BTX not dead

Author: Wil Harris
Published: 19th June 2006

Put a BTX mobo in your new case?

An internal Intel presentation suggests that adoption of the BTX form factor isn't quite as bad as we might think.

Whilst there are almost no motherboards available for you and I to buy that are based on the form factor, BTX is being used by a good number of system builders, including Dell. 24% of PCs shipped in the first half of this year, using Intel, use BTX.

However, Intel is planning a push on retail parts, which could mean that 5% of all DIY builds are BTX by the end of this year.

Dell's new XPS 700 system uses standard BTX components.

The form factor is designed to be more thermally efficient, with quieter fans and better airflow. It also has a range of sizes, with PicoBTX being a Shuttle-sized standard form factor, allowing DIY-ers to build their own SFF boxes.

However, AMD has no plans to encourage people to go with BTX at present, leading to a split market.

There are more numbers over at DailyTech. What do you make of the BTX form factor? Does it really make much of a difference? Let us know your thoughts over in the forums.