I'd love to see bigger focus on performance per watt from other browser vendors, for that matter.
Workstation computers, such as HP Z8 G4, uses PMG5-esque non-ATX placements, though I don't think users are half as much enthusiastic compared to Apple users about that.
Re:When will Apple ship other M2 Macs?
by kitsunesoba on Thursday June 09, 2022 @07:36AM
(#31679935)
That’s kind of what I was getting at, my hope is for the ATX standard to evolve to better fit modern hardware so users can enjoy many of the benefits of some of the better current non-ATX arrangements while also having a broad selection of parts available.
The ATX standards have done a good job of evolving the power delivery. But in terms of physical board dimensions and layout, little has changed and we still have a system optimized for maximum PCB surface area when what modern computers need is to maximize heatsink volume with unobstructed airflow.
Re:When will Apple ship other M2 Macs?
by Findecanor on Thursday June 09, 2022 @12:05PM
(#31682939)
There was the BTX standard, which failed to catch on.
Most PCs had only two fans: It used the same fan as CPU fan and main intake fan, and then the PSU fan. It had pure horizontal airflow, quite similar to earlier aluminium Mac Pros.
However, the CPU fan and cooler (including duct) had to be a fixed size. Too large for small form factor systems, and too small if you needed more cooling. ATX/mATX/mITX was cheaper, more flexible and hade more momentum.
On a somewhat related note, I’m also mildly annoyed that no case, cooling, and motherboard manufacturers have tried to copy the current Mac Pro’s design with dramatically larger heatsinks, about half as many fans as a typical PC (with the few it has not running as hard), and RAM on the backside of the motherboard where it can be swapped without messing with the CPU heatsink. Being able to build a generic PC version of a Mac Pro would be amazing, but unfortunately the ATX standard has accumulated cobwebs from lack of innovation.