Motherboard form factorIn computing, the motherboard form factor is the specification of a motherboard – the dimensions, power supply type, location of mounting holes, number of ports on the back panel, etc. Specifically, in the IBM PC compatible industry, standard form factors ensure that parts are interchangeable across competing vendors and generations of technology, while in enterprise computing, form factors ensure that server modules fit into existing rackmount systems.
VIA TechnologiesVIA Technologies, Inc. (Chinese: 威盛電子; pinyin: Wēishèng Diànzǐ) is a Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits, mainly motherboardchipsets, CPUs, and memory. It was once the world's largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets. As a fabless semiconductor company, VIA conducts research and development of its chipsets in-house, then subcontracts the actual (silicon) manufacturing to third-party merchant foundries such as TSMC.
IntelAmerican multinational technology companyIntel Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It designs, manufactures, and sells computer components such as central processing units (CPUs) and related products for business and consumer markets.
EPIAVIA EPIA (VIA Embedded Platform Innovative Architecture) is a series of mini-ITX, em-ITX, nano-ITX, pico-ITX and pico-ITXe motherboards with integrated VIA processors. They are small and consume less power than computers of comparable capabilities.
Thermal design powerThermal design power (TDP), also known as thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat that a computer component (CPU, GPU, or system on chip) can generate and that its cooling system is designed to dissipate during normal operation at a non-turbo clock rate (base frequency). Some sources state that the peak power rating for a microprocessor is usually 1.5 times the TDP rating. Graphics processing units are known to have even larger discrepancies between peak and TDP.
Riser cardA riser card is a printed circuit board that gives a computer motherboard the option for additional expansion cards to be added to the computer or for existing expansion cards to be mounted in a different location. A riser cable is a flexible design obtained by replacing at least some part of the board with a flexible cable, often a ribbon cable. A common setup includes one PCB with an edge connector on each side of the cable.
ATXATX (Advanced Technology Extended) is a motherboard and power supply form factor and configuration specification developed by Intel. It aimed to improve on previous de facto standards such as the AT design. Originally released in July 1995, it was the first major change in desktop computer enclosure, motherboard and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts.
Peripheral Component InterconnectPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a local computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer and is part of the PCI Local Bus standard. The PCI bus supports the functions found on a processor bus but in a standardized format that is independent of any given processor's native bus. Devices connected to the PCI bus appear to a bus master to be connected directly to its own bus and are assigned addresses in the processor's address space.Expansion cardIn computing, an expansion card, also known as an expansion board, adapter card, peripheral card or accessory card, is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot (also referred to as a bus slot) on a computer's motherboard (see also backplane) to add functionality to a computer system. Sometimes the design of the computer's case and motherboard involves placing most (or all) of these slots onto a separate, removable card.
PCI ExpressComputer expansion bus standardA PCIe 3.0 x8 host bus adapterVarious slots on a computer motherboard, from top to bottom: PCI Express x4PCI Express x16PCI Express x1PCI Express x16Conventional PCI (32-bit, 5 V)PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a high-speed standard used to connect hardware components inside computers. It is designed to replace older expansion bus standards such as PCI, PCI-X and AGP.
Home theater PCA home theater PC (HTPC) or media center computer is a convergent device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a media center application that focuses on video, photo, audio playback, and sometimes video recording functionality. Since the mid-2000s, other types of consumer electronics, including game consoles and dedicated media devices, have crossed over to manage video and music content.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.