Intel wants broader support for ATX12VO power supplies with Alder Lake CPUs

Intel wants the new ATX12VO power supply standard to be more widely supported with its upcoming Alder Lake-S processors. This is evident from a document held by tech site VideoCardz.

The VideoCardz document outlines, among other things, the process for ATX12VO adoption by motherboard and power supply manufacturers. Such producers should be working with OEMs and ODMs by the end of this month to have these products ready in time for the release of Alder Lake in the second half of this year. Sources from motherboard manufacturers confirm Intel’s interest in VideoCardz. At the same time, motherboard and power supply manufacturers themselves would be less interested in it producing 12ATXVO products.

Therefore, according to VideoCardz, it is unlikely high end Alder Lake-S motherboards will receive support for the new ATX12VO standard. At the same time, the standard could be more widely used for lower positioned motherboards, for example for use in pre-built OEM PCs.

The ATX 12VO standard requires, among other things, a motherboard with a 10-pin connector for power, compared to a more standard 24-pin connector. In addition, users require a compatible ATX12VO power supply. This standard stands for ‘ATX 12 Volt Only’, which immediately clarifies the operation. ATX12VO power supplies only contain a 12Vrail, where current power supplies also have rails for other voltages, such as 3.3V and 5V. That means voltages lower or higher than 12V must be converted by the motherboard itself, rather than the power supply.

This increases the complexity of the motherboard, but at the same time the new standard should ensure better efficiency. The power consumption of PCs would be lower with ATX12VO power supplies. Especially the idle power consumption should be less. YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips published a test with an ATX12VO power supply and motherboard last year, confirming the reduced idle consumption.