New BTX Form Factor Announced At IDF

xyote writes "A new motherboard form factor was announced at IDF today. See Google News for various press stories on it (how's that for up to date links?). Also, go here for the actual BTX specs."

Comments

New Form Factor, and Easy to break!

[-Grover]

From here

A new technology available from Intel in mid-2004, will help to simplify home networking by including a wireless access point and router functionality as an embedded feature of the PC to help minimize the need for external equipment or cables to build a small home network.

Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but does anyone want to take a stab at how long it takes for this to turn into a problem?

Re:New Form Factor, and Easy to break!

[-Grover]

My issue is just with this portion
"to build a small home network"

I don't know how much work you do for friends/family, but I can forsee this causing alot of problems. People setting up a wireless home network without closing it off properly (which let's face it, is not in Joe User's 1 page install instructions) can be a pretty big problem.

Broadcasting wireless home network + shared drives - Mac Address Filtering = Bad.

I know I don't want to clean up that mess, or tell someone "Sorry bub, you got torn into and there isn't anything I can do about it."

On/Off dead, welcome to standby

[msgmonkey]

Much like a TV. That's what Intel/MS wants to do, make the PC into a "proper" consumer device.

New shape means a new case.

[d60b9y]

Can't read the specs, they seem to be slashdotted, how did that happen... Of course, the main thing that happens when a new form factor comes out is that everybody who wants to upgrade their motherboard needs to upgrade their case as well which means a nice fat pay-cheque for the the beige box builders... That, more than any technical reason, will probably drive the uptake of BTX.

Re:On off button

[DarkBlackFox]

As far as I know, upon bootup, the contents of the BIOS are decompressed to RAM to begin operation of the components. Naturally, upon power off, the contents of the RAM are cleared. If MRAM were implemented, even if only for BIOS functions, the entire decompression/hardware detection (IDE devices, kb/mouse, etc) would become null, considering how many hardware changes occur in the average computer between power cycles.

Re:On off button

[msgmonkey]

In answer to your question about avoiding rebooting even when the power is down, most likely to be "suspend to disk". Memory contents are copied to a part of the hard disk when you turn "off" and restored if the machine loses power.

The problem with suspend to disk is that you have to store the "state" of any adapters so that they can be restored too when power is restored. Your add-on adapters need to support this feature otherwise it just wont work, the spec has been out for a while but I'm not sure how well it has been implemented up to now.

What we really need

[stratjakt]

is not another desktop form factor.

This is just a neato way to make your old case and PSU obsolete come next upgrade. Hooray!

At least BabyAT to ATX made some sense, in that it generally relocated the hotter CPUs next to PSU fans, etc...

What we need is a common laptop form factor. I want to be able to buy an empty laptop chassis/lcd, my own mobo, drive, etc, etc an put one together... While possible, its a major hoof in the noots right now. I want to build a laptop with a trackball and full sized keyboard and not one of those useless touchpads or thumbsticks. I dont care if it's 8 inches wider than Dells junk.

Etc etc

Re:What we really need

[Anonymous Coward]

I must add to that by saying that the first big problem in commodity laptops is a standard method of interfacing to LCD/keyboard/etc..

Re:What we really need

[Kevin DeGraaf]

What we need is a common laptop form factor. [...] I want to build a laptop [...] I dont care if it's 8 inches wider than [Dell's] junk

Let me get this straight: you want a laptop that's 8 inches wider than standard laptops.

If we assume current laptops are around 12 inches wide, you're talking about a 20" laptop.

And you think this monstrosity will become a "common" form factor?

Re:What we really need

[Zathrus]

This is just a neato way to make your old case and PSU obsolete come next upgrade. Hooray!

Glad you RTFA.

The PS is identical - same connectors (as long as you have the newer PS w/ the 4-pin 12V connector), same lines, etc.

Doesn't look like the case needs to change either, although I haven't looked into the nitty gritty details of the mounting holes (appear to be the same at first glance) or volumetric zones (which look interesting; my first glance doesn't show any problems with cases that follow the true ATX spec and don't try to provide side vent holes for the CPU).

At least BabyAT to ATX made some sense, in that it generally relocated the hotter CPUs next to PSU fans, etc...

The ATX form factor made no sense at all when it was first released. Which is why it was revised quickly to make up for the utterly braindead ideas in it. The original spec called for the power supply to pull air inward and vent onto the CPU. So you had a huge heat source (the PS) sucking in cool air and then blowing the now warmed air onto an even warmer part of the case that desperately needs cooling (the CPU). The ATX 1.03 spec quickly remedied that and reversed the airflow of the PS back outwards.

Now you "merely" have one huge heat source (the CPU) located right between two other huge heat sources (PS and video). Yeah, that makes "sense".

Not to mention issues with putting this into a small form factor case where there is inadequate specs on maximum heights for components.

I won't even touch the laptop suggestion... other posters have done it justice already.

Why?

[freidog]

ok, i understand the rational for moving the CPU, in fact i applaud it, get my 60W space heater out from behind large large chunk of hot metal we call the PSU. I know many cases now turn the PSU 90 degrees from the ATX spec and mount it above the CPU, but requring good air flow around the CPU is nice addition. but some things here make very little sense to me. Like the +12V connector, they've already moved to a 24 pin BTX connector, so it's not like like they need legacy support for ATX boards, so why not make the +12V CPU power source part of the BTX connector? do they enjoy adding pigtails to clutter the inside of my case? -12VDC? i'm all for ensureing legacy support, but seriously what was the last desktop device to need a -12VDC rail? I want innovation for the sake of doing things better, not for making me buy new stuff. Looks to me like BTX is far more 'time to buy a new case' than 'hey we cleaned up alot of the hacks in ATX and tossed out the stuff we don't need anymore.'

Translation:

[DrCode]

"We're going after you gnerds who think you can upgrade by just plugging a new CPU or memory stick into your existing MB instead of buying a whole new computer. Muahahahahahahaha!"

What they really need (front panel connector)

[jameskojiro]

What all people who work on computers on a regular basis would say is that we all would like some kind of standard connector for the re-set button, the power button and the Hard Drive LED. Why can't they put some thought in designing that part of the computer. I remeber having to look up motherboard manuals on the net because I had no idea which connector went where on the front panel. Mabye they should design an all encompassing front panel connector that would include some USB ports in them. Or mabye a standard for soundcard where you can re-direct your speakers to the front for people who use headphones.