Intel Pitches Modular PC Designs To Make Repairs Less Painful (theregister.com) 62
Intel is advocating for modular PC designs to improve repairability, reduce e-waste, and align with the right-to-repair movement. A trio of executives makes their case for such designs in a recent blog post. The Register reports: Intel's approach to the problem is to draft three proposals targeting different market segments, saying that a one-size-fits-all approach would not be able to address the nuanced demands of these varied segments. Those three segments comprise "Premium Modular PC" (actually a laptop design); "Entry/Mainstream Modular PC" (another laptop); and "Desktop Modular PC."
The first envisages a three-board system, comprising a core motherboard plus universal left and right I/O boards, the latter engineered to be common across fan-less Thin & Light designs with a 10W power envelope, and premium fanned designs for up to 20W or 30W. The Entry/Mainstream Modular PC is similar, with a core motherboard and left and right I/O boards, although in this segment, Intel says these can be redesigned to allow multiple SKUs of the design. The circuit boards are also cost-optimized here to cater to the mainstream segment, it says.
The Desktop Modular PC design appears from Intel's diagram to use a midplane that has the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) silicon, with other modules connecting to this. These include CPU, memory, and GPU modules, removable using slide rails, along with hot-swappable storage, all designed to fit inside a 5 liter desktop chassis. Intel also said it is introducing subsystem-level replaceable modules. In practice, this means something like a Type-C connector on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or an M.2 circuit board. The idea is that the module can easily be swapped out if the port or connector is damaged.
The first envisages a three-board system, comprising a core motherboard plus universal left and right I/O boards, the latter engineered to be common across fan-less Thin & Light designs with a 10W power envelope, and premium fanned designs for up to 20W or 30W. The Entry/Mainstream Modular PC is similar, with a core motherboard and left and right I/O boards, although in this segment, Intel says these can be redesigned to allow multiple SKUs of the design. The circuit boards are also cost-optimized here to cater to the mainstream segment, it says.
The Desktop Modular PC design appears from Intel's diagram to use a midplane that has the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) silicon, with other modules connecting to this. These include CPU, memory, and GPU modules, removable using slide rails, along with hot-swappable storage, all designed to fit inside a 5 liter desktop chassis. Intel also said it is introducing subsystem-level replaceable modules. In practice, this means something like a Type-C connector on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or an M.2 circuit board. The idea is that the module can easily be swapped out if the port or connector is damaged.
Modules that THEY control? (Score:4, Funny)
...Yellow alert, shields up!
intel only storage and ram just like apple! (Score:2)
intel only storage and ram just like apple!
Cool (Score:1)
I like it
I would have greatly preferred being able to swap just a peripheral board instead of hand-soldering to fix/replace broken connector components.
I have a feeling the left/right IO boards might not allow for power input... but if they do, great!
Re: Cool (Score:2)
This really isn't a new concept, been around for a long time. As an old IBM field engineer, I used work on the ps/2 series like the model 50, 60s, 70s, 80s and model 90s. The engineers built the whole pc to be very modular to make swapping parts easy. It took about a few minutes to swap out a hds or 7 mins or so to break down almost the whole machine.
I remember various companies offering modular laptops which was awesome because the parts were small and if course chasing mini black screws. I hated the new
Framework laptops do this. Properly. (Score:5, Informative)
Intel worried about eWaste? (Score:5, Insightful)
Then they should fucking tell Microsoft to stop requiring artificial hardware requirements!
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Whut!? Not really... What are you babbling on about?
Or is this another ignorant TPM rant?
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Oh, I don't know, perhaps it all started when Windows 7 supposedly couldn't run on 7th gen processors and above. It runs fine by the way. Just like Windows 11 will run fine on 6th gen and below processors without a TPM module. It's all FUD creating unnecessary eWaste.
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What's artificial about hardware security which is mandatory on all other platforms than the PC? Microsoft isn't generating e-waste. Your TPM-less computer can run Linux just fine. Do that and stop holding back development of OSes.
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Unfortunately, Linux hasn't become popular enough with end users to motivate most software developers of consumer software to provide a Linux version.
I'd be "Windows Free" if two consumer products provided Linux versions: Quicken and HR Block Tax software.
Could I run them under WINE? Probably (they at least sort of work in that environment). However that's not a supported configuration and the last thing I need on April 14th is to find that the last update to HR Block caused it not to work under WINE and th
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You have a windows license and software that does not require any special hardware. A solution is already there. Throw Windows 11 into a VirtualBox VM which offers a fully compliant SecureBoot and TPM for Windows guests.
You're making excuses to continue running Windows, nothing more.
But in any case this is still begging the question. The unsupported hardware is now pushing 8 years old, and statistically most of it is about to end up in a trash heap anyway. Despite people generally slowing on the upgrade cyc
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No, I'm not making "excuses". I simply prefer not to expend my time and other resources on things that don't benefit me enough to justify the resource expenditure.
I'm an atheist - and that includes not being religious about Windows vs. Linux. In my experience Windows is more stable (less likely to be broken by an upgrade) than Linux (Ubuntu) and substantially easier to manage. The days of Windows being reasonably likely to blue screen after an upgrade are long gone. I run Linux on other machines and I run L
I miss the days... (Score:2)
What are the odds this modular standard will be open to all, no license fees? If and when Intel find their feet again, how quickly do you think they'll abandon it? You no longer have the consumer trust it takes to pull off shit like this, Intel.
Re: I miss the days... (Score:2)
Not Necessarily (Score:1)
Seeking a competitive edge, Apple has gone down the SoC path with its Apple Silicon. Microsoft has engaged Qualcomm for ARM CPUs in their flagship Surface product, and is actively maintaining an ARM flavor of Windows in the event of a significant ma
And then abandon it (Score:2)
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They sold it to Asus.
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Sure, Intel. (Score:2)
And I'm sure they won't encumber any of this with proprietary nonsense like they've done every single time they've tried to fundamentally shift physical PC design in the last 30 years either. Nope, no arbitrary restrictions on what can go where, and absolutely no license fees or refusal to license!
Hey Intel: maybe get your own shit in order before you start dictating to the industry how to do their shit.
So, just like Apple used to do for its desktops? (Score:2)
Back when Apple used Intel chips, their desktops were utterly fantastic for repair work. Every part just slid out for replacement, every slot was ready to take a new part just by sliding it right in.
I'm no longer part of the Apple ecosystem but, the tech was just beautifully designed. I tend to suspect that they're not doing that anymore.
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I'm surprised to hear that. Back in the early to mid PowerPC days i upgraded the RAM in a prof's Power Mac tower and it was like the thing was made of a frame of razor blades covered with plastic covers attached and attached with razor blades.
(it's been a few decades so details are hazy)
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I think that was the tower case. The 7500 desktop case used up to the beige G3 was really nice to work with. And so was the G4 tower. Pull the lever and the side hinges down.
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I had both a tower G5 (2005) and an intel tower mac pro (2011) and they were both super easy to work in compared to the average PC beige box of the time. Cases have come a long way today though.
Times must be hard... (Score:4, Insightful)
It's weirdly earnest for a joke, if it's supposed to be one.
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Whaa?
You mean you don't have 3.5", 2.5", and 5.25" drives (? what even IS that on the right side stack? )
with their covers removed exposing platters and heads to the air that you're "repairing" all at the same time with what looks like plumbing diameter solder?
While wearing a 1+ inch ring on your finger which absolutely won't scratch or short out anything while you're unscrewing things things because when does THAT ever happen?
(my reaction to that picture was also to try to figure out if there's any conte
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Have you seen Intel's marketing department? Their biggest genius they have managed to come up with is that AMD CPUs are snake oil, and that AMD's naming schemes are too hard (brought to you by the people who fucked up naming schemes in the first place).
desktop pc is modular (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: desktop pc is modular (Score:2)
Indeed. I have been building my own desktop PCs for over 3 decades. The last few years, there has been a major regression in computer cases. Most of them have stupid LED fans where the front drive bays should be, making it impossible to install things like optical drives, hotswap bays, front hubs, card readers, etc. I kept several very large Cooler Master HAF cases for that reason. The power switch broke on one of them. I wasn't able to fix it. Reset button was repurposed. There is no comparable case on th
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My first thought exactly.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Expandability
One of the strengths of the PC-compatible design is its modular hardware design. End-users could readily upgrade peripherals and, to some degree, processor and memory without modifying the computer's motherboard or replacing the whole computer, as was the case with many of the microcomputers of the time
So, Intel basically reinvented the original PC concept...from the 1980s. What a breakthrough!
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One really important way it is *not* modular.
CPU determines board, RAM, PCIe channels, etc,
Admittedly, enforcing common socket would make more sense - hahahaha - but imagine being able to swap *just* the CPU without having to purchase new MOBO and ancillary kit?
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Intel isn't talking about desktop PCs you build from components. It's talking about the smaller form factor devices you buy from Dell / HP etc. These are *not* modular in any standard way.
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Yeah sure, they are going to get companies to give up on the proprietary design so they can what, have to compete? This is Dell and HP we are talking about.
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Never underestimate the power of the major supplier dictating a new platform. Dell / HP will still find some way to make things proprietary, but as it stands most of the PC can be thrown in the trash. Having some semblance of reuse is already an improvement.
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Framework for laptops, NUC for desktops? (Score:5, Interesting)
So I've looked through designs in the blog and... seems like they are suggesting Framework-like modularity for laptops, and some kind of weird desktop NUC-like small form factor primarily defined by splitting current motherboards into multiple components rather than having a single one.
I'm all for Framework-style laptops that have parts that are easy to replace upon failure so you can use the same laptop for as long as you like, only upgrading it piece by piece instead of buying a completely new one. But most people don't want to be laptop mechanics even on a minor level, so that is going to only find a limited audience. Most people just want to status signal with "newest shiny". So good idea for repairability and sustainability, but deters status-signalling and therefore likely not popular with overwhelming majority.
And desktop idea just looks bad. Rather than opening a side panel and having full access to everything as is the case in current tower style designs, their compact plans suggest that a lot of things will require additional disassembly to get to. Not to mention all those things likely blocking air flow, so cooling would be a problem. I do agree with the idea of "custom i/o board" that attaches to motherboard, rather than motherboard where everything is already on board and you basically have to choose your i/o at the point of board purchase with minimal expansion ability latter without additional expansion cards and hubs. but you basically get that with USB hubs and PCI-E expansion cards already. So seems a bit like a solution looking for a problem.
Hard to call that one, considering that I really dislike the "take it or leave it" concept of motherboard features like amounts of lanes given to each m.2 slot and where those lanes come from and i/o options being basically tied with each specific motherboard. Separating those into "buy a motherboard, and then buy i/o add-in board for it" would separate the two and allow for easier choice of "I need these kinds of lanes on those kinds of slots, also I need this much USBx and this much USBy and this kind of display output..." without having to go through hundreds of motherboards looking for that one that has the optimal combination you're looking for. Instead just buy the motherboard, and then buy a suitable i/o board that are interoperable.
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The excitement of "newest shiny" is in the "laptop mechanics" of the Apple Silicon line. Perhaps more "smart phone" mechani
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First claim is prima facie nonsense. 5090 is a massive improvement on GPU side of x86, with 9800X3D being a solid improvement on CPU side. And we're hoping that they can iron out 9950X3D for enthusiasts so that governor logic doesn't mandate shutting down a CCD. But now that CCDs on x950X are the same size as on x800X3D.
Mac is absolute trash for high performance computing. MX series chips are good for exactly one thing: low power. I.e. laptops that don't stay plugged in. The reason macs sell isn't because o
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1. The 12VHPWR connector shows an unfortunate increase in power demand, which may not be represented by the expected Moore's Law increase in performance. The 5090 is not a massive improvement in raw power, and thus the improvement claims are questionable. The 12VHPWR suggests that the Moore's Law gain in performance will exceed consumer 15 AMP breakers, and thus exceed maximum stability. The early flammability of th
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Point one is a ridiculous hyperbole extrapolated from an unfortunate design defect with new port.
Point two is attacking fake frame generation. I agree with the main point, though not with "but marketing sucks specifically for this card" angle. Marketing sucks like this for everything, down to oranges. Did you know they're not that beautifully uniform orange color, and it's dye? Yeah.
Point three attempts to sell a specific bottleneck in specific applications as universal. Therefore it is incorrect on merits,
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No. Because of reasons listed above. And this is not the way "missing forest for the trees" is used. You are trying to argue that being wrong on every detail, you can still be right as a whole because there's a magical whole that just defies all those points. But I didn't. I merely went through the points you listed, and observed that they were partially or wholly wrong.
To use the forest analogy you enjoyed so much, you have stated that forest is dying, because this tree, that tree, and those other trees ar
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You meds are plant based, and you forgot to take them again. The trees are not in fact closing in.
The great thing about standards (Score:2)
IMNSHO (Score:2)
Give me a standard case, a standard backplane, and standard cartridges that plug into it. Cartridges EVERYWHERE.
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What wouldn't be bad is a passive backplane. CPU board goes in one slot, GPU goes in another, the drives go into a third, and even multiple CPU boards can be used with each computer being able to see and communicate with things, similar to a rack and blade system, except scaled down a bit. This way, if someone wants to have multiple computers in an enclosure (one for gaming, one work stuff, one general home), it would be easy to do, and with a smart drive controller that can take hard drives and SSD, opti
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Harkens back to the S100 bus days.
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I'd like to see it one step further and have the backplane as a network where one can plug in as many parts as one wants.
Something like "Everything Over IP".
When I saw external videocards on USB, I was already contemplating a NUC with USB disks in RAID/Ceph for storage and the videocard as a replacement for a media server or (gaming) PC.
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We used to have network servers that would take graphics commands and stream back 4k video. Those, and eGPUs were awesome, mainly because they allowed a fairly lightweight device to run heavyweight games when at home, and without needing a subscription.
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Passive backplane PCs are and always have been readily available (for every bus so far except maybe VLB) but more expensive because of the limiting form factor. The motherboards are cramped. They also tend to be built to industrial standards because they're used for industrial control or telephony.
What they have not AFAIK so far allowed is multiple CPU boards. What would make that convenient is virtualizable hardware. I hear that is possible with AMD GPUs these days; Nvidia charges for it and also only supp
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So basically a pre trashcan Mac Pro
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Or an old school NeXT box that originally was going to have that capability.
Curious (Score:3)
Wondering when will Intel think about a socket type of processing unit one can change without thrashing the entire motherboard. Or to get memory as needed. Or storage as needed. Or adding new features to their systems.
Kind of like the opposite of an Apple device, really.
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The opposite of current Apple devices. The Apple 2e had seven open slots and a dedicated memory slot. You could set it up the way you wanted. You could even get video out of the memory slot. Look up the Ramworks expansion card.
The balance between built in interfaces and add-in cards has been tilting to built-in for a long time. Maybe it shouldn't have. I added a SATA card and a USB 2 card to my G4 Mac long ago. The video card was replaceable too.
My main machine has three PCI-e slots which are empty. The bui
That "desktop modular pc" looks... (Score:2)
An awful lot like the Intel NUC platform that they just sold to Asus. It seems like they're basically just creating a new small form factor PC with new Intel custom connectors.
The space that they're allocating for the "GPU module" also looks pretty puny. I can't imagine being able to fit a high end NVidia GPU in that space, and even one of Intel's new mid-range GPU's might need more thermal headroom. This might work as an office PC, but not much more than that.
Back to the 90s (Score:2)
tldr is it real or meh (Score:2)
Have wanted modular for decades, only takes a company to nearly go bankrupt to start pulling ideas out of the dustbin I guess. tldr; if it is like a micro-rack and you can easily get to everything without disassembly and ideally hotswap, and if laptop battery is one of the modules, and if the connectors are robust against shock like trundling a laptop in a wheeled luggage, then cool. Otherwise meh.
Like the were in the 80ies (Score:2)
A motherboard and small boards for everything else?
How is this new? (Score:2)
Is this anything more than a suggestion that they go back to how laptops used to be made, with components not soldered on?
Why? (Score:2)
How the f are PC's not modular right now? I have been building PC's since the days of 8086 and they have never been easier to assemble, it's like 6 parts now..