First test of ATX12VO system shows much higher energy efficiency

We've written a couple of times about ATX12VO, a new PC power delivery standard that promises to significantly enhance energy efficiency at low loads by making everything 12V and moving the power conversion from the PSU to the motherboard. It also results in more compact power supplies and easier cable management, but the downside is that you need both a new PSU and a new motherboard.

Since it was first revealed at the start of this year, we haven't heard a lot about ATX12VO but now German tech site Heise managed to get its hands on the ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR motherboard and the High Power HP1-P650GD-F12S power supply, which both support the ATX12VO standard. The site recorded that a system with the Intel Core i9-10900K, a SATA SSD and 16GB RAM consumed just 13W when idling in Windows 10. With some further power efficiency enhancements like C-states, SATA and PCIe Link Power Management enabled, Heise was able to push idle energy consumption as low as 6.7W. These are levels that can't be reached with traditional ATX PSUs.



The first retail sytems with ATX12VO are expected to be pre-made systems from major OEMs but later it should trickle down to the DIY segment.