The Standards are Changing...BTX

[Rocketmech]

2004 is just around the corner, bringing with it a new formfactor for motherboards and cases. Balanced Technology eXtended form factor - or BTX for short.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1876&p=1

[chubtub]

Great now that I finally think I know enough about the current MB they go and change it on me.

Oh well nothing like new toys.

[iceblue]

i have to wait that long for a BTX..?

guess my next comp wont be complete till then.

[$1500-P4 gamer]

I like the agp riser idea so it stands upright. Would hav eto ask Peter M. But I would think with faster cards-and when transfers pick up with new port-might cause some signal problems from high freq and longer distance to mem and cpu. Dunno but I was under the impresion the shorter the traces since parallel the better. In parallel like that it all needs to arrive at destination at same time etc. Being AGP it access system mem to a extent....

But. I will say this change looks more beneficial to desktops then towers. That and the already HOT undercooled SLIM design pc's. Dont expect your pc to be cool quiet and super thin plus easily upgraded... The airflow of a good tower and proper mobo design already uses the cpu fan to blow over NB HSF and the Vreg. My A7n8x does this already. Intel just now thought it was a good idea to be layout spec???? Secondly wether cpu is in front or back-not gonna matter unless you got hot scsi's in the front bays or whatnot and next to no airflow, and then your just all the closer to the intense heat! My case air is pretty cool-everywhere. The heat from video is imediatly drawn out by the rear upper fan and the duel psu fan. The cpu heat is aswell. The mem in front top is cool enuff. THe Vreg's are already at back-cpu HSF air blows over them aswelll as having rear fan drawing air over them. The side blow hole (90mm) gives cpu fresh air. So what did they change for the better? Other than causing mass ocnfusion...I cant see the temps being more than 2c lower for case. The cpu is gonna be ruffly the same. They just said the psu spec and wiring is even the same. So only the mobo layout and thus case (cutouts for pci and etc.) changed. LOL. What a mess. ATX just got strange-its called BTX.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

I bette rnot have to change my bloody case for this

--Jakk

[bob05]

All this talk reminds me of when I first cracked open my computer found out I had an ole' Baby AT case and I couldn't fit an ATX mobo in it. Boy was I upset.

[DocEvi1]

I've just bought an ATX case with an ATX PSU! I'm going to upgrade before this is released!

[bushmaster]

Hopefully this will mean I can buy all sorts of ATX components really cheap as the BTX becomes the latest and greatest and must have for all those with endlessly deep pockets.

[rmanet]

Originally posted by bushmaster
Hopefully this will mean I can buy all sorts of ATX components really cheap as the BTX becomes the latest and greatest and must have for all those with endlessly deep pockets.

ditto

[Rocketmech]

Its not just the formfactor thats changing.
There is no AGP , the riser is for mounting orientation purposes to accomodate space . The switch is to PCI Express (3GIO), a x16 slot, the "choice of video card in these systems". Then you have PCI Express x1 slots , which can have added to them a standard PCI slot allowing versatility. The other 4 slots are standard PCI slots.
The BTX formfactor looks to support the upcoming Grantsdale chipset from Intel.

Here's a closer look at PCI Express

[$1500-P4 gamer]

"There is no AGP , the riser is for mounting orientation purposes to accomodate space ."

Uh, yes there is. The 16x pci-express slot at top is able to hold a agp card. Its backward compat form factor. Least that was what I read about 9 months ago about it. They might have changed but I seriuosly doubt it. As in what video will you use. No tmany will be ready in the new ppci express and thos that will, are gona be overpriced and selection severly limited. Not good for a large market in video. And who will be willing to give up their Very Expensive Graphic accell for a new form factor mobo. Not me. It has to support AGP or they are shooting their own foot big time. To add the pci express **** they didnt have to change the mobo layout or the case. That still didnt help at all. It didnt help heat. It still ATX power. So WHY are they changing it. I know $.

[Someone Stupid]

You can only use the riser card they said on half sized graphics boards from the looks of things, I read the article the other day. Will finally at least have the cooling setup make some bloody sense in how the board is layed out. Just don't care for a small case.

[Ol'Tunzafun]

It looks a lot like an AT layout. We are back to opening up the right hand side of the case with the processor up front and the vid card behind it.
We will need a new case (sorry Jakk ) but we can use our old AGP cards. The spec accomodates both 3.3v and 1.5v AGP cards.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

We will need a new case (sorry Jakk )

*insert random string of grumbled expletives*

Bloody 60 quid on a case for it to be rendered useless in under a year

--Jakk

[cwin]

What... so now i need a
New Case
New Motherboard
New Processor (prolly)
& a New PSU (prolly)