The PCI Express 2.0 specification will make it a lot easier to use graphics cards with high power consumptions as the new PCIe 2.0 slots can deliver a lot more power than the current PCIe 1.1 standard. PCI SIG has recognized the problems with power-devouring graphics cards we have today and it has started working on a standard for graphics cards consuming up to 300W, which is also compatible with current PCIe 1.1 motherboards.
Exactly how they will solve the power consumption requirements remains to be seen and even if it’s a good thing that PCI SIG will update the PCIe 1.1 platform, we can’t help feeling a bit startled by the fact that they are expecting graphics cards to consume up to 300W(!). We hope that the graphics card market will change directions soon, and go in the same direction as the processor market, where more and more time and energy is spent on developing power saving functions, but by the looks of it we’re still not quite there yet.
