Computer form factor

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For computers form factors both larger and smaller than desktop personal computers, see list of computer size categories. In computing, a form factor specifies the physical dimensions of major system components. Specifically, in the IBM PC compatible industry, standard form factors ensure that parts are interchangable across competing vendors and generations of technology, while in enterprise computing, form factors ensure that server modules fit into existing rackmount systems. Traditionally, the most significant specification is for that of the motherboard, which generally dictates the overall size of the case. Small form factors have been developed and implemented, but further reduction in overall size is hampered by current power supply technology.
Contents
[hide]

1 Overview of form factors 2 Comparisons

o o o

2.1 Tabular information 2.2 Graphical comparison of physical sizes 2.3 Maximum number of PCI/AGP/PCI-e slots

3 Visual examples of different form factors 4 PC/104 and EBX 5 Mini PC

5.1 Examples

6 References 7 See also

[edit]Overview

of form factors

Pictorial comparison of some common computer form factors.

A PC motherboard is the main circuit board within a typical desktop computer, laptop or server. Its main functions are as follows:

to serve as a central backbone to which all other modular parts such as CPU, RAM, and hard drives can be attached as required to create a modern computer;

to accept (on many motherboards) different components (in particular CPU and expansion cards) for the purposes of customization;

to distribute power to PC components; to electronically co-ordinate and interface the operation of the components.

As new generations of components have been developed, the standards of motherboards have changed too; for example, withAGP being introduced, and more recently PCI Express. However, the standardized size and layout of motherboard have changed much more slowly, and are controlled by their own standards. The list of components a motherboard must include changes far more slowly than the components themselves. For example, north bridge controllers have changed many times since their introduction, with many manufacturers bringing out their own versions, but in terms of form factor standards, the requirement to allow for a north bridge has remained fairly static for many years. Although it is a slower process, form factors do evolve regularly in response to changing demands. The original PC standard (AT) was superseded in 1995 by the current industry standard ATX, which still dictates the size and design of the motherboard in most modern PCs. The latest update to the ATX standard was released in 2007. A divergent standard by chipset manufacturer VIA called EPIA(also known as ITX, and not to be confused with EPIC) is based upon smaller form factors and its own standards. Differences between form factors are most apparent in terms of their intended market sector, and involve variations in size, design compromises and typical features. Most modern computers have very similar requirements, so form factor differences tend to be based upon subsets and supersets of these. For example, a desktop computer may require more sockets for maximal flexibility and many optional connectors and other features on-board, whereas a computer to be used in a multimedia system may

need to be optimized for heat and size, with additional plug-in cards being less common. The smallest motherboards may sacrifice CPU flexibility in favor of a fixed manufacturer's choice.

[edit]Comparisons [edit]Tabular

information
Typical feature- Typical Power Notes set CPU Max. size handlin (typical usage, Market (compare flexibilit g adoption, etc.) d to y ATX) Obsolete, see Industry Standard Architecture. The IBM Personal Computer XT was the successor to the originalIBM PC, its 8.5 11 in first home computer. 216 279 mm As the specifications were open, many clone motherboar ds were produced and it became a de facto standard. Obsolete, see Industry Standard Architecture. Created by IBM for the IBM Personal 12 1113 in Computer/AT, an Intel 305 279 80286 machine. Also 330 mm known as Full AT, it was popular during the era of the Intel 80386 microprocessor. Superseded by ATX. IBM's 1985 successor to the AT motherboard. 8.5 1013 in Functionally equivalent 216 254 to the AT, it became 330 mm popular due to its significantly smaller size. Created by Intel in 1995. As of 2007, it is the most popular form 12 9.6 in factor for commodity 305 244 mm motherboards. Typical size is 9.6 12 in although some companies extend that

Form factor

Originated

XT

IBM 1983

AT (Advanced Technology)

IBM 1984

Baby-AT

IBM 1985

ATX

Intel 1996

SSI CEB

SSI

12 10.5 in 305 267 mm

SSI EEB

SSI

12 13 in 305 330 mm

SSI MEB

SSI

16.2 13 in 411 330 mm

microATX

1996

9.6 9.6 in 244 244 mm

Mini-ATX

AOpen 2005

5.9 5.9 in 150 150 mm

to 10 12 in. Created by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) forum. Derived from the EEB and ATX specifications. This means that SSI CEB motherboards have the same mounting holes and the same IO connector area as ATX motherboards. Created by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) forum. Derived from the EEB and ATX specifications. This means that SSI CEB motherboards have the same mounting holes and the same IO connector area as ATX motherboards. Created by the Server System Infrastructure (SSI) forum. Derived from the EEB and ATX specifications. This means that SSI CEB motherboards have the same mounting holes and the same IO connector area as ATX motherboards. A smaller variant of the ATX form factor (about 25% shorter). Compatible with most ATX cases, but has fewer slots than ATX, for a smaller power supply unit. Very popular for desktop and small form factor computers as of 2007. Mini-ATX is slightly smaller than MicroITX. Mini-ATX motherboards were design with MoDT

FlexATX

Intel 1999

9.0 7.5 in 228.6 190.5 m m max.

Mini-ITX

VIA 2001

6.7 6.7 in 170 170 mm max.

Nano-ITX

VIA 2003

4.7 4.7 in 120 120 mm

(Mobile on Desktop Technology) which adapt mobile CPU for lower power requirement, less heat generation and better application capability. A subset of microATX developed by Intel in 1999. Allows more flexible motherboard design, component positioning and shape. Can be smaller than regular microATX. A small, highlyintegrated form factor, designed for small devices such as thin clients and set-top boxes. Targeted at smart digital entertainment devices such as PVRs, set-top boxes, media centers and Car PCs, and thin devices.

Pico-ITX Mobile-ITX

VIA 2007 VIA 2007

100 72 mm max. 2.953 1.772 in 75 45 mm A standard proposed by Intel as a successor to ATX in the early 2000s, according to Intel the layout has better cooling. BTX Boards are flipped in comparison to ATX Boards, so a BTX or MicroBTX Board needs a BTX case, while an ATX style board fits in an ATX case. The RAM slots and the PCI slots are parallel to each other. Processor is placed closest to the fan. May contain a CNR board.

BTX (Balanced Technology Extended)

Intel 2004

12.8 10.5 in 325 267 mm max.

MicroBTX (oruBT X) PicoBTX DTX Mini-DTX

Intel 2004

Intel 2004 AMD 2007 AMD 2007

10.4 10.5 in 264 267 mm max. 8.0 10.5 in 203 267 mm max. 200 244 mm max. 200 170 mm max. 66 85 mm Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a baseboard. Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a baseboard. Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a carrier board. Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a carrier board. Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a carrier board. Also known as COM Express Ultra and adheres to pin-outs Type 1 or Type 10[1] Used in embedded systems and single board computers. Requires a carrier board. Used in rackmount server systems. Typically used for server-class type motherboards with dual processors and too much circuitry for a standard ATX motherboard. The mounting hole pattern for the upper portion of the board matches

smartModule

Digital-Logic

ETX

Kontron

95 114 mm

COM Express Basic

PICMG

95 125 mm

COM Express Compact

PICMG

95 95 mm

nanoETXexpress

Kontron

55 84 mm

CoreExpress

SFF-SIG

58 65 mm

Extended ATX(EATX)

Unknown

12 13 in 305 330 mm

LPX

Unknown

9 1113 in 229 279 330 mm

ATX. Based on a design by Western Digital, it allowed smaller cases than the AT standard, by putting the expansion card slots on a Riser card.[2] Used in slimline retail PCs. LPX was never standardized and generally only used by large OEMs. Used in slimline retail PCs. Used in embedded systems. AT Bus (ISA) architecture adapted to vibrationtolerant header connectors. Used in embedded systems. PCI Bus architecture adapted to vibration-tolerant header connectors. Used in embedded systems. PCI Express architecture adapted to vibration-tolerant header connectors. Used in embedded systems. PCI/104-Express without the legacy PCI bus. A low-profile design released in 1997. It also incorporated a riser for expansion cards, and never became popular. Used in embedded systems and IPCs. Requires a baseboard. A large design for servers and high-end workstations featuring multiple CPUs and hard drives. A proprietary design for servers and high-end

Mini-LPX

Unknown

89 1011 in 203229 254 279 mm

PC/104

PC/104 Consortium199 2

3.8 3.6 in

PC/104-Plus

PC/104 Consortium199 7

3.8 3.6 in

PC/104 PCI/104-Express Consortium200 8

3.8 3.6 in

PCIe/104

PC/104 Consortium200 8

3.8 3.6 in

NLX

Intel 1999

89 1013.6 in 203229 254 345 mm

UTX

TQComponents 2001

88 108 mm

WTX

Intel 1998

14 16.75 in 355.6 425.4 m m 16.48 13 in 418 330 mm

SWTX

Supermicro ?

HPTX

EVGA 2008

13.6 15 in 345.44 381 m m

XTX [edit]Graphical

2005

95 114 mm

workstations featuring multiple CPUs. A large design by EVGA, it has dual-CPU (Intel Xeon 55xx and 56xx) support, FourWay nVIDIA SLI or ATi Crossfire support, up to 8 3.5in HDD support, and supports 48GB of RAM. Cases need to have at least 9 expansion slots and the required dimensions to be compatible. Used in embedded systems. Requires a baseboard.

comparison of physical sizes

[edit]Maximum

number of PCI/AGP/PCI-e slots

ATX case compatible:

Specification

Number

HPTX

ATX

MicroATX

FlexATX

DTX

Mini-DTX/DTX 2

Mini-ITX

[edit]Visual

examples of different form factors

Different form factors

ATX (Abit KT7)

mini-ITX (VIA EPIA 5000AG)

Pico-ITX (VIA EPIA PX10000G)

[edit]PC/104

and EBX

PC/104 is an embedded computer standard which defines both a form factor and computer bus. PC/104 is intended for embedded computing environments. Single board computers built to this form factor are often sold by COTS vendors, which benefits users who want a customized rugged system, without months of design and paper work.

The PC/104 form factor was standardized by the PC/104 Consortium in 1992.[3] An IEEE standard corresponding to PC/104 was drafted as IEEE P996.1, but never ratified. The 5.75 8.0 in Embedded Board eXpandable (EBX) specification, which was derived from Ampro's proprietary Little Board form-factor, resulted from a collaboration between Ampro and Motorola Computer Group. As compared with PC/104 modules, these larger (but still reasonably embeddable) SBCs tend to have everything of a full PC on them, including application oriented interfaces like audio, analog, or digital I/O in many cases. Also it's much easier to fit Pentium CPUs, whereas it's a tight squeeze (or expensive) to do so on a PC/104 SBC. Typically, EBX SBCs contain: the CPU; upgradeable RAM subassemblies (e.g., DIMM); Flash memory for solid state disk; multiple USB, serial, and parallel ports; onboard expansion via a PC/104 module stack; off-board expansion via ISA and/or PCI buses (from the PC/104 connectors); networking interface (typically Ethernet); and video (typically CRT, LCD, and TV).

[edit]Mini

PC

Mini PC is a PC form factor very close in size to an external CD or DVD drive.

[edit]Examples
AOpen XC mini Apple's Mac mini