 is a specification of physical

dimensions, layouts, and other

explicit information
 is used to determine what power

supply, computer cases and

motherboards
 Ex.AT (baby AT), ATX (Micro ATX,
Mini-ATX, FlexATX), BTX, LPX
(Mini LPX), NLX and Backplane
 IBM invented the AT form factor in the early
’80s
◦ Lasted through mid ’90s
◦ Currently obsolete
◦ Large keyboard socket, split power socket (P8/P9)
◦ Baby AT was smaller version

 Alternatives were
◦ LPX
◦ NLX
 Both offered expansion
on central riser cards
 More built-in connectors
 LPX and NLX designed for slimline cases
 Created in 1995
◦ About the same size as Baby AT
◦ Had many ports accessible from rear of PC
including mini-DIN
◦ RAM was closer to Northbridge and CPU for better
performance
◦ Uses the soft power feature to turn PC on and off
through software
 MicroATX and FlexATX are two smaller
versions of ATX
◦ Many techs and Web sites use the term mini-ATX to
describe these boards
◦ Cases need to be matched to motherboards
◦ Can’t put a larger motherboard into a smaller case
◦ Case manufacturers have made
accommodations for smaller
motherboards in larger cases
 Balanced Technology eXtended (BTX)
◦ Due to heat, cooler form factors needed
◦ I/O ports and expansion slots switched
◦ CPU moved to front of the motherboard
◦ Thermal unit blows CPU heat directly out
◦ Widely publicized; completely DOA

 Proprietary form factors

◦ Unique to a specific company
◦ Don’t follow standards and require
upgrades and service from that
company
◦ Difficult to support
 Form factor Originated Size
AT(Advanced Technology) IBM 1984 12x11­13 in

ATX Intel 1996 12x9.6 in

microATX Intel 1996 9.6x9.6 in
NLX Intel 1999 8­9x10­13.6 in
BTX(Balanced 
Technology Extended) Intel 2004 12.8x10.5 in
PCI/104  PC/104 Consortium 
Express 2008 3.8x3.6
Form Factor Notes

AT Obsolete, created by IBM for the IBM personal computer. 
Superseded by ATX

ATX Created by Intel. As of 2007, it is the most popular form factor

Small variant of the ATX (25% shorter). Has fewer slots than ATX 
microATX for a smaller power supply.

NLX A low­profile design released in 1997. It also incorporated a riser for 
expansion cards, and never became popular.

According to Intel the layout has better cooling. BTX Boards are 
BTX flipped in comparison to ATX Boards

Used in embedded systems
PCI/104 Express PCI Express architecture adapted to vibration­tolerant header 
connectors.
 Minitower - AT, Micro ATX
 Mid Tower - ATX, Mini-ATX, BTX, Micro

ATX (depends on the ATX case type, in

this case any Tower that is Branded with
ATX 2.1, the micro can be used)
 Full Tower - ATX, Mini-ATX, BTX,

 Slimline Desktop - NLX, LPX, Mini-LPX

 CPU
 Chipset
 Memory
 Expansion Slots
 Graphics
 Audio
 LAN
 Connectors
 BIOS
 A chipset defines
◦ The processor type
◦ Type and capacity of RAM
◦ What internal and external
devices the motherboard will
support
 It serves as the electronic
interface through which the
CPU, RAM, and I/O devices
interact
 Most modern chipsets have
two primary chips
◦ Northbridge
◦ Southbridge
 Northbridge
◦ Helps the CPU work with RAM (on Intel-based systems)
◦ Communicates with video on newer AMD systems
 Southbridge
◦ Handles expansion devices and mass storage drives
◦ Sits between expansion slots and hard drive controllers
 Super I/O chip
◦ Provides legacy support for serial
ports, parallel ports, floppy drives,
and more
 Schematic of
a modern
chipset
 Not always called Northbridge and
Southbridge

 Intel-based motherboards may refer to them

as
◦ Memory Controller Hub (MCH) for Northbridge
◦ I/O Controller Hub (ICH) for Southbridge

 Require drivers, though Windows has some

generic driver support
 Intel

 NVIDIA

 AMD (ATI)

 VIA

 SiS

 Ali
 The power bus
 The front side bus

- CPU to components w/c communicates

frequently
 The back side bus

-bet. the CPU and the layer-2 cache

 I/O Busses

◦ The Peripheral Component Interface (PCI)

bus
◦ The Universal Serial Bus (USB)
◦ Firewire bus
 Other I/O Busses