Another important feature of the ATX series is the soft power feature. This is where the Operating System (Windows 9x, W2K, and XP) can shut the PC down with software, versus using the power switch on the front of the PC.
Other characteristics of the ATX board are seen in the following picture. Notice the heat sink on the North Side Bridge (NSB). It is not uncommon to see the newer boards with an active heat sink (powered fan).
This motherboard supports DDR, where as many older boards support DIMM memory modules. For the A+ exam it is required to know the difference between all memory modules from the beginning of the PC boom as well the memory module types that are used with laptops.
