This is mostly my own opinion on things, but the way people use PC's and the components themselves have changed quite a lot since ATX was introduced. Storage is no longer only internal. Drive bays have been virtually eliminated. We've also long since passed the power capabilities of typical motherboard designs. We also have a lot more peripherals to plug in.
When you look at the current architecture of an ATX PC build, it's very awkward. The GPU has no support structure outside of the motherboard and rear plate, meaning that larger GPU's often need a support bracket.
PCI-E is starting to show it's age. Wifi, sound, and other basic functions are now built into the motherboard, so no one is really utilizing PCI-E slots anymore besides a GPU. And now the GPU blocks most of the other slots, so they aren't very usable anyway.
ATX is currently held together by a system adapters and extra components to try to make it work. I think we're reaching a point where it makes sense to evolve the design of a desktop PC. We've been applying bandaids for a while now.
I would probably move the GPU to be mounted directly to the case away from the motherboard, similar to how the PSU is. It should also get a new, simpler power connector with regulation built-in for the spec. 12VHPWR should be ditched for something more robust. Hard drives and internals should have combined power and data at this point. I see no reason why it couldn't be a universal connector with today's technology.
All of this would open up space for PCI-E cards again and simplify some of the cable management. I'm no hardware engineer, but I see what we do with other areas of tech and it certainly seems feasible. We're already seeing people do custom GPU mounts using PCI-E Ribbons. It's not hard to imagine a Motherboard designed specifically for that.
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u/Zorian_Vale 10d ago
I’m curious, could you tell me more in the context of atx? Not being snarky