PCI Express 3.0 Specs Delayed
According to PC Magazine, the PCI SIG (special interest group) has decided to officially delay the release of the finalized PCI Express 3.0 specification until Q2 2010. Originally, the specs were due to be released this year, with 3.0-enabled products to hit the shelves in 2010. Now, according to the new date, products compliant with the new specs won't be available until 2011.
The PCI SIG said that the delay stemmed from the need to maintain backward compatibility with products based on current standards, namely PCI Express 1.0 and 2.0. "In this particular case, with pushing the technology so hard, and with PCI gen 3 providing so much more capabilities but with the need to be still backwards-compatible, we had to do the diligence required to move the date," said Al Yanes, president of the PCI SIG.
Yanes added that a big portion of the delay was related to verifying products in the lab, making sure that the older devices can function correctly in the new 3.0 slots. The group is taking extra time to ensure that the three frequencies used by PCI Express--2.5 GHz, 5.0 GHz, and the new 8.0 GHz--can support the new encoding schemes (bumped up from 8-bit and 10-bit to 128-bit and 130-bit) on an electrical level.
Although graphics card manufacturers will be mostly affected by the delay, Yanes said that the member companies of the PCI SIG were satisfied with the group's decision.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
doomtomb PCI-E 3.0 was originally expected for end of this year... now 2011 >_>Reply
I wanted USB 3.0, SATA III, and PCI-E 3.0 on my next motherboard upgrade but I don't think I can wait for 2 years. -
haunted one I'd rather have them release it late and well working than have it early and full of compatibility problems.Reply -
cjl doomtombPCI-E 3.0 was originally expected for end of this year... now 2011 >_>I wanted USB 3.0, SATA III, and PCI-E 3.0 on my next motherboard upgrade but I don't think I can wait for 2 years.Actually, it was expected next year. The spec would have been finalized this year, but products wouldn't hit the shelves until 2010.Reply -
SAL-e :) I think the real reasons for the delays of PCI-e 3.0, USB 3.0 and SATA III is result of bad economics. The companies are saving money by maximizing the profits from old standards before the new standards are implemented. It is good idea to let the engineers to prefect the spec during the down time of course.Reply -
dirtmountain I agree with haunted one, i'd rather see it delayed and working properly with full backward compatibility then rushed and screwed up.Reply -
rambo117 megamanx00It'll be ready when it's ready.yep. I can wait, besides, PCIE 16x and 16x 2.0 don't differ all that much anyways. usually just a couple of frames depending on the game. i'd think the same with 3.0Reply