Mini itx vs atx?

Mincading

n00b
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
47
What limitations or differences would an mini itx mother board have compared to an atx moterboard?

Lets say that both boards have the same chipset (h61), same processor (i3-2120), same everything - no videocard. What performance difference will there be? Also, what benefits are there? I seem to be unable to find anything off google, itd be a lot of help for your input, thanks in advance!
 
Performance difference should be minimal - the big difference is on-board features and expandability.
 
If space isnt a requirement stay atx . I am on a itx sys and I have not missed anything other than a sound card "i hate onboard sound'
 
mATX is a nice compromise, depending on what you are looking for. Cases, in particular, can be quite a bit smaller, but you still have some room to upgrade. It all depends what you need though.
 
I disagree with p3sty, onboard sound has gotten pretty damn good- I'm not quite audiophile, but the Realtek ALC898 codec is pretty damn good. The single biggest difference as far as strictly motherboard differences go is memory support- there is NO ITX board with more than two DIMM slots, which means 16GB of RAM. Granted, that's still plenty for 99% of people. Aside from that, the Asus P8Z77-I, for example, is a beast of an OC board for any size category.
 
mATX is a nice compromise, depending on what you are looking for. Cases, in particular, can be quite a bit smaller, but you still have some room to upgrade. It all depends what you need though.

This. And there are some great mATX boards for z68 and z77, that have most of the bells and whistles of full atx boards. ITX pickings are kinda slim and keep you to lower end of performance/features usually.
 
Audio should be fine since every computer ive used ive used 2.1 speakers, mini itx boards shouldny be a problem. Btw this isnt for me, but i wanted the computer to be a slim tower, as small as possible;also as quiet as possible. It will only be used for youtubing and surfing the web - which im pretty sure hd graphics 2000 is able to handle.

But for some reason systems i plan out (mini itx ones) seem to be only 100$ away from one that is a mATX, i just like the small form factor, it packs a punch. I dont think ill be putting any graphics cards in there either, so any mini itx cases with a 200-250watt psu will do (right?)

About the dimm slots... Most 4gb and 8gb comes in twos now anyways, so shouldnt be another issue
 
Hell, if you're not going to use a discrete gpu you can go really small (and use a picopsu), at that point hdd's become your size limiting factor (ie do you require multiple hdds or 3.5" drives?)
 
In my opinion the only difference between ATX and Mini-ITX is size and your ability to expand.

Personally, after moving to ITX I miss NOTHING about ATX...granted I can't add a sound card or go SLI but that doesn't matter because:

1. I have an external USB sound device for music and headphones and use HDMI for games/movies.

2. SLI/Crossfire isn't a big deal because even my "aging" GTX 580 can still do literally ANYTHING I want it too...so even that's not an issue.

As far as things like overclocking, stability, features, etc ITX has reached ATX level. My Asrock Z77 ITX motherboard overclocks every bit as good as my MSI Z68 ATX motherboard. It also has ALL the same features as well such as USB 3.0, Lucid graphics, SATA3, AND has more inputs on the back than my ATX motherboard!

Meh, starting to ramble...just to sum it up, if using one video card or onboard is all you need then ITX is all you need and ATX is unnecessary. I love my ITX build and honestly miss nothing about my full tower system...well, other than hard drive slots, which thats what external enclosures are for ;)
 
I've mainly used itx if I'm building an 'appliance', like a firewall or router. You don't need a whole lot of horsepower under the hood for that sort of stuff but I'm a stickler for fanless, cool and quiet operation for an appliance. itx can easily accomplish that, but that's the criteria I use when building. Hope it helps.
 
If space isnt a requirement stay atx . I am on a itx sys and I have not missed anything other than a sound card "i hate onboard sound'

I currently have no problems with my onboard sound but the sniper series does come with an actual creative chip instead of taking up cpu resources.
 
Hell, if you're not going to use a discrete gpu you can go really small (and use a picopsu), at that point hdd's become your size limiting factor (ie do you require multiple hdds or 3.5" drives?)

i dont think ill need a picopsu .___. those things are tiny!!! im using the included psu in the case
haha
In my opinion the only difference between ATX and Mini-ITX is size and your ability to expand.

Personally, after moving to ITX I miss NOTHING about ATX...granted I can't add a sound card or go SLI but that doesn't matter because:

1. I have an external USB sound device for music and headphones and use HDMI for games/movies.

2. SLI/Crossfire isn't a big deal because even my "aging" GTX 580 can still do literally ANYTHING I want it too...so even that's not an issue.

As far as things like overclocking, stability, features, etc ITX has reached ATX level. My Asrock Z77 ITX motherboard overclocks every bit as good as my MSI Z68 ATX motherboard. It also has ALL the same features as well such as USB 3.0, Lucid graphics, SATA3, AND has more inputs on the back than my ATX motherboard!

Meh, starting to ramble...just to sum it up, if using one video card or onboard is all you need then ITX is all you need and ATX is unnecessary. I love my ITX build and honestly miss nothing about my full tower system...well, other than hard drive slots, which thats what external enclosures are for ;)

OH RIGHT usb 7.1 surround sound ;) ill do that. i cant do descrete graphics (although i have one slot to use) - not enough power, everything without A card uses 150 watts, cant really find anything else :/
 
This. And there are some great mATX boards for z68 and z77, that have most of the bells and whistles of full atx boards. ITX pickings are kinda slim and keep you to lower end of performance/features usually.
I also vote mATX as the best compromise, though I am currently building an ASRock Z77E-ITX system and so far I miss nothing.
 
I would not go MiniITX if you plan to build a high-end gaming system, or if you want to overclock.

MiniITX has limited expandability, and the cases often limit your video card options to low-profile. Also, for the smaller cases it's a bit more of a pain to open your case and add new hardware, as it means disconnecting and unscrewing tightly-interlocked bits.

Overclocking motherboards are often few in number, so it's hard to find exactly what you want. Cooling is also a problem due to the more constricted airflow (and less area for larger fans), so you end-up with lots of small high-speed noisemakers.. You can keep a high-end overclocked MiniITX system cool, but not at a tolerable noise level.

For general-use and light gaming, MiniITX is fantastic. But for performance and overclocking, MicroATX is as small as I'd recommend.
 
My last build is currently in my sig, it's got an ASUS Rampage III Formula board which is pretty gigantic and feature-laden. I've used nearly none of the features for the nearly $300 price tag I paid. I have an Antec Twelve Hundred case, it's a gigantic beast of a tank and thoroughly sucks to move.

My new build is going to be a Bitfenix Prodigy mini-ITX build, and I'm looking forward to the increased mobility. I also look forward to not paying for options I won't be using on the $99 (after $50 discount via Microcenter) ASRock Z77 motherboard I got! One PCI-e x16 slot is enough! :)
 
I'm assuming by the wording of the op post that their wont be multiple gpus, or heavy ocing. The next biggest factors in my opinion are overclocking, expansion and case selection. If you have any intention of overclocking now or in the future micro atx is probably the way to go since overclocking is pretty limited on run of the mill itx boards but can be decent on mid price micro atx boards. When you go itx you usually lose ports (sata, usb), and pcie slots. If there's a possibility you'll be running a lot of drives, usb peripherals, or cards go micro atx to save space or atx to save cost. If none of the above matters, look for a case first, and then get the largest (usually most expandable at the lowest $$) mobo for it. You don't gain anything from an itx board in a mid tower if you're not watercooling.
 
This computer will be used for surfing and youtubing, i think mini itx should do, no point in oc'ing a computer meant for youtubing :/ let alone banking
 
Back
Top