HEXUS.beans :: Intel shuffles BTX in to its deep dark closet

[DR]

BTX to be buried in the Intel closet as a retail proposition

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=6685

[charleski]

Very short-sighted of Intel.

Just because their current chips are more efficient they ditch the platform? BTX had a lot going for it, with better thermal performance for all parts of the system. I suspect this decision will come back to bite them (and us all) in a few years.

[0iD]

Always wondered why it wasn't more popular tbh. Shame, they could've refined it further & made it the de-facto format.

[awm]

So Intel gets everybody worked up over this, trying to convince everybody it's the best thing since sliced bread and then they pull it out. I'm sure everybody will be after CTX or whatever they release next. [/sarcasm]

[dave87]

I think it worked quite well, but the problem came in that not all motherboards, especially of the passive variety, didn't support the BTX layout. That was the stumbling block, and if they had sorted that then they would have been a lot more popular

[Stoo]

Wasn't there some sort of licensing wrangle with BTX as well?

[DR]

BTX was free

If you chose to buy the Intel thermal module you pay for it - but you can buy them from anyone - AKASA etc

[charleski]

Right now, if you type BTX into google, the Hexus review comes out at the top.

Congrats

[chrestomanci]

The standard BTX layout is it quite Intel centric that makes it unattractive for AMD motherboards, and probably less useful for Intel going forward.

Here is a picture of an Intel DG965MQ Micro BTX motherboard .



The big heat sink next to the RAM slots is the Northbridge. The CPU socket is further from the RAM at the front of the board. The position of the RAM, CPU and Northbridge are all part of the standard, and cannot be moved. Clearly this works well for current Intel designs where the memory controller is in the north bridge, but not for current AMD designs where the memory controller is in the CPU. That is one reason why BTX AMD motherboards are very rare.

The thing is, Intel are probably realising that AMD had the right idea about putting the memory controller in the CPU, and if they adopt that design then they will face the same disadvantages with BTX as AMD have.

[dave87]

Thats a BTX motherboard for an ATX Case- where as most BTX cases mount the motherboard on the other side afaik....

[amjedm]

I'm glad it got ditched (yes I'm a bit of an AMD fanboi).

I'm sure I read somewhere that AMD weren't going to (or couldn't) support it?

[dangel]

David, what's a 'closest' ?

[Stoo]

David, what's a 'closest' ?

A typo'ed 'closet', Mr Pedantic

[charleski]

The big heat sink next to the RAM slots is the Northbridge. The CPU socket is further from the RAM at the front of the board. The position of the RAM, CPU and Northbridge are all part of the standard, and cannot be moved.

Hmm. Here's a picture of a prototype AMD BTX board, not sure if it ever got to market

The positioning of the CPU, RAM and Northbridge are rather different.

[Funkstar]

Thats a BTX motherboard for an ATX Case- where as most BTX cases mount the motherboard on the other side afaik....

How is that possible? the PCI slots are at the wrong side of the ports, i don't see how it would fit an ATX case at all.

[sunnyg]

alot of cases allow them to be changed to btx