Buying a Motherboard Form Factor, Ports, More

1. How do form factors affect motherboards?
2. What is the best form factor for a motherboard?
3. Does motherboard form factor matter?
4. What benefit does small form factor motherboards have?
5. What are the different sizes of a motherboard?
6. What size motherboard fits in a mid tower?
7. Should I get mATX or ATX?
8. What advantages does ATX have over MicroATX?
9. Why is Mini-ITX so expensive?
10. What is the biggest motherboard size?
11. How do I know my motherboard size?

How do form factors affect motherboards?

The form factor determines the specifications on how a motherboard is built, from the size, shape, casing, power supply, mounting holes, and the overall layout. The most common form factor is ATX, which evolved to mini-ATX, nano-ATX, pico-ATX, and further.

What is the best form factor for a motherboard?

If you want to push your CPU and memory to their maximum potential, an ATX motherboard is almost certainly the way to go. Due to being the most popular PC form-factor, ATX motherboards also receive more support from manufacturers. In turn, that means Chillblast can offer a wider array of ATX motherboards.

Does motherboard form factor matter?

These standards apply regardless of whether you are using a CPU from Intel or AMD, but you will need to check that the motherboard you choose is compatible with and takes full advantage of the CPU that you've chosen. ... Motherboard size does matter and depends on the type of PC you are building.

What benefit does small form factor motherboards have?

Take Up Less Room – The most noticeable advantage is that it takes up far less physical space than traditional cases. Decreased Power Consumption – Most SFF equipment uses fewer fans, and lower power hardware so it operates more efficiently.

What are the different sizes of a motherboard?

Motherboards come in three main sizes, from largest to smallest: ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX (Yes, Mini is smaller than Micro). You can use a smaller chassis with the micro or mini boards, but you'll have to settle for fewer PCIe slots, RAM slots and other connectors.

What size motherboard fits in a mid tower?

Size matters for PC cases

Full-tower and mid-tower cases both fit standard ATX motherboards—by far the most common motherboard size out there. Both can also fit smaller micro-ATX motherboards. Exact sizing varies from case to case, but most mid-towers run up to roughly 18 inches high and 8 or so inches wide.

Should I get mATX or ATX?

If you want to build a budget-friendly gaming PC, your best bet is to go with a micro-ATX motherboard. ... Fortunately, mATX motherboards are perfect for budget-friendly gaming PCs, as they still have all of the main features that standard ATX motherboards have.

What advantages does ATX have over MicroATX?

3) What advantages does ATX have over microATX? MicroATX is the advantage because of size that is usually much smaller than normal ATX and usually has fewer expansion slots like PCI, fewer DIMM sockets. They are often built around budget or low cost CHIPSETS.

Why is Mini-ITX so expensive?

Like the Asus Z97 ITX board is around 200 dollars compared to the ATX which is around 120. Because when things get small enough it starts to take a ton of planning to squeze everything into the small space. Hence it pushes the price up. ... Also many mITX boards come with built-in WIFI, something which cost money.

What is the biggest motherboard size?

PC Motherboards: The Basics

The largest of the three motherboard sizes we're looking at, the ATX measures 12 inches by 9.6 inches. The specification requires all ATX motherboards to be this size.

How do I know my motherboard size?

Motherboard form factors are easily identified by their physical dimensions.

1. An ATX motherboard size is 12 inches by 9.6 inches.
2. An Extended ATX (EATX) measures 12 inches by 13 inches.
3. A micro-ATX (mATX) motherboard measures 9.6 by 9.6 inches.
4. A mini-ITX motherboard measures _6. 7 by 6.7 inche_s.