From a technological perspective, BTX certainly represented a sensible and thus interesting alternative to ATX, as it aimed to achieve not only better but also quieter cooling while also decoupling components that tend to vibrate from the case. However, the introduction of a new form factor always means high costs for the manufacturers, especially when said form factor involves many mechanical changes. The new board layout and the reorganised interior of the case (hard drives on the bottom, expansion slots on top, a ventilation tunnel for hot components such as the processor) were comparatively small problems. The manufacturers’ very expensive production tools and heavy machinery that had been geared toward producing ATX parts now required new and costly components. Lastly, since the advantages that BTX enjoys over ATX are rather limited where “normal” systems with a low number of expansion cards and average heat dissipation designed for mainstream applications are concerned, BTX has thus far been unable to gain widespread acceptance. And the way things stand now, it probably never will.

In the case of BTX, the motherboard is installed on the right side of the case instead of the left, as seen from the back of the tower. Expansion cards benefit from this orientation, as their microchips and other components now face upwards. This is beneficial not only for passive cooling solutions but for active ones as well. In contrast to ATX, BTX additionally designates so called volumetric zones that are to be used for air ducts, heatsinks and other components. These very strictly defined zones can thus be utilized to provide cooling airflow to the processor and the graphics card.