1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,560 We've gotten used to seeing pretty standardized parts in our PCs, DDR RAM, ATX motherboards, 2 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:09,320 and square shaped CPUs, very neat, very tidy. 3 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:14,200 But along the way, there have been some wacky standards that look quite different from what we have today. 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,360 Let's start by talking about slot-based CPUs. 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:22,440 That's right, instead of fitting a square processor into a socket and putting a heat sink on top of it 6 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,520 to make a technology sandwich, delicious. 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,680 For a few years in the late 90s, you'd have a slot in your motherboards 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,280 similar to a PCI slot, where you'd plug in a CPU assembly 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:37,120 that looked like an adapter card. It consisted of the CPU itself soldered to a PCB 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,240 and covered with a plastic shroud. So you might mistake it for a modern graphics card 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,160 or even an old laptop battery at first glance. But why was this done 12 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:49,440 other than to confuse future PC enthusiasts? They were trolls back then. 13 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,940 Was it just to make the CPU easier to install? Well, not exactly. 14 00:00:53,940 --> 00:00:59,020 You see, the first slot CPU for desktops was the Intel Pentium II from 1997. 15 00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:02,900 And it was designed to ensure there was enough real estate for the CPU's cache, 16 00:01:02,900 --> 00:01:08,140 that small amount of super fast memory that holds information the CPU needs immediately. 17 00:01:08,140 --> 00:01:11,660 But hold on a second, isn't the cache typically just integrated 18 00:01:11,660 --> 00:01:16,980 onto the CPU die itself? You're right that it is on modern CPUs. 19 00:01:16,980 --> 00:01:19,980 But back in the late 90s, it wasn't quite that easy. 20 00:01:19,980 --> 00:01:23,160 The Pentium Pro, which came before the Pentium II, 21 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,120 had a built-in cache next to the CPU in the same package, 22 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,880 an arrangement that improved performance, but putting two chips in one package 23 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,800 meant that you'd have to throw away both chips if either one had a flaw, 24 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:39,140 which Intel could only detect after they were put together. 25 00:01:39,140 --> 00:01:43,200 Meaning yields were low and there was lots of wasted silicon. 26 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,320 The Pentium II's slot design attempted to solve this problem 27 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:49,920 by moving the cache memory away from the CPU package completely, 28 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,720 which necessitated a large PCB to mount both components. 29 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,720 Intel also used a slot design for a few Celeron and Pentium III models, 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,080 and AMD used it for its original Athlon processors. 31 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,260 However, shrinking transistors and improved manufacturing 32 00:02:04,260 --> 00:02:07,400 soon made it possible to simply put the cache on the chip itself, 33 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,800 and both Intel and AMD stopped making slotted processors 34 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,120 around the year 2001. Coincidence? 35 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,760 Moving on, let's talk about BTX. As the name implies, this was meant to be a successor 36 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,800 to ATX, the standard form factor for motherboards. 37 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,000 Intel launched BTX toward the end of 2004, 38 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,560 thinking that systems based on this new standard would take up less space and stay cooler. 39 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,720 That's because BTX systems featured a dedicated air duct 40 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,200 for the CPU, with a fan that drew cool air directly from outside the case. 41 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,000 Other heat generating components, like the Southbridge and expansion controllers, 42 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,080 were placed closer together, improving efficiency, and generating less waste heat. 43 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,880 Thermal improvements were seen as important around this time since computers were quickly becoming more powerful 44 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,840 and generating more heat. So why did a design primarily based around 45 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,120 getting lower temperatures fail so spectacularly? 46 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:02,600 Well, you see, the real reason BTX was conceived was because the main CPU lineup that Team Blue 47 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:08,760 was trying to sell at that time, the Pentium 4, ran really hot due to problems with the micro architecture. 48 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:14,200 Those issues are notoriously hard to solve, so instead of continuing to push a whole new form factor, 49 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:19,100 Intel ultimately decided to simply focus on making new chips that took less power. 50 00:03:19,100 --> 00:03:23,980 And we got the Core 2 lineup in 2006, the same year that Intel decided to stop 51 00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:28,740 trying to make BTX happen. Finally, my friends, let's pour one out for Rambus. 52 00:03:28,740 --> 00:03:33,300 And no, this wasn't a transit line started by Sheep, even though we all want that. 53 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:39,020 Rambus is a company that developed RD RAM, which was a major competitor to the DDR SD RAM 54 00:03:39,020 --> 00:03:45,220 used in modern PCs, and it even supported double data rate transfer before SD RAM did. 55 00:03:45,340 --> 00:03:48,780 So, Intel agreed to use Rambus exclusively 56 00:03:48,780 --> 00:03:54,300 for the Pentium 4, meaning lots of people in the industry expected RD RAM to dominate. 57 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:58,900 However, impressive numbers on paper don't always translate to success in the market, 58 00:03:58,900 --> 00:04:02,060 as any D&D dungeon master would tell you. 59 00:04:02,060 --> 00:04:06,060 RD RAM was tricky to manufacture, expensive, ran hot, 60 00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:09,240 and didn't even offer better performance in most typical applications. 61 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,820 Plus, the modules had to be installed in pairs, making it even more expensive for consumers 62 00:04:13,860 --> 00:04:18,020 who just needed a PC for basic tasks. With all these issues, it's not surprising 63 00:04:18,020 --> 00:04:24,500 that Intel jumped at the opportunity to support faster, cheaper DDR SD RAM when it hit the market in 2000. 64 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:30,900 RD RAM was effectively dead by 2003, joining the likes of Betamax and later HDDVD 65 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:35,220 in the big eWaste pile in the sky. And that pile has plenty more old gadgets 66 00:04:35,220 --> 00:04:40,180 we didn't talk about today, so what failed technologies would you like to see us cover in a future episode? 67 00:04:40,180 --> 00:04:43,220 Be sure to let us know down in the comments section. 68 00:04:44,820 --> 00:04:48,900 Oh my gosh, that was a tech wiki. Thanks for watching, guys. Like the video, dicks like the video, 69 00:04:48,900 --> 00:04:52,620 anything you wanna do, check out our other videos, and comment below with video suggestions. 70 00:04:52,620 --> 00:04:57,420 I already told you to do that earlier, so forget that and just subscribe and follow. 71 00:04:57,420 --> 00:04:58,540 That make it simpler.