BTX (form factor)

BTX, or Balanced Technology Extended, is a form factor for computer motherboards, originally intended to supersede ATX (Advanced Technology Extended). Developed by Intel, BTX aimed to address thermal management and airflow issues that were becoming increasingly problematic in high-performance PCs during the early 2000s.

The core design philosophy of BTX revolves around a more linear component placement compared to ATX. This layout was intended to improve airflow by creating a direct path from the front of the case to the rear exhaust, allowing a single large fan to cool critical components like the CPU, chipset, and graphics card. The motherboard is typically mounted on the left side of the case (when viewed from the front), reversing the placement of components compared to ATX.

Key characteristics of the BTX form factor include:

• Lower Profile: BTX motherboards are generally shorter in height than ATX motherboards.

• Thermal Management: The emphasis on airflow and component placement was designed for more efficient cooling. A thermal module was placed to cool the CPU and chipset together.

• Component Orientation: Key components like the CPU socket, memory slots, and expansion slots are positioned differently than in ATX, enabling the linear airflow path.

• Support Structures: BTX motherboards typically require a different case design compared to ATX.

Despite its innovative design aimed at addressing thermal challenges, BTX failed to gain widespread adoption. This was partly due to the increasing efficiency of processors and graphics cards, which reduced the need for such drastic cooling solutions. The industry largely addressed thermal management through other methods like heat sinks and liquid cooling, rather than adopting a completely new form factor. As a result, ATX remains the dominant form factor for desktop PCs.

Several variations of BTX existed, including MicroBTX (a smaller version) and PicoBTX (an even smaller variant). These smaller versions were intended for smaller form factor PCs. However, they also suffered from the same lack of industry support as the standard BTX form factor.

While not currently a prevalent form factor, BTX represents an attempt to rethink PC design to improve cooling and airflow, and its development influenced subsequent advances in thermal management within the PC industry.