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ATX vs. Micro ATX vs. Mini ITX: Which Should You Pick?

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Gaming Silk
ATX vs. Micro ATX vs. Mini ITX: Which Should You Pick?

When setting up your PC, it’s necessary to choose all the required components, including motherboards, correctly. As the motherboard is the primary and working element, you need to pick it wisely. To help you select the right one, we brought the comparison of ATX vs. Micro ATX vs. Mini ITX. These three motherboards are differentiated based on sizes (form factors) and are the most popular ones. Keep reading the article to understand which one you should choose.

If we talk about the sizes, ATX is bigger with a large height and width. Micro ATX follows ATX in dimensions except for the similarity in height, and then comes the Mini ITX. It also impacts the overall cost, and each comes with different features. Thus, you must pick the motherboard type that fits your PC chassis to avoid wasting your money. Now, without any further delay, let’s start with each of the motherboards and their features.

ATX Motherboards

  • Dimensions: 305 x 244 mm or 12.0” x 9.6”

ATX motherboards are the gaming champions with excellent options for adding up your extra components. They come with up to seven slots for Multi-GPU and either PCI or PCIe cards. They offer additional features to your PC such as video, graphics, sounds, etc. You also get four RAM slots to expand your PC’s memory up to your desired level based on your requirements.

As these motherboards support multiple components without heating up, you can use them for any task. They are designed especially for gamers, developers, and professionals involved in high-end jobs. The RAM slots (provided in sets) support memory from 8GB to 128GB. This makes your PC a robust workstation gaming and delivers a perfect gaming experience.

Pros

  • A lot of PCIe and RAM slots
  • Support high memory elements
  • Offer robust performance 
  • Perfect for overclocking

Cons

  • Expensive than the other two

Related: 

Micro ATX Motherboards

  • Dimensions: 244 x 244mm or 9.6” x 9.6”

Micro ATX motherboards are a bit smaller than ATX boards and are square. We can see the role of technology here; we get all the similar functionality of ATX in this board. If you are a gamer or developer, these boards are perfect for you due to their features. As we already discussed, their size is in the middle of ATX and Mini ITX and square-shaped; it is pretty attractive. 

Most users demand PCIe and M.2 slots because the PCIe cards offer expansion and M.2 drives deliver fast speed. Micro ATX comes with four PCIe slots and three M.2 slots.  In addition to that, Micro ATX has four RAM slots and RAMs feature overlocking. Although the form factor is smaller than ATX, you get VRMs for both RAM and CPU with the same performance. 

Pros

  • Users love them due to their size
  • Support and run heavy games
  • RAMs have overclocking features

Cons

  • Do not support Multi-GPU

Related: 

Mini ITX Motherboards

  • Dimensions: 170 x 170mm or 6.7” x 6.7”

Mini ITX motherboards are the smallest of the three boards under discussion. You get a few little or limited features in this motherboard, but the PC you build will be portable. Compared to the other boards, they come with two RAM slots, which support RAMs up to 64GB. This memory support is more than enough to run most of the games smoothly.

The installation process is a bit difficult to make connections due to the small size. But don’t worry, these boards can support components with high-end specs from CPU to GPU and RAM. In terms of expansion slots, they support only one PCIe slot. One more drawback of Mini ITX boards is their overlocking is not up to the mark due to limited VRMs. 

Pros

  • Portable due to small size
  • Support RAM up to 64GB 
  • Compatible with new elements

Cons

  • Less number of expansion slots

Related: 

Conclusion: Which Motherboard You Should Pick

Well! That was all about the comparison of ATX vs. Micro ATX vs. Mini ITX. We can conclude that selection of the motherboard entirely depends on your preferences. All these boards are perfect for high-end tasks, and you can rely on them. We would recommend picking ATX because they are versatile, and you can use the components of other boards in them. 

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