PCI Express 6.0 Reaches Version 0.5 Ahead Of Finalization Next Year

[coder]

There are motherboard options with passive cooling.

No, there won't be for PCIe 5.0+.

Even the few X570 (Ryzen 3000-series) boards that don't have active chipset coolers will still require a fair amount of airflow.

[coder]

Most importantly, PAM-4 is a very very simple modulation, which makes it reasonably cheap. Doubling the clock would require quite a bit more expensive hardware.

From what I understand, doubling the clock frequency of PCIe 5.0 is not just more expensive, it's completely infeasible.

[coder]

maybe enterprise will take care of costs this time around and it will be affordable once we need it in a PC.

1. You won't need it in a (desktop) PC. Desktops don't currently "need" PCIe 4.0, even if some synthetic SSD and GPU benchmarks can show a slight benefit.
2. Enterprise will not "take care of costs". It will probably always be expensive and exotic, like 100+ Gigabit networking.

[coder]

I am not a fan of inflating price levels due to higher costs from build materials and using retimers. The engineers should have come up with something more clever than that.

Like cables? Twin-axial cables are pretty much the only alternative, AFAIK.

[ms178]

Like cables? Twin-axial cables are pretty much the only alternative, AFAIK.

Have you seen what the GenZ-Consortium came up with? Their PCIe Enclosure Compatible Form Factor (PECFF) had lower platform costs in mind from the start:

"PECFF simplifies platform design and manufacturing
• Can eliminate the need for high-cost, low-loss board materials and retimers by reducing trace lengths
• Can use Gen-Z Scalable Connector internal cables to repurpose slots or to provide additional bandwidth/connectivity using topedge connectivity without requiring custom motherboards.
• Can support multiple links and multiple connectors to eliminate single points of failure and stranded resources, reducing the amount of replicated hardware and enable optimal resource use and provisioning"

https://genzconsortium.org/wp-conten...dsPECFF_WP.pdf

[starshipeleven]

Does the chipset still comes with a fan?

Too early to know for sure

I don't want any moving parts on the motherboard which makes it less reliable.

there are already modern mobos without fan

[starshipeleven]

No, there won't be for PCIe 5.0+.

Unless they move the whole PCIe infrastructure into the CPU. It's not like they can't.

[torsionbar28]

I don't see what the big deal is. Modern cases all have pretty good airflow, often having multiple 120 mm intake fans. Replace noisy chipset cooler with a larger passive cooler and you're all set. I used to do this on my Supermicro socket 940 boards, worked great. Check vendors that specialize in quiet computing solutions, as passive cooling devices are their bread and butter.

[starshipeleven]

I don't see what the big deal is. Modern cases all have pretty good airflow, often having multiple 120 mm intake fans. Replace noisy chipset cooler with a larger passive cooler and you're all set

It's harder and requires more skills than just dumb "plug thing into dumb-proof connector", most people won't do that.

Also your assumption that all cases have multiple 120mm fans is cute, we are not in 2001 anymore, mini itx and compact builds are a thing

[torsionbar28]

It's harder and requires more skills than just dumb "plug thing into dumb-proof connector", most people won't do that.

Of course, but I assume anyone asking the question, particularly in reference to building their own PC, is an "enthusiast" and would therefore have the motivation and the skill to pursue aftermarket options. Anyone unable/unwilling to swap a cooler shouldn't be building a PC to begin with.

Also your assumption that all cases have multiple 120mm fans is cute, we are not in 2001 anymore, mini itx and compact builds are a thing

Again, with the enthusiast in mind, most ATX desktop cases today do have multiple large fans. Of course cooling is always a challenge with mini itx and compact builds, so smaller higher rpm fans are the norm there. Those who want both small and quiet have to settle for lower wattage parts i.e. not the fastest hottest chipset.

Not disagreeing with any of your points, just making the distinction that the target audience for motherboards with active chipset cooling is typically the DIY enthusiast, not grandma checking her AOL email at 56k.