Introduction
The current layout of desktop computer systems, ATX, was originally released back in 1995. It was designed to standardize the design of the layout and power. It has worked extremely well for the past nine years, but limitations for the power delivery to components on the motherboard and the cooling have produced the need for a new design. The new Balanced Technology Extended or BTX standard was released in 2003 by Intel and is now starting to make its way into the marketplace.
Why a Need for a Standardized Layout?
Originally the AT and later ATX standards were developed by the industry to make it easier for manufacturers to ensure a level of compatibility with other components. In order for a computer to function, it has a number of core components that need to work together. These core components are the case, motherboard and power supply. By creating a standardized layout, it allows components from various manufacturers to easily be selected and used together. This benefits the manufacturers and consumer by providing a greater level of compatible choices for building a computer system.
Thermal Issues
One of the primary driving forces behind the new BTX designs is the tremendous amount of heat generated inside a computer. The increasing computing power requires a greater amount of electricity that leads to an increased amount of heat. The ATX design layout worked well for many years, but the ability to remove the heat from the computer requires more expensive or noisy solutions. The BTX format tries to address these by creating some unique attributes that allow for more efficient cooling.
The primary heat source inside of computer system is the processor. As the heat levels have increased, larger heat sinks and high rpm fans have been necessary to keep the heat levels down. This creates a larger strain on the ATX design due to its limited structure and increased noise.
The BTX design tries to change this my redesigning the layout of the motherboard for more efficient cooling. Essentially, the layout is design so that a new thermal module can fit over the processor, chipset and graphics. This thermal module is a large heat sink covered by a shroud or duct and a larger high volume fan. This changes the direction of the airflow through the computer to allow air to move in-line with the case.
Size Matters
With the reduction of component sizes and the increased number of capabilities integrated into single circuits, the size of the motherboard for the computer has been reduced. This led to the development of the microATX motherboard format, but now many manufacturers of cases and computers have gone to custom designed components to try and get the smallest case possible.
The BTX form factor tries to address this need for various size designs by developing several standardized sizes. The largest of these is the normal BTX design for full size computers. Next is the microBTX design that is very similar to the microATX design with its 3-4 expansion slots. Finally, there is the picoBTX design that only supports a single expansion slot but in a very small package.
Power Play
Power requirements have changed over the years since the original ATX specification. The original single ATX power connector was insufficient for the power needs of full sized desktop computers, so the ATX12V connector was added. Surprisingly, the BTX power designations continue to use the existing ATX12V power supplies. One additional new 6-pin power connector is being introduced but it can be mimicked through a power adapter with a standard ATX power supply.
Many of the smaller designed computer systems do not have the same power requirements as larger full sized system. To address this, several addition power specifications have been developed. The new CFX12V power supply is designed for use in small form factor systems and the LFX12V is designed for even smaller ultra-small form factor designs.
Conclusions
While the BTX form factor does address many of the issues that exist with the ATX form factor, it is going to have a hard time being accepted by the market. First, there is the huge investment that the manufacturers have in the ATX designs. To start offering cases, motherboards and power supplies for the BTX form factor requires them to develop and sell two product lines simultaneously. The other problem is that the design was spearheaded by Intel. While this helps Intel products, the motherboard layouts are not practical for the processor designs of the latest AMD processors. These two things combined mean that BTX has an uphill battle for widespread acceptance.
