BTX (computers)
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The Balanced Technology Extended formfactor (BTX for short) is slated to be the replacement for the aging ATX motherboard formfactor in late 2004 and early 2005. It has been 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.
Enhancements
- Low-profile - with the push for ever-smaller systems, a redesigned backplane that shaves inches off height requirements is a benefit to system integrators and enterprises who use rack mounts or blade servers.
- Thermal design - the BTX layout establishes a straighter path of airflow with fewer obstacles, resulting in better overall cooling capabilities. With CPUs and graphics cards being capable of consuming nearly 100W of power each, this is an essential improvement as computing technology develops in 2005 and 2006.
- Structural design - the greater need for heat sinks, capacitors, and other components dealing with electrical and thermal regulation has resulted in devices that can physically strain some motherboards. The BTX standard addresses this issue by specifying better locations for hardware mounting points.
Compatibility
Regular or full-sized BTX motherboards in a tower case will likely work fine with ATX power supplies, as neither the power connectors nor the direction of airflow from the power supply fan has been changed.
External links
- FormFactors.org (http://www.formfactors.org), a website dedicated to maintaining data and tools regarding the implementation of various form factors. Note that formfactors.org appears to be sponsored by Intel, and does not contain information about non-Intel form factors that are nevertheless quite popular, such as Mini-ITX.
- Detailed AnandTech discussion of the BTX design (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=1876&p=1)
- Hardwareanalysis.com report about the pros and cons of the BTX proposal (http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/article/1773/)de:BTX-Format