[H] Mobo Reviews

[Trepidati0n]

Odd question...is the demand for full ATX or E-ATX so large compared to MATX and other small form factors that the [H] tends weight its reviews that way? The whole first page of Mobo reviews is ATX or E-ATX..only on the second page can I find a few small ones but they seem to be more boutique.

As a point of reference, I don't think I've bought an ATX board in nearly a decade...even when I did crossfire once. I could be out of "mainstream"...but I'm not sure what mainstream is anymore in the PC world.

 

[FrgMstr]

I would suggest yes is the answer to your question. If ASUS/MSI/GBT saw a bigger demand for mATX or mITX motherboards, you would see a lot more models of those per chipset.

 

[ssnyder28]

They just review some of the higher end boards. Most of the high end gaming/overclocking boards are in those form factors.

The only high end matx board I can think of has been Asus's ROG Gene line that has been around for many years (I know there are others)

 

[wtourist]

I suspect the people who decide what boards to send reviewers choose the most profitable and hope the glamour will flow down hill.
A certain amount of choice is image and bragging rights.
I also suspect I am a disappointment to marketing people..

 

[Dan_D]

Odd question...is the demand for full ATX or E-ATX so large compared to MATX and other small form factors that the [H] tends weight its reviews that way? The whole first page of Mobo reviews is ATX or E-ATX..only on the second page can I find a few small ones but they seem to be more boutique.

As a point of reference, I don't think I've bought an ATX board in nearly a decade...even when I did crossfire once. I could be out of "mainstream"...but I'm not sure what mainstream is anymore in the PC world.

SFF builders are essentially a niche within a niche. In other words DIY PC's and enthusiast builds are rare enough as it is. Going SFF is even less common. It isn't that we don't like these motherboards, we do. They just aren't quite as prevalent as their ATX / E-ATX brethren.

They just review some of the higher end boards. Most of the high end gaming/overclocking boards are in those form factors.

The only high end matx board I can think of has been Asus's ROG Gene line that has been around for many years (I know there are others)

Yes they are, but we also cover a lot of mid-range motherboards. We rarely touch the truly low end motherboards or extreme budget conscious choices out there. Often times they don't make very good enthusiast products. Still, we do sometimes review the lowest end enthusiast chipset based motherboards from the major manufacturers. I think we generally target the average price points and ranges the readers are generally interested in. The higher end motherboards don't sell super well, but those flagship products are generally the ones that help shape a company's image. When you think Ford, you probably think of the F-150 or the Mustang rather than the Fiesta, or the Taurus. When I hear the name "Chevrolet", my mind automatically goes to the Corvette rather than some of the abysmal atrocities the company has passed off as cars over the 90 years of it's history. I think that's how the marketing is supposed to work.