Which motherboard form factor was designed for the techie?

Which motherboard form factor was designed in multiple pieces, making it easy to maintain and replace parts? Hint: In some implementations, the motherboard could be replaced without screws and without removing the outer case!

A) ATX

B) BTX

C) NLX

D) microATX

E) EIEIO

The answer: C) NLX

NLX motherboards were designed with a main motherboard and a separate riser card for the expansion slots. To replace the motherboard, you only needed to slide out the main motherboard, leaving your expansion cards in place. Although the motherboard engineering was useful to the computer technician, the format never really caught on and the NLX form factor is no longer in production.

Want to know more? Watch “Motherboard Form Factors.” There are a number of different form factors to consider when replacing or upgrading a motherboard. This module provides an overview of many motherboard types, and provides some helpful tips for easily identifying ATX, NLX, microATX, BTX, microBTX, and picoBTX motherboard form factors.