NVIDIA announced today the details of its new open standard for real-time monitoring and control of standard PC components.

Called ESA (the acronym for Enthusiast System Architecture) the new standard is addressed to PC manufacturers and do-it-yourself enthusiasts who will be able to build finely-tuned and higher performance PCs.

But what is ESA and how does it work? According to NVIDIA, ESA is based on USB specification. ESA defines new USB HID usages for monitoring and controlling ESA devices. This communication is enabled by embedding a microcontroller (containing a USB 2.0-compliant full speed device controller) into the ESA enabled component, and then connecting it through a USB cable to the PC Host. This cabling is typically accomplished internal to the PC chassis using a USB header on the motherboard, but an external USB connection is also supported. Once recognized by the host application, the ESA device can be monitored and controlled via the ESA protocol.

The first components which are ESA capable are chassis, power supplies, and water cooling and, thanks to this system, users will have real-time access to data ranging from temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages.

By using this kind of information, the users and the companies will be able to set up every ESA-enabled component in the way that suits them best.

For example, an ESA enabled chassis will take advantage of the new control plane to manipulate LEDs and LCDs to reflect system status or/and communicate fan and thermal sensor status for devices controlled by the chassis. This includes 3D positions of thermal and acoustic zones within the chassis using three dimensions of position data.

With an ESA enabled power supply, the users will be capable to quickly adjust delivered power based on host specified operating point or voltage levels of output, which is useful to fine tune overclocking boards with limited regulation capabilities.

NVIDIA said that ESA is not only for power supplies or chassis, but it can be used in any component. Cross-device compatibility and compliance with the ESA specification will be handled by Allion. After a device has passed the tests it can use the ESA logo. This will make it easier for computer enthusiasts to find components that will work with their ESA system. The ESA standard is already supported Dell, HP, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, CoolerMaster, Thermaltake and others.