First announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, AMD's new DTX motherboard specification has now been finalized. AMD is releasing DTX as an open industry standard with what it describes as "reasonable and nondiscriminatory" licensing terms. Although DTX is an AMD initiative, DTX boards will be able to support both AMD and Intel CPUs.
DTX boards are a bit smaller than micro-ATX boards, measuring 9.6" x 8.0" (micro-ATX boards are 9.6" x 9.6"). There is also a mini-DTX spec; those boards will measure 6.7" x 8.0". DTX motherboards will be able to fit in either DTX or ATX chassis, and DTX chassis will also be able to handle mini-ITX boards. The board sizes offer some manufacturing advantages over other form factors, as standard manufacturing panels will yield four DTX or six mini-DTX boards.
Expansion slots on DTX will be minimal: two slots, at least one of which will be PCIe. There was also to be an XpressCard hookup on the motherboard for WiFi and Bluetooth support, but it doesn't appear in the final DTX documentation. DTX systems will run relatively cool, as they are designed for CPUs with a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 65w. Mini-DTX systems will be limited to CPUs with a TDP of 35w or less.
AMD sees an opportunity in the market for DTX. Small form factor systems are growing in popularity, especially as more of the functionality previously handled by PCI slots moves onto the motherboard. "We're not trying to eliminate ATX," AMD told Ars. "But we believe that continued growth in the SFF market can be accelerated with a mechanical interoperability standard."
In addition to targeting SFF manufacturers and enthusiasts, AMD hopes to entice home and small business users who don't need a full ATX solution. The company also plans to pitch DTX to enterprise IT, highlighting its small footprint, quiet operation, and lessened electricity consumption.
No comments:
Post a Comment