PCI Express 3.0 Brings Triple Slot, 300W, 1.5kg Cards in 2010
PCI-SIG (Special Interest Group) is currently in the process of finalizing the PCI Express 3.0 spec for graphics. One of the main improvements this spec brings to the table over 2.0 is twice the interconnect bandwidth. The 3.0 spec is rated at 8 GT/s (Giga transfers per second) compared to effective 4 GT/s currently available. The standard promises to remove the 20% overhead traditionally associated with previous releases. The 3.0 standard is backward compatible with older standards, just as 2.0 was with 1.1.
Aside from the improvements, the electromechanical specifications are already being drafted for triple slot, 300W, 1.5 kg cards. If you are a PCI-SIG member, you can get these specs from here. PCI-SIG expects the 3.0 spec to be finalized in mid 2009 with certified products showing up in 2010.
Stumble it!
Even AGP 8x bandwith isn't reached - there aren't yet so fast graphics cards.
Right– but the real issue is power. PCI-E x16 only supplies 75W. PCI-E x16 2.0 supplies 150W. With third generation, PCI-E x16 will be up to 300W and can rely less on 8 and 6 pin power cables.
Just a correction, a PCIe 2.0 slot can provide upto 75W.
GRE;)N