This case is one of the smallest Micro-ATX cases that are available on the market. It has an ultra-reliable steel form factor, many bays, and expansion slots, and the design is very versatile and it can work with many of today’s systems. And the best thing about this case is that it is ultra-cheap. Key Features: Motherboard Support: Micro-ATX.
Standard ATX, Micro ATX, & Mini ITX are the most popular form factor among PC builders. Beginners would often wonder what the differences are, and what’s the best. It’s not just size that separates these motherboards.
They differ regarding size & compatibility mostly, but they have slight differences that make a large difference.
I did some research and found the atx version for the same B550 motherboard, but it lacks a sufficient USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers to connect to the case unlike the micro-atx. Should I just stick with the micro atx or would it be better in the long run to go with the atx board which has more expansion slots? ATX motherboards have the most expandability. They typically have six (or fewer) PCIe slots for things like graphics, sound, and network cards. However, there are Extended ATX (or EATX) boards that have seven PCIe slots, but those are aimed at enthusiasts and servers and are beyond the scope of this article. It supports Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards; multiple I/O Ports for power, reset, USB 3. 0 x 2, Mic and HD Audio; 4 PCI-E slots for more flexibility. It is also designed in a smooth and streamlined way with 4mm tempered glass slide panel, clean silhouette, elegant finish and white LED logo projector. Micro-ATX motherboard. The star of our article, Micro-ATX motherboards are 9.6” x 9.6” and offer the perfect balance between high-performance and convenient sizing. Mini-ITX motherboard. Smaller than both ATX and mATX motherboards, the Mini-ITX measures only 6.7” x 6.7” and is perfect for smaller rigs and portable units.
The motherboard is one of the most important parts of your build. It dictates Expandability, Compatibility, and the overall size of the system. When choosing a form factor, you must have your intentions in mind.
Form Factors Come In Different Sizes
The most obvious difference is the difference in size, Standard ATX being the largest, and Mini ITX is the smallest.
In this table, you can tell that the smaller motherboards are compatible with the larger form factor cases. This is because of the screw holes. Micro ATX and Mini ITX screw holes are a subset of the full-sized ATX boards.
So that means you can use a Mini ITX board in a Full tower PC case, but it does sound pointless doing that because your case’s upgradability will be bottlenecked by the motherboard.
Your choice of form factor will determine which case you will be using. Keep in mind, if you go for Standard ATX, you may not be able to use cases smaller than a Mid Tower.
Larger Form Factors Have More Upgradability
We can see a trend, the larger the motherboard, the more slots it has. Micro and Standard ATX motherboards share the same width, but standard ATX motherboard is longer in length.
The height advantage of the standard ATX motherboard allows for more PCI-E slots resulting in more upgrade potential.
PCI-E Limitations With Smaller Form Factors
The problem with smaller form factors is that they’re extremely limited with PCI-E slots. It the price you pay for portability & compactness.
The Mini ITX motherboard only has 1 PCI-E slot, you will likely be installing a graphics card here, but there is no hope for installing other PCI-E devices.
If you have thoughts about installing extra PCI-E cards like Sound cards and Wifi Cards, then you will need a Micro ATX motherboard or larger.
Mini ITX builds are niche builds with very specific intentions. If you’re thinking about running multiple graphics cards, with a ton of RAM, then Mini-ITX definitely isn’t for you.
RAM Upgradability
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Standard and Micro ATX Motherboards both support up to 4 RAM sticks, whereas Mini ATX can only support up to 2. The max capacity of a Mini ATX motherboard is 2×16 which is 32GB of memory.
Standard and Micro ATX can support up to twice that capacity. 32GB of RAM is more than enough, but just in case you need that extra capacity, Standard & Micro ATX can give you that extra capacity.
Smaller Form Factors Are More Portable
A smaller motherboard means you can fit it inside a tiny, compact case. That is one of the many benefits of going for Mini or even Micro ATX.
Micro ATX has the benefit of being a balance between both Standard and mini ITX motherboards. It retains upgradability whilst also offering portability.
Mini ITX motherboards can become so compact that you can hold them with one hand. You can build such a tiny PC with the same power as a standard ATX motherboard. This is attractive to a lot of people, especially gamers.
Pros And Cons For Each Motherboard Form Factor
Keep in mind, preferences vary from person. No motherboard is better than the other. Someone may have a specific reason to build a Mini-ITX build, it doesn’t make it better than a standard ATX motherboard.
Standard ATX Motherboard – Pros & Cons
- Standard ATX builds definitely have the most upgradability out of the three. With up to 6 PCI-E Slots, you are able to install extra PCI-E cards such as sound, and wifi cards.
- 4 memory slots are great if you’re going to fill them all up. You have the ability to use up to 64GB RAM.
- When using a standard ATX motherboard you’re going to be using a larger case. With that being said, the airflow will be excellent. Extreme overclocking is possible with such a build.
- However, standard ATX comes with a price. You won’t be moving this build around a lot due to the size.
- Also, you cannot fit a standard ATX motherboard into a case smaller than a mid-tower. You cannot have both compactness and upgradability
Micro ATX Motherboard – Pros & Cons
- Micro ATX motherboards are the cheapest out of the three. You can easily build a budget build with these motherboards.
- They can also fit into larger cases.
- Micro ATX boards have the same RAM capacity as standard ATX motherboards. They have up to 4 DIMM slots.
- It is also a balance between both standard ATX and Mini ITX. It is compact to a certain extent and maintains decent expandability.
- However, it has fewer PCI-E slots than the standard ATX motherboards, only supporting up to 4 PCI-E slots.
- Extreme overclocking may not be possible due to fewer power phases on the motherboard.
Mini ITX Motherboard – Pros & Cons
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- Mini ITX motherboards are extremely compact. If you go far enough, you can make a build that you can hold with one hand.
- Due to its size, it is extremely portable.
- They can also be aesthetically pleasing. This may be subjective, but smaller builds are generally better looking.
- Overclocking will be an issue due to fewer power phases on the motherboard.
- Minimal expandability, only one PCI-E slot, most likely reserved for a graphics card.
- Compatibility issues are also a thing with these extremely tiny motherboards. Some graphics cards are incompatible with these motherboards. You may have to search for a “mini” variant of a GPU.
What Motherboard Form Factor Is The Best?
Again, it is subjective, you can build a powerful Mini ITX gaming build, but you will suffer from a lack of expandability.
But for a beginner that wishes to build their first gaming or video editing PC, I’d suggest going for a Standard or Micro ATX motherboards.
Both of those form factors are very beginner-friendly, and it is very unlikely that you will run into compatibility issues when installing hardware.
And since games and video editing tend to be intensive on the hardware, you will be generating a lot of heat. Standard and Micro ATX builds tend to deal with heat better than Mini-ITX builds.
Summary :
Are you considering buying a Micro ATX or Mini ITX motherboard? If you are, then you should know some information about Micro ATX vs Mini ITX before buying. In this post, MiniTool compares their differences on four different parameters: size, RAM slots, PCIe slots, and price.
The motherboard is an essential part of your computer. If you want to build a new computer but don’t know which motherboard is suitable for you, then you are in the right place. Although there are multiple formats and sizes available in motherboards, Micro ATX and Mini ITX are the two most popular.
This post is mainly talking about Micro ATX vs Mini ITX. After reading this post, you should know which one is good for you.
Micro ATX vs Mini ITX
This part gives some differences between Micro ATX vs Mini ITX from 4 different aspects.
Size
When talking about Micro ATX vs Mini ITX, the first thing need to compare is their size. The size of the Micro ATX is 244 x 244 mm (9.6″ x 9.6″). On the other hand, the size of the Mini ITX is 170 x 170 mm (6.7″ x 6.7″). When you compare the size of them, the winner is the Mini ITX.
RAM Slots
Another thing to compare when talking about Micro ATX vs Mini ITX is RAM slots. For Micro ATX, it supports up to 4 memory slots. However, Mini ITX only supports two RAM slots, and each slot can only hold 16 GB RAM.
Therefore, if you need more than 32 GB of RAM in the future, in Mini ITX, you will not be able to choose to expand RAM. This is one of the reasons why you should not only consider the size, but also the slots provided.
PCIe Slots
In terms of PCIe slots, the difference between Micro ATX vs Micro ITX is even greater. Micro ATX motherboard has four slots. Mini ITX motherboard only has 1 PCIe slot. These slots are used to integrate the graphics card with the system.
Slots are usually placed on the edge of the circuit board. Therefore, if the space on the motherboard is small, it may not be possible to install a heavy-duty graphics card. Hence, it is best to choose Micro ATX motherboards because they provide more PCIe slots.
Price
The last thing to compare between Micro ITX vs Micro ATX is the price. It is generally believed that due to the smaller Mini ITX motherboard, the price will be cheaper. However, you are wrong here. Micro ATX is the most affordable. This is because the demand for them is high, and therefore, the company can reduce costs. However, when choosing a Micro ATX motherboard, you need to ensure that the quality of the components meets the requirements.
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Which One to Choose?
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After getting some information about Micro ITX vs Micro ATX, then which one should you choose? The choice between Micro ATX and Micro ITX depends on the type of PC you are building.
For Gaming PC
If you plan to build a gaming PC, the Micro ATX motherboard is your ideal choice. It will allow you to integrate more RAM. It also supports the Dual-GPU setup. Even after that, empty slots for expansion will be provided. As the number of PCIe slots increases, you can expand your computer later.
If there is not enough space, only Mini ITX is a good choice. However, it must be remembered that if you want to use Mini ITX, the size of the graphics card to be integrated with the system should also be small. This is because the slot faces the edge.
For Workstation
When creating a workstation, you can use the Mini ITX. This is because you do not need high RAM. You will not need an additional slot to integrate the graphics card. This is why Mini ITX can be used if there is not enough space when building a workstation.
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Final Words
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To sum up, this post has listed the differences between Micro ATX and Mini ITX from four parameters. After reading this post, you should know which one is suitable for you.