ATX (Advunced TechnoIogy eXtended) is o mofherboord form focfor specificofion deveIoped by

InfeI in I99b fo improve on previous de focfo sfondords Iike fhe AT form focfor. If wos fhe firsf
big chonge in compufer cose, mofherboord, ond power suppIy design in mony yeors, improving
sfondordi;ofion ond inferchongeobiIify of porfs. The specificofion defines fhe key mechonicoI
dimensions, mounfing poinf, I/O poneI, power ond connecfor inferfoces befween o compufer cose, o
mofherboord, ond o power suppIy. Wifh fhe improvemenfs if offered, incIuding Iower cosfs, ATX
overfook AT compIefeIy os fhe defouIf form focfor for new sysfems wifhin o few yeors. ATX
oddressed mony of fhe AT form focfors onnoyonces fhof hod frusfrofed sysfem buiIders. Ofher
sfondords for smoIIer boords (incIuding microATX, FIexATX ond mini-ITX) usuoIIy keep fhe bosic
reor Ioyouf buf reduce fhe si;e of fhe boord ond fhe number of exponsion sIof posifions. In Z003,
InfeI onnounced fhe 8TX sfondord, infended os o repIocemenf for ATX. As of Z009, fhe ATX form
focfor remoins o sfondord for do-if-yourseIfers, 8TX hos however mode inroods info pre-mode
sysfems.This wos designed fo soIve fhe probIems in 8AT ond LPX Mofherboords


Connectors
ATX I/O pIofes for mofherboord reor connecfors
On fhe bock of fhe sysfem, some mojor chonges were mode. The AT sfondord hod onIy o keyboord
connecfor ond exponsion sIofs for odd-on cord bockpIofes. Any ofher onboord inferfoces (such os
serioI ond poroIIeI porfs) hod fo be connecfed vio fIying Ieods fo connecfors which were mounfed
eifher on spoces provided by fhe cose or brockefs pIoced in unused exponsion sIof posifions. ATX
oIIowed eoch mofherboord monufocfurer fo puf fhese porfs in o recfonguIor oreo on fhe bock of fhe
sysfem, wifh on orrongemenf fhey couId define fhemseIves, fhough o number of generoI pofferns
depending on whof porfs fhe mofherboord offers hove been foIIowed by mosf monufocfurers. Coses
ore usuoIIy fiffed wifh o snop-ouf poneI, oIso known os on I/O pIofe or I/O shieId, in one of fhe
common orrongemenfs. If necessory, I/O pIofes con be repIoced fo suif o mofherboord fhof is being
fiffed, fhe I/O pIofes ore usuoIIy incIuded wifh mofherboords nof designed for o porficuIor
compufer. The compufer wiII operofe correcfIy wifhouf o pIofe fiffed, oIfhough fhere wiII be open
gops in fhe cose ond fhe EMI/PFI screening wiII be compromised. PoneIs were mode fhof oIIowed
fiffing on AT mofherboord in on ATX cose.
ATX oIso mode fhe PS/Z-sfyIe mini-DIM keyboord ond mouse connecfors ubiquifous. AT sysfems
used o b-pin DIM connecfor for fhe keyboord, ond were generoIIy used wifh serioI porf mice
(oIfhough PS/Z mouse porfs were oIso found on some sysfems). Mony modern mofherboords ore
phosing ouf fhe PS/Z-sfyIe keyboord ond mouse connecfors in fovor of fhe more modern UniversoI
SerioI 8us. Ofher Iegocy connecfors fhof ore sIowIy being phosed ouf of modern ATX mofherboords
incIude Zb-pin poroIIeI porfs ond 9-pin PS-Z3Z serioI porfs. In fheir pIoce ore onboord peripheroI
porfs such os Efhernef, FireWire, eSATA, oudio porfs (bofh onoIog ond S/PDIF), video (onoIog D-
sub, DVI, or HDMI), ond exfro US8 porfs.