Quote Originally Posted by ElSel10 View Post
They can't be labeled as PCI-e compliant which would shut out a good deal of OEM business. Basically, you wouldn't find the cards in any pre-built PC because manufacturers would be too scared to use a card that is out of power spec and deal with any potential problems it would cause.
Quoted right from Charlie's mouth.

The statement is false. Large system builders don't care about extreme high end cards and filter most of them down to their boutique high performance shops like Dell's Alienware and HP's VoodooPC. These higher-end shops care less about compliance since their clients aren't concerned with having the systems run in datacenters, work computers, etc.

There are no potential problems 300W+ cards would cause other than on the power supply feeding them. The PCI-E slot is designed to provide up to 75W of power and no more while power connectors aren't an issue either since a pair of 8-pins can provide up to 300W plus the 75W from the slot for 375W.

As for board partners, they aren't concerned either. They can still claim a card is compatible with the PCI-E interface BUT they won't be able to put the PCI-Express logo on their packaging not claim compliance in their documentation.

All in all, not a big deal.