Intel's Long Awaited BTX Form Factor
by Purav Sanghani on November 15, 2004 5:31 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Noise Testing ATX, BTX
Besides the thermal advantages Intel claims BTX to have over ATX, Intel also states that BTX systems will produce much lower sound levels then ATX systems. We can see this as being true since our BTX evaluation kit includes the AOpen B300 which has zero case fans. The only cooling equipment in this BTX system is the thermal module which adjusts its speed according to the overall temperature of the system and the power supply. In turn, the only hardware producing any sound in the system would be the thermal module and the power supply.As we measured the sound levels of the AOpen B300, we noticed that as the Pentium 550's temperature rose from 62 to 63 degrees, the fan speed increased from 1400rpm to 1700 rpm. We realized that the heat sink fan was overcompensating for the increase of 1 degree to bring the temperature back down to a stable level.
We see that the uBTX AOpen B300 combined with Intel's thermal module and FSP power supply produced an extremely quiet 41dB of sound compared to the ATX D.Vine 5 and uATX TT-501. The D.Vine 5 had dual 60mm fans at the back while the TT-501 actually had two 80mm fans at its rear that produced the extra 9-10dB along with the CPU heatsink fans and power supplies.
The low sound levels of the BTX system came at a price of slightly higher temperatures through the case. Is the point of BTX to eliminate case fans entirely or just reduce them to keep a positive balance between thermal and sound levels? If a 80mm or even a 60mm fan is placed at the back of the chassis directly in line with the CPU thermal module, the air flow will be increased having a greater cooling effect on the components while still keeping sound levels to a minimum.
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HardwareD00d - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
Instead of spending all the money to research BTX, Intel should have just made watercooling standard on the Prescott CPU. Apple could have said they stole the idea from them like everything else ;)Omega215D - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
It looks like Intel needs all the cooling it can get. I found an interesting article at Toms Hardware and here;s the closer about its heat problem "So, should a vendor release a product that is only able to run at its maximum performance under special circumstances? The fastest processors certainly are very exclusive devices, but that should not cause more troubles than necessary. The customer wants products that simply work! Think about that before releasing faster products, Intel." All I can say is wow, because I can remember my P3 866 didn't need all that cooling though now I moved on to AMD.HardwareD00d - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
It sounds like you can essentially get the same thermal performance from an ATX case by adding 1 additional case fan.At least Intel has decided not to push this new form factor down peoples throats. Honestly, that's what I figured they'd try to do.
Gatak - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
To have the powersupply and drive bays at the bottom is a good thing. It will keep the temperature more balanced inside the case and also provide more room at the top for cards and for exhaust fans, rather than craming everything up there.Pythias - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
ROFL #6!!Ecmaster76 - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
If a retail board showed up to a review with that horrible a component layout, it would be figuratively flogged.I find that the review was somewhat flawed since it failed to see what would happen with a discrete graphics card in the box. If one was used, I didn't spot it in the screenshot of the full ATX or uBTX screeshots, and it wasn't mentioned in the text.
Finally it should be mentioned that many people have theorized that the BTX layout would not work well for the Athlon64's onboard memory controller because of issues with trace layout. I'm no expert, but it does look like it might get a little tight.
ksherman - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
"Anand's *vacation* work trip to Taipei..."Probably one of the funniest things i have read in one of your reviews.... ;)
raskren - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
As always, so much Intel backlash, simply because, its Intel.This is how cases should have been done originally. Align all the hot components and put a fan in front and behind them. Makes sense, right?
Current ATX design is "put a fan on every hot item you have". At least that's how my case is.
LoneWolf15 - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
To me, BTX looks like a winner for only one niche: small form factor business desktops. By that definition, I don't include Shuttle's wonderful SFF PC's which work best for home and HTPC enthusiasts. The microBTX form factor looks great for an office environment where quiet operation is a real plus, as well as power consumption, and since business PC's don't need to be cutting-edge, middle-end processors can be used that don't generate a lot of heat.Tor the enthusiast however, BTX looks like a bust to me, more of an attempt by Intel to throw the market out of whack, specifically AMD's market. Enthusiasts already have case designs meant to exhaust a lot of air and keep systems cool. Many enthusiasts LIKE a little bit larger case so that they have more expansion room, with the exception of their HTPC, and so that they can house a decent power supply for that expansion.
I see HP, Compaq, IBM, and other mainstream business computing giants adopting BTX; it will probably do well in the business market as well as in mass retail, where OEMs would rather make a system with less fans to fail and at cheaper cost. That's a pretty big sector for profit of course, but this form factor, IMO, leaves PC enthusiasts out in the cold.
Beenthere - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
BTX is obviously NOT a great design. Intel changes sockets, Mobo and other specs periodically to FORCE people to update to their latest crap. Don't expect a rush to BTX. It's another Intel spec unlikely to ever gain foothold...For those who don't already know you can do wonders for ATX case cooling with "managed airflow". By actually directing incoming cool air to the heat sources and isolating the CPU fan from warm air in the case, no one really needs a BTX case and your PC will run much cooler with managed airflow.
While Intel definitely needs a tornado inside a box to cool their defective 90 nano CPUs, the BTX standard is just another Intel marketing scam for all practical purposes.
Just say NO !