ASUS unveiled a prototype this week with a new method for graphics cards to draw power from the motherboard's PCIe expansion slot, proposing a solution that could eliminate the need for card-mounted power cables for many entry-level and mid-range GPUs. The concept focuses on beefing up the physical ...
Yeah, it doesn’t make sense.
I could understand the rationale for wanting a high-power PCIe specification if there were multiple PCIe devices that could benefit from extra juice, but it’s literally just the graphics card.
One might make the argument “Oh but what if you had multiple GPUs? Then it makes sense!” except it doesn’t, because the additional power would only be enough for ONE high-performance GPU. For multiple GPUs you’d need even more motherboard power sockets…
It’s complexity for no reason, or purely for aesthetics. The GPU is the device that needs the power, so give the GPU the power directly, as we already are.
There was a point in the past when it was common to run multiple GPUs. Today, that’s not something you’d normally do unless you’re doing some kind of parallel compute project, because games don’t support it.
But it might be the case, if stuff like generative AI is in major demand, that sticking more parallel compute cards in systems might become a thing.
Did you read the rest of my comment, then?
Paraphrased, that multiple graphics cards would mean multiple extra power sockets on the motherboard because one isn’t enough, and so it doesn’t solve much.
I was around in the crossfire era and I’m here for the AI one, so I can totally see the use-case for a convenient solution for multiple GPUs. I just don’t think this is it.
Then you could be looking at multiple kilowatts being supplied by the motherboard. It would need large busbars if they stuck with 12V.