Any reason to not go mATX board instead of ATX?

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ss88

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Looking to do an Alder Lake build. Is there any reason to not go mATX these days? I need to run 2 graphics cards, and the second x16 slot is usually fairly low on the mATX boards, but it seems like I'd be able to fit the card (small card, low power, uses only PCIe for power). Other than that, a mATX board with 2 M.2 slots and 3 SATA ports and the usual IO ports has all the expandability I need. So is there any benefit of going with ATX for my use case?

I'd be looking to pair the mATX board with a mid-tower case with a mesh front, so there would be plenty of airflow. I'd be using an air cooler for CPU.
 
As long as there's enough space between the slots for two cards, and enough clearance between the top card and cpu cooler, it doesn't matter where they're located on the board -- even the very edge is fine.

You do have to check the case layout to ensure there is enough room below the motherboard for the lower card -- in midi-towers (not mid-towers) this space is often occupied by fans or the PSU. Some mid-towers also have limited space here, but any Full ATX compatible case should have enough room since ATX boards extend further down than uATX.
 
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Nobu said:
You do have to check the case layout to ensure there is enough room below the motherboard for the lower card -- in midi-towers (not mid-towers)
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What fresh hell is this?

My google-fu must be weak b/c I'm not seeing the difference between midi-towers and mid-towers.
 
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ss88 said:
What fresh hell is this?

My google-fu must be weak b/c I'm not seeing the difference between midi-towers and mid-towers.
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I think he's pointing out that a standard mATX has maybe 4 PCI expansion slots. If you have multiple graphics cards, they might not fit in the slots provided in a standard mATX case. And even if it does, there's not a lot of breathing room for the 2nd card at the bottom of the case. He's suggesting a small ATX case.
 
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kirbyrj said:
I think he's pointing out that a standard mATX has maybe 4 PCI expansion slots. If you have multiple graphics cards, they might not fit in the slots provided in a standard mATX case. And even if it does, there's not a lot of breathing room for the 2nd card at the bottom of the case. He's suggesting a small ATX case.
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Got it. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought of that until I put the board into the case!

I think I need to spend some time checking out this stuff in MicroCenter instead of just looking online, so I can see the dimensions in person.
 
ss88 said:
Got it. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought of that until I put the board into the case!

I think I need to spend some time checking out this stuff in MicroCenter instead of just looking online, so I can see the dimensions in person.
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One of the things to check on mATX motherboards is where the first PCIe x16 slot is. Some boards have it closer to the I/O panel, and others have it one slot further down.

Pros and cons to each. Closer to the I/O panel means more room for add on cards (or a 2nd graphics card in your case), but the graphics card is usually right on top of the m.2 slot and CPU HSFs are cramped. Further down usually means you can use a larger HSF on the CPU and the m.2 slots generally has better cooling, but you have less room between cards when you add a 2nd one.

The bottom x16 slots is almost always on the very bottom which could cause problems in a standard mATX case unless your 2nd graphics card is a single slot card.
 
kirbyrj said:
The bottom x16 slots is almost always on the very bottom which could cause problems in a standard mATX case unless your 2nd graphics card is a single slot card.
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The card is a Nvidia Quadro P620 - single slot, low power (TDP 40W).
1648053819606.png
 
if matx has the features you want/need, why not?! it what i ended up doing when crossfire/sli died.
just look for a small mid-tower with 7 pcie slots, like the phantek p300/350/400 cases. just pay attention to width for gpu support...
 
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pendragon1 said:
if matx has the features you want/need, why not?! it what i ended up doing when crossfire/sli died.
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It does. I'm left wondering how come ATX is still more popular than mATX? What are all these people doing w/ ATX boards that couldn't be done w/ mATX? I have to imagine the % of PC builders who need to run 4+ SATA drives or 3+ PCIe cards is quite small.
 
The biggest reason not to go mATX is due to the lack of decent mATX options. ATX motherboards vastly outsell mATX options in the DIY space. Companies like ASUS and MSI treat the form factor as an afterthought. Granted, OEMs seem to like mATX but the boards that get built for that segment of the market are all essentially trash.
 
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ss88 said:
It does. I'm left wondering how come ATX is still more popular than mATX? What are all these people doing w/ ATX boards that couldn't be done w/ mATX? I have to imagine the % of PC builders who need to run 4+ SATA drives or 3+ PCIe cards is quite small.
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I run 5 expansion cards and 7 drives in my PC. Not sure I'd be able to do that with a lil matx system.
 
ZodaEX said:
I run 5 expansion cards and 7 drives in my PC. Not sure I'd be able to do that with a lil matx system.
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Would likely involve external enclosures if it is possible, not practical for everyone.
 
Dan_D said:
The biggest reason not to go mATX is due to the lack of decent mATX options. ATX motherboards vastly outsell mATX options in the DIY space. Companies like ASUS and MSI treat the form factor as an afterthought. Granted, OEMs seem to like mATX but the boards that get built for that segment of the market are all essentially trash.
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Looking at MSI's B660 boards, it looks like there are more mATX options than ATX.
 
ss88 said:
Looking at MSI's B660 boards, it looks like there are more mATX options than ATX.
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In that chipset, perhaps. Conversely, I doubt there are all that many Z690 mATX boards.
 
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ZodaEX said:
I run 5 expansion cards and 7 drives in my PC. Not sure I'd be able to do that with a lil matx system.
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Yeah, but I'd bet you are pretty far out on the usage distribution of PC builders. My point wasn't that the distribution's tail doesn't exist, but rather it's not the typical use case.
 
I'm also planing to buy only mATX motherboards because there is no need for additional PCI-E slots on a gaming machine. The only downside maybe be is VRM power delivery. ATX motherboard have better VRM then mATX. However, mATX boards over $200 have plenty good VRMs to overclock the CPU. So, unless you are really into overclocking your CPU to max, there is no reason to go ATX.
 
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As long as you can find the features and expansion options that you require, then mATX should be fine. Like others have mentioned, mATX motherboards can get weird with slot placement, IO panel connectors, and generally go toward the cheaper end with respect to component selection, so your CPU choice may be affected due to power delivery constraints or CPU cooler compatibility. Personally, I prefer mATX for most of my builds as it gives me more options with smaller cases and cleaner builds since I rarely use all of the expansion options on full ATX motherboards.
 
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DualAmdMp said:
I'm also planing to buy only mATX motherboards because there is no need for additional PCI-E slots on a gaming machine. The only downside maybe be is VRM power delivery. ATX motherboard have better VRM then mATX. However, mATX boards over $200 have plenty good VRMs to overclock the CPU. So, unless you are really into overclocking your CPU to max, there is no reason to go ATX.
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Well, someone mentioned B660 - and you can't overclock the cpu. Only the memory and I dunno how well it does. with that chipset. I don't think the Z690m motherboards looked very good - not vrm wise anyway.

There's also the cramped space in micro-ATX cases. I decided to abandon matx and itx since I decided I don't want to deal with that - regarding the cases and I don't plan on moving my computer around much.

There's also more expansion options with ATX although people don't buy expansion/pcie cards as much these days? But, at least, ATX boards offer the option. Matx too but less so.
 
For me, the mATX form factor does everything that I need for a PC as well. Most functions that you used to need expansion cards for are pretty solid just built onto the board, and SLI/CF is practically done. The only caveats are like the previously mentioned issues with CPU cooler size, the 1-less M.2 slot, the disappointing lack of mATX case variety, and I guess the lack of variety in board options.
 
ss88 said:
It does. I'm left wondering how come ATX is still more popular than mATX? What are all these people doing w/ ATX boards that couldn't be done w/ mATX? I have to imagine the % of PC builders who need to run 4+ SATA drives or 3+ PCIe cards is quite small.
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I tend to run HEDT EATX. But my systems become servers and workstations after their primary use. <4 PCIE slots limits my choices for future use.

My old x99 system has a GPU, 2 SAS cards, and a dual port 10G nic. 12 SATA drives in sas carriers, two NVMe drives, etc
 
ss88 said:
It does. I'm left wondering how come ATX is still more popular than mATX? What are all these people doing w/ ATX boards that couldn't be done w/ mATX? I have to imagine the % of PC builders who need to run 4+ SATA drives or 3+ PCIe cards is quite small.
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I have enough space in my office and like having the room inside the case. It's probably psychological, but I like space between components.
 
Choopyplz said:
For me, the mATX form factor does everything that I need for a PC as well. Most functions that you used to need expansion cards for are pretty solid just built onto the board, and SLI/CF is practically done. The only caveats are like the previously mentioned issues with CPU cooler size, the 1-less M.2 slot, the disappointing lack of mATX case variety, and I guess the lack of variety in board options.
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I noticed this as I was looking at cases. Seems most cases that fit mATX boards will also fit ATX, which means most mATX board buyers aren't really taking advantage of the board's smaller form factor. Which kind of flips the question in the OP on its head. If the case you're going to buy will fit both, why not go ATX mobo, assuming the price difference is relatively small and you get yourself more space between components, additional M.2 slot, etc.?
 
ss88 said:
I noticed this as I was looking at cases. Seems most cases that fit mATX boards will also fit ATX, which means most mATX board buyers aren't really taking advantage of the board's smaller form factor. Which kind of flips the question in the OP on its head. If the case you're going to buy will fit both, why not go ATX mobo, assuming the price difference is relatively small and you get yourself more space between components, additional M.2 slot, etc.?
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I think the logic is reversed.

ATX cases will accept smaller motherboard form-factors (e.g. mATX, mITX, etc.). Cases that accept ATX motherboards can still come in a smaller form-factor variety, depending on the expansion options supported and the layout of the components. The SFFTime P-ATX is a great example of an ATX case that, due to its layout and form-factor, really won't let you take advantage of all of the ATX expansion options.

My assumption is that the OP was looking for an mATX setup that would save some space and was curious about what trade-offs would need to be made to accommodate the smaller form-factor. I've had great luck with both the ThermalTake Core V21 and the CoolerMaster MasterBox Q300L. Both are mATX cases with reasonably small footprints. One sits under my desk nicely and has top-facing USB ports, while the other is in my entertainment center for my HTPC.

Unfortunately, mATX is possibly an even more niche market than mITX, since you typically either go as big as you want, or as small as you can. Speaking of size...

1649076968820.png
 
I bought a Diypc A5 which is MATX and it looks amazing and it's cheap ( where MATX makes sense ) unfortunately Newegg doesn't know how to ship a case and it arrived twisted and crushed
 
matt167 said:
I bought a Diypc A5 which is MATX and it looks amazing and it's cheap ( where MATX makes sense ) unfortunately Newegg doesn't know how to ship a case and it arrived twisted and crushed
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I have a very similar case (Rosewill maybe). Works great.
 
kirbyrj said:
I have a very similar case (Rosewill maybe). Works great.
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I'm going to try getting 2 of them once I get a refund. I want one for my personal rig. If they put 2 in a double box they might survive
 
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