ATX motherboards in SFF cases - Options?

[garetjax27]

What options exist for a small(er) case, like a SFF, but can accommodate standard size ATX motherboards (not E-ATX)?

I don't have a ton of desk space, so I am trying to minimize my PC footprint as much as possible. The case cannot be placed on the floor, and given the option, I would rather build vertically than spread out (such as an HTPC case).

There must be solutions that can do this, surely I'm not the first to go down this road?

 

[Nobu]

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#f=2&V=2889700000,25550424000

There are probably more, but you'll have to dig.

Silverstone has some atx htpc cases, but they're basically towers with feet on the side. I like the idea of the thermaltake core G3, but it's big enough for an eatx board and only tall enough for short pcie cards, so I don't know if it's what you want.

 

[garetjax27]

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/case/#f=2&V=2889700000,25550424000

There are probably more, but you'll have to dig.

Silverstone has some atx htpc cases, but they're basically towers with feet on the side. I like the idea of the thermaltake core G3, but it's big enough for an eatx case and only tall enough for short pcie cards, so I don't know if it's what you want.

Appreciate ya! Yeah, so, the ATX motherboard requirement is stemming from the fact that, in some ways, getting an mATX instead seems like I'm neutering the board for the sake of size... while in some cases, paying extra for the privilege. I'm not sold on mATX for my needs (yet) which is why I was going down the SFF ATX case rabbit hole first, lol.

 

[Nobu]

Yeah, so with ATX cases, the motherboard pretty much takes up the entire height of the case (unless there's extra height or depth for the power supply). That being the case, they're all going to be very large, even the ones which are relatively small -- they're all limited by the dimensions of the mb.

Because of that, most use full size PSUs, so they're pretty wide to fit that and the full size pcie cards. To get anything smaller than the average case it'll have to be an htpc case (like the node 605 or one of silverstone's), or something like the G3 I mentioned earlier, or maybe a server case.

 

[ZodaEX]

Appreciate ya! Yeah, so, the ATX motherboard requirement is stemming from the fact that, in some ways, getting an mATX instead seems like I'm neutering the board for the sake of size... while in some cases, paying extra for the privilege. I'm not sold on mATX for my needs (yet) which is why I was going down the SFF ATX case rabbit hole first, lol.

If you did that you'd just be neutering your case instead.

Save yourself all the complications and get a laptop.

 

[Zepher]

If you want a smaller case for an ATX board, you seem to be doing the same as using an mATX board, you are limiting what the ATX board can do when placed into a slim style case that you are looking for.
Just get an mATX board that has what you think you will need and a small case that fits on your desk.
I went with an Asrock mATX board in a Corsair 280X case. this is a slightly larger case as it supports full size ATX PSU's.