ATX is the cockroach of PC hardware standards

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This previous week, Adam printed a glance again on the previous few a long time of PC part historical past, by way of the lens of my colleague Gordon Mah Ung’s career. The recollections stretch from the mid-1990s (together with Gordon in a full go well with and tie) to the current day of contests for the slowest benchmark outcomes. And by the top, I may see different individuals latching on to “change” as the largest theme all through.

The visible proof is there: the transfer from beige bins to vibrant, even obnoxiously coloured chassis; shifting case configurations and attitudes towards cable administration (oh, for the times after we may shove every part inside and simply slap the aspect panel again on); even the leap to ferocious excessive core-count processors and screaming-fast graphics playing cards.

But whereas others may argue that change has been the fixed in laptop {hardware}, I’d as an alternative champion ATX as one of many truest mainstays—and all of the proof of its regular, dependable presence over the previous 30 years is true within the video.

In construct after construct, ATX is there. An over-the-top, ludicrously decked out Dream Machine constructed by the crew at Maximum PC? ATX. The machine that received the continued competitors between Gordon and others (together with our buddy Dr. Ian Cuttress) for the slowest benchmark ends in Cinebench R15? Also ATX. And even Gordon’s signature troll construct, the “reverse sleeper build” that sported a shiny new case on the surface, and old-as-heck components on the within? Yeah, ATX.

Gordon had his bones to select with ATX—he complained usually that ATX was holding again the PC business. (And I imply usually, not simply on The Full Nerd when the cameras have been rolling.) But within the very subsequent breath, he would then rail in opposition to corporations like Apple, which has zero subject with (in Gordon’s phrases) throwing older tech overboard.

Willis Lai / Foundry

I’ve at all times had a distinct outlook, largely alongside the traces of Gordon’s follow-up rant. I’m open to a more moderen normal that evolves the structure of motherboards, positive. But I view the bounce from the AT kind issue to ATX extra as a sensible response, versus simply the insatiable starvation for innovation. ATX adopted AT after a decade, bringing additional enhancements to standardization and swappability of components. But when BTX launched 9 years later, arguably “on schedule,” it didn’t take.

Not sufficient innovation, you could possibly argue. But I view it as an indication of what actually motivates leaps in know-how, whether or not the appearance of the printing press or desktop-sized private computer systems. I additionally assume ATX’s ongoing relevance tells us loads about the way forward for the PC. Innovation is a response to a necessity. As the PC business has grow to be more and more extra private, with a far wider spectrum of choices to deal with particular wants, what innovation seems to be like could proceed to grow to be smaller and extra refined. And probably, it might even grow to be much less fixed.

In this episode of The Full Nerd…

Willis Lai / Foundry

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith speak about Intel being on the ropes, Zen 6’s emergence within the wild, and AI in Windows. To me, I discovered a variety of commonalities between these subjects—they made me extraordinarily contemplative about what innovation within the PC house will appear to be, as a result of issues really feel slightly…confused.

Also, we acquired a glimpse into the outstanding particulars of the decor in Will’s house workplace. All I can say is: That potato has a butt.

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And in case you want extra {hardware} discuss throughout the remainder of the week, come be part of our Discord community—it’s filled with cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s intriguing nerd information

I’m dealing with a second week in latest months the place I’m questioning my deal-hunting expertise, however just a few know-how wins are conserving my spirits up. What presently has me a bit starry-eyed: insanely quick web. So quick that I’m slightly giddy on the thought, although I’ll by no means see it in my neck of the woods.

• I can’t top this data hoarder’s deal-hunting skills: Estate gross sales generally is a good strategy to choose up helpful, attention-grabbing, or downright quirky stuff for fairly low-cost. But to date, I haven’t encountered any finds on the extent of 11 Western Digital 8TB exterior exhausting drives for simply $360. Man. What a rating.

• Turns out you can put a price on nostalgia: $349 bucks is the price of reliving your finest childhood recollections—aka getting your palms on a remade Commodore 64, suitable with over 10,000 C64 video games and modernized to assist HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi. I hope this works out higher than the Analogue 3D. (Not gonna lie, I’m slightly apprehensive Analogue received’t survive the tariffs, as they’re absorbing the upper prices.)

• Self-destructing SSDs? Pass. Don’t get me mistaken—TeamGroup’s reveal of an SSD that destroys itself with the push of a button acquired my consideration. But look, I’m low-cost. Taking a hammer to my drives appears manner less complicated and prices loads much less. (As does taking them over to an organization that has a correct shredder.) Also, if I’m dealing with information delicate sufficient to require immediate obliteration…why is it in my house?

• The internet is built on duct tape and string: For programs engineers, DNS most likely provides y’all a variety of complications. I definitely would have one, figuring out simply how fragile the system is. Or when seeing proof that malware may be casually slipped into DNS information. Fun.

• Linux is winning: Just kidding, it’s nonetheless barely a fraction of customers on desktop PCs. But it’s gaining slightly little bit of headway within the U.S.—we’ve now reached a milestone of over 5 p.c market share.

Gigabyte

• When will 6-cores become default? Well, not just yet: Brad floated the concept throughout this week’s episode that Zen 6 may shift to six-core CPUs because the baseline. But we’ve additionally commented a number of instances on the present that the finances finish isn’t getting a lot consideration. I assume these laments received out, as the most well liked chip information this week is AMD’s Ryzen AI 5 330, a four-core, eight-threaded Copilot+ laptop computer chip.

• Update your Gigabyte motherboard ASAP…if you can: Running an Intel processor? Perhaps one throughout the vary of eighth gen to 11th gen? Is it sitting in a Gigabyte motherboard? Better verify pronto if an replace is out there for it, as a result of a vulnerability that lets attackers bypass Secure Boot was simply disclosed. But if yours is just too outdated, you may very well should improve your {hardware} all collectively to keep away from this safety gap. 🙁

• Why not just buy actual gold instead? Look, I do know the RTX 4090 has largely held its worth. And perhaps that’ll lengthen to the RTX 5090, too. But once I first noticed Asus’s RTX 5090 ROG Astral Real Gold Edition (aka the RTX 5090 made with 11 kilos of 24-carat gold), I believed, “Surely investing in actual 24-carat gold bars would be the better call.” I’m a product of my upbringing, which incorporates very immigrant grandparents.

• I want Japan’s fiber optic internet tech: The land of the fax machine is claiming a record-breaking transmission charge of 127,500GB/s (sure, the large B, so actually quick) over a distance of roughly 1,100 miles. Sure, I’d solely use such velocity to load cat movies instantaneously, however I nonetheless need it.

Catch you all subsequent week, when hopefully the recent components of the world are cooler, and the chilly components are hotter. It’s 62 levels proper now in San Francisco. Also purported to rain subsequent week. Yup.

Alaina

This publication is devoted to the reminiscence of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and government editor of {hardware} at PCWorld.