Welcome to a guide on the types of computer cases and motherboard form factors. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Types of computer cases and motherboard factors utilize. Over time, in the computer industry, we have had a number of different motherboard form factors being developed.
The manufacturer thus produces motherboards which have some common features like their shape,size, and dimensions. Now, in this episode, what i want to do is cover the form factors that youre going to be seeing on the exam, and just to give you some idea of how it works and the motivations for doing form factors. To be sure that a given board will fit into a pc case, you need to. Probably the most common form factor for a motherboard is the atx form factor. Motherboards and bios 85 inside information the motherboard manual theres no way that a single book like this can show you all of the. This form factor can be employed for small sized and extremely low power computers. Computer form factors comprise a number of specific industry standards for motherboards, specifying dimensions, power supplies, placement of mounting holes and ports, and other parameters. Configured manually using jumpers, switches or both.
The different form factors for the motherboard along with the dimensions that each size goes up to. In computing, the form factor is the specification of a motherboard the dimensions, power. Some computer systems are designed with more than one type of memory socket, allowing a choice between two or more form factors. But if you want to overclock an intel chip or you need a lot of ports, you will have to spend more.
A basic guide to motherboard, case and power supply form factors. So, if you take a look here on my desk, what i have are three very different sized motherboards. The terms motherboard, main board, system board, and planar are interchangeable, although i prefer the motherboard designation. Some of the information is considered legacy and provided for. But there are some very distinguishing characteristics that can help you determine exactly what size motherboard youre working with. Just how many different types of computer cases are there in the market, what are their sizes, and which one should you get. It is often used to describe the size of circuit boards. The most popular motherboard form factors are atx, microatx a smaller version of atx, and miniitx a smaller version of microatx. Different types of motherboard form factors with definition the computer motherboard comes in lots of variety they differ in size, shape, dimensions, compatibility to hold cpus and power supply. Form factor motherboard size description microbtx up to 10. A diagram and explanation of motherboard parts and their. The motherboard can have a number of different form factors.
In additional to the dimension, a form factor will also dictate the layout and specifications of the ports, expansion slots, mounting holes, power supply, and of motherboard components. Motherboard form factors early pcs used the at form factor and 12in wide motherboards. Most servers are housed in a traditional tower case, similar to the tower cases used for desktop computers. The computer networking term form factor refers to the size, shape, and packaging of a hardware device.
When you are building a computer or replacing a motherboard, it is important to obtain the correct form factor. After that, however, the size of the motherboard was reduced and boards using the at advanced technology form factor was released. To help you compare the difference in motherboard sizes, we have laid out all three standard motherboard form factors side by side in the image below. The case used for a computer must match the motherboard form factor. Form factor refers to the size and shape of the motherboard, the types of connectors on the board, their layout, and how the board fits into the computer case. Content provided on this page contains information and standards formerly located on the website. The term is commonly used in describing the size andor arrangement of a device, acomputer case or chassis or one of its internal components such as a motherboard or a daughterboard. There are many different motherboard form factors that provide the best starting point for any project. As a result, almost all consumer motherboards sold today belong to one of these form factors. As the first major innovation in form factors in years, it marked the beginning of a new era in motherboard design.
The manufacturer thus produces motherboards which have some. Below well diagram most of the major ports, headers, and slots common on todays motherboards, followed by some helpful basics about expansion. Form factor processor socket for cpu and chipset buses and number of bus slots speed other power connectors, slots, and ports on the motherboard motherboard types and features. It also specifies what type of case and power supply will be supported, the placement of mounting holes, and the physical layout and organization of the board. The motherboard is the main board in your computer that contains the bios chips, ram, io ports, and cpu.
A form factor is introduced in scattering problems to account for the spatial extent of the scatterer. Fur pc motherboards hauptplatinen werden zum beispiel abmessungen, bestuckungshohen. Most computer systems have memory sockets that can accept only one form factor. Whether you are looking for types of motherboard form factors mini atx motherboards atx motherboards micro atx matx motherboards eatx extended atx slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Pages in category motherboard form factors the following 37 pages are in this category, out of 37 total. A smaller form factor is itx, which comes in miniitx, nanoitx, and picoitx sizes. The different types of atx are known as microatx sometimes shown as atx, miniatx, flexatx, eatx, watx, nanoatx, picoatx, and mobileatx. There have been a variety of form factors over the decades. In this video, youll learn about the atx and microatx standards, as well as the smaller itx standard motherboard form factors. The size of your motherboard affects the size of the case you need for your build.
Youll find some very large motherboard, youll find very small motherboards. Motherboard form factors explained guide to motherboard. Form factors such as physical size, shape, component placement, power supply connectors etc. Types of computer cases and motherboard factors utilize windows. Various form factors of motherboards are at, baby at, atx, miniatx, microatx, flex atx, lpx and mini lpx and nlx. The term covers technical specifications andor generalpurpose. Information is provided to help in the design and development of related motherboard form factor compliant computer systems.
Limited to 1mb of memory has an eightbit isa bus atstyle form factor motherboard come in a variety of form factors and are designed with different clock speeds and. Miniitx boards can also be cooled easily because of their low power consumption architecture. Some cases can accommodate different form factors, but you should always check. The form factor of any memory module describes its size and pin configuration.
In this video i show four different motherboards and describe their form factor and main components. Different motherboard comes with different form factors but the common form factors are at and atx. The picoitx is the motherboard form factor announced by the via technologies in january 2007. Motherboard form factors without a doubt, the most important component in a pc system is the main board or motherboard. To help you compare the difference in motherboard sizes, we have laid out all three standard motherboard form factors side by side in the. A typical atx motherboard with nothing connected chapter 4. Form factor is shorthand for the dimensions and layout of a given desktop motherboard. Form, hardware, hardware terms, motherboard, motherboard terms, standard. Nlx thermal design suggestions thermal and mechanical design guide rev 1. Some companies refer to the motherboard as a system board or planar. A miniatx motherboard is a slightly smaller variation of the full atx size that measures 11. Also contains ram slots, system chipset, controllers and underlying circuit to tie it. When choosing a system case, other than considering the size of the computer that we want, the most important thing is to match the motherboard form factor with the form factor supported by the computer case. The motherboard is the foundation of many computing devices.
Chapter form factors, power supplies, and working inside a. Standard atx most of the time referred to as simply atx standard atx specifies length to. Motherboard basics a recent tech tip covered the basics of selecting a computer caseand made mention of the various sizes that correspond to motherboards of different form factors. Picobtx up to 8 wide smaller than microbtx and can have up to two expansion slots. For form factors of computing components other than motherboards, see form factor design. If you see the term applied to software or programming, it will usually mean the size of the program or. The modern form factors are true standards, which guarantees improved interchangeability within each type. Today, the most common motherboard form factor for desktop computers is the atx form factor. Nearly every motherboard for home computers at your local pc shop or online will be in one of these flavors.
Other product and corporate names may be trademarks or registered. The mounting hole positions for the atx formfactor motherboard were carefully chosen. These are largely used in small form factor sff computer systems. The easiest way to categorize memory is by form factor. Expansion slots for installing different cards like video, sound, graphics, and nic. Feb 05, 2008 in this video i show four different motherboards and describe their form factor and main components. One of the most obvious characteristics of a motherboard is the physical form factor, the size of the motherboard itself. There are many standard sizes of motherboards, and the different sizes provide different advantages and disadvantages. To increase general awareness of pc users on motherboard sizes and form factors, the following outlines most known atx motherboard form factors in a simple guide. In computing, the form factor is the specification of a motherboard the dimensions, power supply type, location of mounting holes. The sheer size of an at motherboard caused problems for upgrading pcs and did not allow use of the increasingly popular slimline desktop cases. The succession of motherboard form factors the form factor of a motherboard determines the specifications for its general shape and size.
The original motherboard xt form factor evolved to 40 different forms, all deviating from the traditional personal computer use case. Dec 06, 2000 form factor refers to the size and shape of the motherboard, the types of connectors on the board, their layout, and how the board fits into the computer case. A consequence is that there can be some quite wide variation in design detail between different manufacturers\ motherboards. Motherboard specifications explained and more pc rookies. Determines general layout, size and feature placement on the motherboard. Types of motherboards on the motherboard pearson it. As different form factor depend upon size, shape, compatibility and capacity for example at motherboard can be installed in a specific case which supports at motherboard,you will not be able to. Motherboards come in different sizes, known as form factors. A few people wrote in expressing interest in understanding more about the basics of motherboards, and thats exactly what this tech tip intends to address.
And in this video, well look at a number of different motherboard form factors. If an operating system supports the feature, it can turn off the power to a system after the shutdown procedure is done. Complete guide to understand motherboard by ganesh prabhakaran updated june 22, 2018 the motherboard is a printed circuit boardpcb it holds all the major components such as ram slots, cpu slot, bios, sata and ide slots, expansion slots video, audio, pci cards etc. While there are dozens of form factors for desktop computers, most of them are either obsolete or developed for specialized purposes as a result, almost all consumer motherboards sold today belong to one of these form factors. Miniitx boards can also be cooled easily because of. The intel advancedml motherboard, launched in 1996, was designed to solve issues of space and airflow that the pentium ii and agp graphics cards had caused the preceding lpx form factor. The main circuit board inside a computer that connects the different parts of a computer together. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Below is a listing of the various motherboard form factors and links to additional information about each of them. For computer form factors both larger and smaller than desktop personal computers, see list of computer size categories. Just like other pc components, motherboards have standardized form factors, including atx, microatx, and miniitx.
Initially these boards only supported the via processors. May 23, 2017 whether you are looking for types of motherboard form factors mini atx motherboards atx motherboards micro atx matx motherboards eatx extended atx slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. The probability amplitude for a pointlike scatterer is modi. For form factors of computing components other than motherboards, see form factor. However, keeping to the standards allows case manufacturers to develop for particular motherboard form factors, a boon for home builders, modders and pc technicians. Because of this, the standard depth of atx and micro atx boards is often defined as a maximum.
Chapter form factors, power supplies, and working inside. In this video, youll learn about the differences between the atx, microatx, and miniitx form factors. Of course, you can put smaller motherboard inside a bigger case, if the motherboard screw holes align, but the ideal situation is that both the motherboard and the case share the same form factor. Computer motherboard and their different types chtips. Motherboards come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, which is known as the form factor. Atx motherboards are easiest to install in atx cases. Form factor refers to the overall dimensions and component layout of a devicein other words, its physical size and packaging. Motherboard form factors recall from chapter 1 that a motherboard form factor determines the size of the board and its features that make it compatible with power supplies and cases. Server computers typically come in one of three form factors.
Overview of motherboard form factors atx, etax, miniitx. This guide can be a pdf file stored on the cd or dvd. Small form factor sff, a more loosely defined set of standards which may refer to both motherboards and computer cases. This board maintains the electrical pathways that enable all other components to communicate with each other.
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