HOW INTEL IS CHANGING THE FUTURE OF POWER SUPPLIES WITH ITS ATX12VO SPEC

A MAJOR CHANGE WILL REJIGGER THE BALANCE OF POWER IN PC POWER SUPPLIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS.

- GORDON MAH UNG

We don’t often talk about power supplies, but Intel’s new ATX12VO spec—that’s an ‘O’ for ‘Oscar,’ not a zero—will start appearing soon in pre-built PCs from OEMs and system integrators, and it represents a major change in PSU design.

The ATX12VO spec removes voltage rails from the power supply, all in a bid to improve efficiency standards on the PC and meet stringent government regulations. But while the spec essentially removes +3.3-volt, +5-volt, and +12-volt and +5-volt standby power from the PSU, they aren’t going away—they’re just moving to the motherboard. That’s the other big change, so keep reading to find out more.

DON’T TAKE MY ATX12V POWER SUPPLY AWAY!

Don’t panic, DIYers: The PSU Enforcement Agents will not be coming to take away your 1,500-watt ATX PSU (there’s no such thing as PSU police anyway). ATX12VO is currently aimed mostly at PC OEMs and system vendors—some of whom have already started down this path on their own.

ATX12VO won’t be replacing ATX12V for individual PC builders. “Intel plans to continue to publish the ATX Multi-Rail spec to maintain compatibility with existing motherboards and power supplies to provide the most options for our OEMs and customers,” Intel officials told PCWorld.