BTX (form factor)
Encyclopedia
BTX is a form factor for motherboard
s, originally intended to be the replacement for the aging ATX
motherboard form factor in late 2004 and early 2005. It was designed to alleviate some of the issues that arose from using newer technologies (which often demand more power and create more heat) on motherboards compliant with the circa-1996 ATX
specification. The ATX and BTX standards were both proposed by Intel. Intel's decision to refocus on low-power CPUs, after suffering scaling and thermal issues with the Pentium 4
, has added some doubt to the future of the form factor. The first company to implement BTX was Gateway Inc, followed by Dell
and MPC. Apple's Mac Pro
utilizes some elements of the BTX design system as well but is not BTX compliant, rather using a proprietary form factor. However, future development of BTX retail products by Intel was canceled in September 2006. Many companies now use proprietary form factors.
form factor that is meant to miniaturize the BTX standard. Pico BTX motherboards are relatively small, 10.5"x8" (smaller than many current 'micro'-sized motherboards), hence the name 'pico'. These motherboards share a common top half with the other sizes in the BTX line, but support only one or two expansion slots, designed for half-height or riser-card applications.
and related standards. As a result, the availability and variety of BTX-compatible components is limited. One reason for the failure of BTX to gain traction in key markets was the rise of energy-efficient components which require less power and produce less waste heat, eliminating two of the primary intended benefits of BTX.
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
s, originally intended to be the replacement for the aging ATX
ATX
ATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
motherboard form factor in late 2004 and early 2005. It was designed to alleviate some of the issues that arose from using newer technologies (which often demand more power and create more heat) on motherboards compliant with the circa-1996 ATX
ATX
ATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
specification. The ATX and BTX standards were both proposed by Intel. Intel's decision to refocus on low-power CPUs, after suffering scaling and thermal issues with the Pentium 4
Pentium 4
Pentium 4 was a line of single-core desktop and laptop central processing units , introduced by Intel on November 20, 2000 and shipped through August 8, 2008. They had a 7th-generation x86 microarchitecture, called NetBurst, which was the company's first all-new design since the introduction of the...
, has added some doubt to the future of the form factor. The first company to implement BTX was Gateway Inc, followed by Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
and MPC. Apple's Mac Pro
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
utilizes some elements of the BTX design system as well but is not BTX compliant, rather using a proprietary form factor. However, future development of BTX retail products by Intel was canceled in September 2006. Many companies now use proprietary form factors.
Enhancements
- Low-profile - With the push for ever-smaller systems, a redesigned backplane that shaves inches off height requirements is a benefit to system integratorSystem integratorA systems integrator is a person or company that specializes in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring that those subsystems function together, a practice known as System Integration...
s and enterprises who use rack mounts or blade serverBlade serverA blade server is a stripped down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Whereas a standard rack-mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power...
s. - Thermal design - The BTX layout establishes a straighter path of airflow with fewer obstacles, resulting in better overall cooling capabilities. A distinct feature of BTX is the vertical mounting of the motherboard on the left-hand side. This results in the graphics card heatsink or fan facing upwards, rather than in the direction of the adjacent expansion card.
- Structural design - The BTX standard specifies different locations for hardware mounting points, thereby reducing latencyLatency (engineering)Latency is a measure of time delay experienced in a system, the precise definition of which depends on the system and the time being measured. Latencies may have different meaning in different contexts.-Packet-switched networks:...
between devices and also reduces the physical strain imposed on the motherboard by heat sinks, capacitors and other components dealing with electrical and thermal regulation. For example, the NorthbridgeNorthbridge (computing)The northbridge has historically been one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Increasingly these functions have migrated to the CPU chip itself, beginning with memory and graphics controllers. For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Fusion...
and SouthbridgeSouthbridge (computing)The southbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. In Intel chipset...
chips are located near each other and to the hardware they control.
Pico BTX
Pico BTX is a motherboardMotherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
form factor that is meant to miniaturize the BTX standard. Pico BTX motherboards are relatively small, 10.5"x8" (smaller than many current 'micro'-sized motherboards), hence the name 'pico'. These motherboards share a common top half with the other sizes in the BTX line, but support only one or two expansion slots, designed for half-height or riser-card applications.
Compatibility with ATX products
The BTX form factor motherboards are incompatible with most of the ATX form factor cases and vice-versa. In particular, BTX motherboards are 'flipped' compared to ATX and mount on the opposite side of the case. Some cases such as the Cooler Master Series (Stackers) support a varying range of motherboard types such as ATX, BTX, Mini-ATX and so forth. However, all connectors are compatible, including power supplies, PCI cards, processors, RAM, hard drives, etc.Criticism
The BTX form factor has not been widely adopted despite its improvements over ATXATX
ATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
and related standards. As a result, the availability and variety of BTX-compatible components is limited. One reason for the failure of BTX to gain traction in key markets was the rise of energy-efficient components which require less power and produce less waste heat, eliminating two of the primary intended benefits of BTX.
External links
- Balanced Technology eXtended (BTX) Form Factor — The Future of Cases & Motherboards from AnandTechAnandTechAnandTech is an online computer hardware magazine. It was founded in 1997 by then 15-year-old Anand Lal Shimpi, who is the current editor-in-chief and CEO. The web site is recommended as a good resource of hardware reviews for off-the-shelf components addressed to computer building enthusiasts...
- Hardware Analysis' evaluation of the BTX proposal
- Anandtech's coverage of a 2004 trade show, where Intel featured BTX.
- "Whatever happened to BTX?"
- Intel to offer Mini-ITX desktop board
- Intel Desktop Boards Products List
Documentation
- BTXFormFactor.com, BTX Form Factor Information
- FormFactors.org, an Intel-sponsored website dedicated to maintaining data and tools regarding the implementation of various form factors.
- Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) Chassis Design Guidelines Revision 1.1
- Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) Interface Specification Revision 1.0b
- Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) Interface Specification Errata A Revision 1.0
- Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) System Design Guide Revision 1.1
- Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) Entertainment PC Case Study Revision 1.0