Tech Jesus goes on a tear about size.

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Joke title aside--I will edit if anyone complains, but I thought it was funny--he's complaining that nobody seems to remember there are any specifications for motherboard size beyond ATX, and so motherboard and case manufacturers basically make up their own (EATX, BTX, EEATX, etc) and then, since they're not referencing actual specs, they have to say what the maximum board size is. This bothers Steve enough he made a 22-minute video. Basically, most cases describe anything bigger than 9.6x12" as "eatx", but since they're not actually referring to a specification, it might mean 10x12 or 10.5x12 or whatever.

3/4 of the way through, he tells a story that probably explains what set him off, but doesn't mention that. Every time someone sends him a motherboard bigger than ATX, he has to go sifting through a pile of cases to find one that actually fits the board. (I've seen Tom's Hardware rant in passing on this before.) I would imagine that gets tiresome after a while, although since he has a database of inventory, maybe he could add an extra field to describe "maximum motherboard size" on a case to save himself time in the future.
 
Maybe this has changed recently, but EATX used to mean 12" x 13". I never had any problem with cases that were EATX.

There was a very short time where everyone stuck to roughly the same dimensions for EATX boards. Then everyone decided they wanted to be special and do their own thing. Most cases that claim EATX support will fit the larger EATX boards, but you could lost most or all of the mid-panel cable routing options in the process.
 
Maybe this has changed recently, but EATX used to mean 12" x 13". I never had any problem with cases that were EATX.

That's one of the things he mentions--and Tom's Hardware frequently has a sentence or so about it in case reviews. Case after case says "EATX (275mm)" or "EATX (280mm)" or whatever, meaning they don't actually support actual EATX-spec motherboards. Or they'll say "Full ATX" which, like, isn't that the same as ATX, i.e., 9.6x12" (unless I am remembering the actual dimensions wrong)?

Or EEATX, "Enhanced Extended Advanced Technology eXtended".
 
Most cases that claim EATX support will fit the larger EATX boards, but you could lost most or all of the mid-panel cable routing options in the process.

That's another example he specifically called out. I think it was Phanteks: "EATX (but you lose access to the [passthrough holes with grommets]". I've seen that in a bunch of reviews.
 
So long as they all use the standard mounting holes I honestly couldn't care less. Beyond ATX people have specific use cases that the standard ATX form factor doesn't satisfy, so we're already talking about a niche market. Now, if a manufacturer uses non-standard mounting for some BS reason and you have to buy a specific case to use it, then that is something else entirely.
 
There was a very short time where everyone stuck to roughly the same dimensions for EATX boards. Then everyone decided they wanted to be special and do their own thing. Most cases that claim EATX support will fit the larger EATX boards, but you could lost most or all of the mid-panel cable routing options in the process.

Possibly, but IMHO, only in the "I'm not really a server case" scenarios. You pretty much know an EATX case when you see it. It's large and deep. Granted there have been some "large-ish" ATX cases that could fit some of the smaller EATX boards, but rare.
 
smaller EATX boards

Well, that's kind of the problem, right? EATX is supposed to be a standard--300mm^2. But when you see cases that claim EATX support, but then say they support motherboards up to 290mm or 280mm or whatever--and the motherboards aren't all 300mm wide--well, you can't trust what a given vendor calls EATX.
 
Well, that's kind of the problem, right? EATX is supposed to be a standard--300mm^2. But when you see cases that claim EATX support, but then say they support motherboards up to 290mm or 280mm or whatever--and the motherboards aren't all 300mm wide--well, you can't trust what a given vendor calls EATX.

Not quite what I was saying. What I'm saying is that there are some ATX cases that can manage to handle EATX boards (ones that are slightly smaller). But at the end of the day, the case never claimed to be EATX capable.

So, I am saying, that at least in my experience, that EATX means EATX. This thread is the first time I'm hearing about case manufacturers that blatantly lie about it. I personally haven't seen it.
 
Not quite what I was saying. What I'm saying is that there are some ATX cases that can manage to handle EATX boards (ones that are slightly smaller). But at the end of the day, the case never claimed to be EATX capable.

So, I am saying, that at least in my experience, that EATX means EATX. This thread is the first time I'm hearing about case manufacturers that blatantly lie about it. I personally haven't seen it.

It's not case manufacturers lying about it. The fact that there are "smaller" and "larger" EATX boards means that EATX is, in fact, not EATX. It's a loose "standard" that is effectively meaningless outside of "some arbitrary amount larger than normal ATX".
 
It's not case manufacturers lying about it. The fact that there are "smaller" and "larger" EATX boards means that EATX is, in fact, not EATX. It's a loose "standard" that is effectively meaningless outside of "some arbitrary amount larger than normal ATX".

But, that's not true. I need a lot more proof. It's like delivering a DVD and calling it ultra HD... it's a lie no matter how you try to justify it. A case that says EATX must support an EATX 12 x 13 board. Now, it could support larger, but it shouldn't be restricted to only handling something smaller.
 
But, that's not true. I need a lot more proof. It's like delivering a DVD and calling it ultra HD... it's a lie no matter how you try to justify it. A case that says EATX must support an EATX 12 x 13 board. Now, it could support larger, but it shouldn't be restricted to only handling something smaller.

The sheer fact that there is more than one size of EATX means there is no set standard.
 
Actually, it turns out there are a whole bunch of actual standards. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX#Variants. But everyone just makes up their own dimensions and then calls them EATX. Steve mentions several of the SSI ones, for example. In fact, the wiki link shows two rows; EATX (standard) and EATX (commonly). The latter lists four sizes and says they're not "completely" compatible with SSI EEB (which is the same size, otherwise, as standard EATX.)
 
Actually, it turns out there are a whole bunch of actual standards. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX#Variants. But everyone just makes up their own dimensions and then calls them EATX. Steve mentions several of the SSI ones, for example. In fact, the wiki link shows two rows; EATX (standard) and EATX (commonly). The latter lists four sizes and says they're not "completely" compatible with SSI EEB (which is the same size, otherwise, as standard EATX.)

No offense to you, but that Wikipedia statement is complete and utter crapola. I've been looking for a bad Wikipedia article. You just found an example. While the (inexperienced, liar) author mentions the truth about EATX, definitely went out of their way to come up with their own made up definitions, while still pointing out none of those definitions are actually true.'

Regardless, EATX is about case fit. In which "case", it MUST handle 12 x 13. Obviously boards that are larger than ATX and less than EATX would require an EATX case (duh).
 
He bumbles, mumbles, stumbles, and prattles on and on. He treats 30 minutes like a goal for every little topic.

why do I like this channel as much as I do?
 
He bumbles, mumbles, stumbles, and prattles on and on. He treats 30 minutes like a goal for every little topic.

why do I like this channel as much as I do?
Because he and his team try to be impartial and investigational journalists rather than just click-bait parrots all while trying to appease "the algorithm" that is Youtube. He may not always succeed, but the level of effort he and his team put forth to make his videos informative make watching worth it - and even enjoyable most times. IMO, of course.

For example, I didn't realize that EATX was such a cluster of a non-spec as it is until this video. I guess I was lucky to have bought a case (Corsair 450D) capable of mounting an Asus R5E without any trouble and I didn't even realize it could have been a disaster if I had picked a different case that said it support EATX but in fact was smaller than needed. That would have sucked. And then I would have wished I had a large Youtube channel to voice my displeasure for others to see.
 
The specs only outline the maximum size of the board.

For example, if it's larger than 9.6" x 12" but smaller than 12" x 13", then it can still be categorized as an EATX, as long as the mounting holes are in the standardized locations.
 
He bumbles, mumbles, stumbles, and prattles on and on. He treats 30 minutes like a goal for every little topic.

why do I like this channel as much as I do?
I can respect the work he puts in his videos and the passion he has for computers but I just can't watch his videos. The delivery and length of the videos has me spacing out after 10 mins.
 
He bumbles, mumbles, stumbles, and prattles on and on. He treats 30 minutes like a goal for every little topic.

why do I like this channel as much as I do?
Watching someone rant for 15 minutes about a topic that can be summarized in one paragraph, is not very efficient way of absorbing information. It's all about entertainment.
I watch youtube for entertainment only, not as a primary source of tech news and information.

As for the long videos, it's that the youtube algorithm prefers longer videos, so you get more views, and make more ad revenue with longer videos.
 
230999_62fa18df_ITX.jpeg


just buy the biggest case you can find and anything will fit.
 
For some reason that video popped in my feed the other day and I happened to watch it. Not for any reason other than I'm building a "workstation" from an old SuperMicro server board that's EATX. Fortunately, about a year ago I bought a 10+ year old case that I cut all the drive bays out of. Now it fits any size mobo.
 
These specs are starting to sound more like the product name for a cheap dick hardener supplement you can buy at your local gas station.

It happens. The registers on the x86 are the same way. The 64-bit accumulator, RAX (I've never heard what the R stands for. Relaxed-fit, maybe), is an extended version of the 32-bit register, EAX, which stands for Extended Accumulator eXtended (the 16-bit version is the AX, going all the way back to the 8086--well, actually the 8008.)
 
It happens. The registers on the x86 are the same way. The 64-bit accumulator, RAX (I've never heard what the R stands for. Relaxed-fit, maybe), is an extended version of the 32-bit register, EAX, which stands for Extended Accumulator eXtended (the 16-bit version is the AX, going all the way back to the 8086--well, actually the 8008.)
Register Accumulator eXtended. It's stupid, I know.
 
It's stupid, I know.

To be fair, it's no dumber than Extended Accumulator eXtended.

Old IBM mainframe joke:

IBMER #1: Did you hear they are running out of three-letter acronyms for new opcodes? They're going to start using FLAs.
IBMER #2: What's that, Four-Letter Acronyms?
IBMER #1: No, Field-extended three-Letter Acronym.
 
I'm with you.

For YouTube, HWUB is my go to source for tech news and reviews.

I find hwub a lot more enjoyable to watch as well. They have a very good presentation with most of their videos. Tech Jesus just rants and stumbles too much and I get bored.
 
I find hwub a lot more enjoyable to watch as well. They have a very good presentation with most of their videos. Tech Jesus just rants and stumbles too much and I get bored.

I prefer reading a review article. YT is the perfect medium for rants.
 

(not really addressed to the person I'm replying too, more just to the whiners, like Tech Jesus, etc.)

So, really at the end of the day, the gripe is that people are making boards larger than ATX (I could care less about what they call them, just as long as it fits in an EATX case, I'll check dimensions of course, in case it's outside EATX).

My guess is that there is a class of user that never considered high end motherboards before (EATX), and so, now they're mad at manufacturers that make boards larger than ATX, we'll say because it's become more common from motherboard suppliers that never used to step outside of ATX, or at least not in a way that mattered to many.

I'm still convinced this is spilled milk at best. If it's a big deal to you (maybe both spilled milk and fruit loops), then buy an EATX case. If the motherboards is just so out of wack that it requires its own specialized case.... I'd simply avoid anything made by that manufacturer. Just me.
 
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