is a PCI Express 225W/300W Card Electromechanical document that addresses graphics power and thermals greater than those supported by PCI Express CEM 1.1 and PCI Express 150W 1.0.

http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/pciexpress/review_zone#gce

 

[lopri]

I can't believe this..

 

[Geo]

Whee. I guess those icky next gen power req rumors were in the ballpark after all, eh?

 

[Npl]

Just as energy-efficient CPUs got common.
Next thing we know is that BTX will raise from its grave.

 

[psurge]

From an upcoming Intel IDF presentation slide:

- 1.0 Spec release targeted for early 2007
– Support optional 225 W and 300 W graphics requirements for add-in cards and systems
– Standardize new power delivery connector and new power sequencing scheme
– Define interoperability between 225W/300W graphics components [225W and 300W cards have new interface boundary conditions that may require improvement to existing chassis form factor and power delivery systems.
– PCI PCI-SIG investigating ATX form factor
– No intention to preclude BTX form factor

 

[Albuquerque]

Not much different (conceptually) from the "high power" AGP Pro connector. However, the AGP Pro really never took off as, at the time when it was conceived, not many cards broke that power barrier. By the time AGP started getting fast and the GPU's started doing the same, it made more sense from an installed-base standpoint to include a molex connector rather than require an AGP Pro slot.

Even though we have plenty of PCI-E cards can use all that power, I still have to wonder if this updated PCI-E spec will die in the same way that the AGP Pro socket did.

 

[Sobek]

My server at home has an AGP Pro slot in it...is there any list of supported AGP Pro cards that I might be able to obtain?

 

[elroy]

Hopefully moving GPU's to 65nm will significantly decrease power consumption.......

 

[Geo]

I wonder who requested that, and what good it will do for this next gen if it's not available until January. . .

 

[Fodder]

Next thing we know is that BTX will raise from its grave.

I hope so. Even with energy-efficient CPUs it's a good idea, once the kinks (eg. AMD memory-routing) have been worked out.

 

[turtle]

I wonder who requested that, and what good it will do for this next gen if it's not available until January. . .

Probably because there will be cards on 65nm post r680/g85 that may start to up power consumption back towards what we'll be seeing out of R600/g80 on 80/90nm, as I doubt R700/G90 will be on 45nm yet will probably add ~45% more transistors...leading us right back to where we are now.

Who knows though, it could be for G85x2 or something crazy like that as well.

 

[sir doris]

My server at home has an AGP Pro slot in it...is there any list of supported AGP Pro cards that I might be able to obtain?

Wasn't the AGP Pro spec focused (initally at least) on Workstations environments, so maybe cards from Fire GL, ELSA, 3D Labs etc.

Just a thought...

 

[Razor1]

Probably because there will be cards on 65nm post r680/g85 that may start to up power consumption back towards what we'll be seeing out of R600/g80 on 80/90nm, as I doubt R700/G90 will be on 45nm yet will probably add ~45% more transistors...leading us right back to where we are now.

Who knows though, it could be for G85x2 or something crazy like that as well.

The requirements are for multi card setups, not single card.

 

[Sxotty]

Just as energy-efficient CPUs got common.
Next thing we know is that BTX will raise from its grave.

GTX

 

[Arty]

From an upcoming Intel IDF presentation slide:

From Anand

It looks like there are going to be two high end GPU specs for power, with a 225W and a 300W spec. We mentioned during Computex that we're expecting the upcoming DX10 GPUs from ATI and NVIDIA to begin pushing the power envelopes much higher than we've seen in the past, and the fact that we're seeing discussion of specs for 225W and 300W GPUs means that we should probably expect even higher power consumption cards from graphics vendors.

 

[loekf]

Hopefully moving GPU's to 65nm will significantly decrease power consumption.......

No...

It's more of a cost thing... how much trannies can I put on a mm2...

 

[KimB]

Whee. I guess those icky next gen power req rumors were in the ballpark after all, eh?

The specs need to be included in the motherboard, too, so it will be at least six months prior to the introduction of any video cards that need such power requirements, at least without an external power source.

 

[psurge]

Also, it's not entirely clear to me whether this is going on in parallel to or is part of PCIe 2.0 (doubles per pin bandwidth compared to the current SPEC). As for motherboard changes ... I hope not - maybe they'll just go with a beefed up power connector for the add-in board?