Difference between Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX?

[silentmemories]

I'm looking to build a fairly portable rig at the moment. I'm thinking of having a i7 Intel processor and possibly a GTX 780 Ti, so the case needs to be able to fit those in.

I've come across a few cases (these are what I'm considering at the moment) –
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy/ (Looks good)
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy-m/ (Same case as above, but mATX. Might be considering this.)
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/phenom-mini-itx/
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/phenom-micro-atx/
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/colossus-mini-itx/
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/colossus-micro-atx/
http://ncases.com/v2/m1.php (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1791688)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=317 (Looks good)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=RVZ01&area=en (3.71 KG – looking good. On the other hand, plastic.)
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-304-black (Main concern: Too heavy (6KG))
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-804
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/obsidian-series-250d-mini-itx-pc-case (5KG, lighter. Good for dust – lots of filters. Cable management an issue.)

But I'm not sure what the difference between micro-ITX and micro-ATX is. I remember doing some research 4 years ago (when I first built my (normal) ATX gaming PC) that the two formats (ITX and micro-ATX) have not had been broadly adopted by consumers.

Which one do you recommend, and would it be possible to house an i7 with the GTX 780 TI in a case that uses either micro-ITX or micro-ATX?

Thanks.

 

[Charlie98]

I'll think you'll find mITX and mATX much more commonplace than you think. ATX vs mATX... basically the same board but you give up some expansion slots and maybe a few features comparing the same 2 boards; with mITX you are typically limited to 2 RAM slots, 1 PCIe slot, 2 or 4 SATA slots. I've seen some pretty hardcore builds with mITX, though... they are very capable.

There are a few questions you have to axe yourself first... how many and what kind of drives do you need, how much RAM do you need, do you need any additional slots for cards besides the dual-width GTX780... which will take up all of the expansion slots on an mITX, and what kind of CPU cooler do you want to use. Those questions will dictate if you can easily go to mITX and with what case. An i7 and a GTX780 will fit in some mITX cases, your OC and cooling needs will need to be addressed before you go and buy a case.

Personally, I don't ever see myself building an ATX system... I don't need all that mobo. I've built 4 systems, all mATX. I have a curiosity about mITX, so my next build will probably be that.

 

[andg]

I will never build anything larger than mITX again. There's really no reason to, haven't used PCIe cards other than a single graphics card for years.

 

[RU482]

here is a guide on various form factors http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk_cont.php?area&tid=wh11_008

mini-ITX

micro-ATX

typically, from a cost perspective, ATX < uATX < mini-ITX when comparing the same manufacturer and chipset. Deals are typically more common for ATX boards (which annoys me, because all of my cases are uATX)

 

[ShintaiDK]

I got an i5 4670+2x8GB memory, EVGA z87 Stinger board and a GTX680 in a Silverstone SG08B miniITX chassis.

And I am with angd. I will never build anything bigger than miniITX again.

My GFs gaming PC is also miniITX. And they both combined takes less space than 1 PC before.

The limitation of miniITX is just 1 graphics card and 2 DIMMs. mATX can hold 2 cards and 4 DIMMs.

 

[silentmemories]

I'll think you'll find mITX and mATX much more commonplace than you think. ATX vs mATX... basically the same board but you give up some expansion slots and maybe a few features comparing the same 2 boards; with mITX you are typically limited to 2 RAM slots, 1 PCIe slot, 2 or 4 SATA slots. I've seen some pretty hardcore builds with mITX, though... they are very capable.

There are a few questions you have to axe yourself first... how many and what kind of drives do you need, how much RAM do you need, do you need any additional slots for cards besides the dual-width GTX780... which will take up all of the expansion slots on an mITX, and what kind of CPU cooler do you want to use. Those questions will dictate if you can easily go to mITX and with what case. An i7 and a GTX780 will fit in some mITX cases, your OC and cooling needs will need to be addressed before you go and buy a case.

Personally, I don't ever see myself building an ATX system... I don't need all that mobo. I've built 4 systems, all mATX. I have a curiosity about mITX, so my next build will probably be that.

Thanks for the explanation.

Why mATX over mITX?

I will never build anything larger than mITX again. There's really no reason to, haven't used PCIe cards other than a single graphics card for years.

Do you game with the desktop, and if so, how's the heat issue? Do mITX builds have lower heat reduction capacities than mATX/ATX?

I got an i5 4670+2x8GB memory, EVGA z87 Stinger board and a GTX680 in a Silverstone SG08B miniITX chassis.

And I am with angd. I will never build anything bigger than miniITX again.

My GFs gaming PC is also miniITX. And they both combined takes less space than 1 PC before.

The limitation of miniITX is just 1 graphics card and 2 DIMMs. mATX can hold 2 cards and 4 DIMMs.

The case looks pretty good. How's the heat under load?

Is the build quality of the case good as well? The page says it has an aluminium front panel. Is the rest metal, or plastic? How durable is it? (I'm looking to transport my PC between locations so having a case that is relatively durable and won't collapse (Had a NZXT plastic case (Lexa S?) get damaged during shipping, for my original PC build).

In regards to size &#8211;*is the difference between mITX and mATX substantive? Is going for mITX (and only having 1 graphics card slot, and 2 RAM slots) worth it?

 

[bonehead123]

Although my requirements aren't that steep, I just built a rig with a BitFenix Prodigy and & Gigabyte mobo, but it does everything I need it to do. Yes it has it's limits with 2 ram & 1 PCI slot, and the need to be creative with your cable routing, but other than that, I also see no reason for the average person to use anything else unless you need a massively high powered machine for specialized uses like gaming, video production or scientific research.

I have a 500w PSU, 8GB ram, 4 fans + a stock CPU heatsink w/fan, and have yet to see any temps over 30' C on either the A8 CPU or the Radeon GPU, both of which I am running at mild 12% overclocks...

Just save the space, money & time & be happy

 

[Charlie98]

Why mATX over mITX?

Is the build quality of the case good as well? The page says it has an aluminium front panel. Is the rest metal, or plastic? How durable is it? (I'm looking to transport my PC between locations so having a case that is relatively durable and won't collapse (Had a NZXT plastic case (Lexa S?) get damaged during shipping, for my original PC build).

In regards to size –*is the difference between mITX and mATX substantive? Is going for mITX (and only having 1 graphics card slot, and 2 RAM slots) worth it?

Cost primarily: An equivalent system in mITX will typically cost more than mATX. Ease of build: mITX cases are small, that's their big selling point; I wanted a smallish desktop I wouldn't have to struggle to work on or fight to get everything into the can. That equals mATX.

There is very little flexibility to mITX. It's not like you have a system and you decide later you want to add an expansion card or go crossfire. Cooling can be an issue if you don't plan for it... cooler selection is critical.

Case builders still haven't taken the mATX platform where it needs to go... they keep building mATX cases that hold 2 OD drives, 5 HDDs and a flipping water cooler! So mATX cases, even smallish ones like the Define Mini... are almost as big as an ATX case. That's where mITX shines... a truly small form.

It all depends on your needs...

 

[voodoo7817]

Case builders still haven't taken the mATX platform where it needs to go... they keep building mATX cases that hold 2 OD drives, 5 HDDs and a flipping water cooler! So mATX cases, even smallish ones like the Define Mini... are almost as big as an ATX case. That's where mITX shines... a truly small form.

This is true. I was pretty much decided on getting a mATX board but when I realized that most of the mATX cases I was considering would more or less still have a 'substantial mid-tower' footprint, I decided that I might as well go ATX. I could use the extra space for building and I was able to get some additional features as well.

I think the decision is between mITX or ATX because mATX compromises too much on either side. But I could see how others might feel that it's in the 'goldilocks' range. I went ATX this round (Fractal Design R4), but SFF PCs will always be on my radar. I'm really excited about the kind of performance that a NUC size device will be able to offer in 2-3 years with PCIe SSDs and improved iGPUs.

As for which of those cases are the best, I haven't used any of them but they were pretty much all ones I considered for my recent build. If you have the money, skill, and patience, I think the NCASE M1 is the best option. It's just so small, and I think it's pretty cool how it was created. Here's a link to a similar build as you've described with some nice pics: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1ufit3/build_complete_ncase_m1_miniitx_build_with_780/. I'm not sure I'd have the patience or skill to build a rig like that, but it's definitely pretty sexy.

 

[ShintaiDK]

The case looks pretty good. How's the heat under load?

Is the build quality of the case good as well? The page says it has an aluminium front panel. Is the rest metal, or plastic? How durable is it? (I'm looking to transport my PC between locations so having a case that is relatively durable and won't collapse (Had a NZXT plastic case (Lexa S?) get damaged during shipping, for my original PC build).

In regards to size –*is the difference between mITX and mATX substantive? Is going for mITX (and only having 1 graphics card slot, and 2 RAM slots) worth it?

Heat is fine, no issues at all.

Its all metal. Its quite durable.

Ask yourself what you need. If you will only use 2 DIMMs and 1 GFX card. miniITX all the way.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Case builders still haven't taken the mATX platform where it needs to go... they keep building mATX cases that hold 2 OD drives, 5 HDDs and a flipping water cooler! So mATX cases, even smallish ones like the Define Mini... are almost as big as an ATX case. That's where mITX shines... a truly small form.

Well.... that's not entirely true.

I had a Pentium III rig in one of these way back when:

http://global.aopen.com/products_detail.aspx?ctgr=&auno=2574&mdstl=

 

[Charlie98]

Well.... that's not entirely true.

I had a Pentium III rig in one of these way back when:

http://global.aopen.com/products_detail.aspx?ctgr=&auno=2574&mdstl=

The traditional horizontal desktop layout actually works better in terms of usable space and compactness... to a point.

I still think a Define Mini, for example, without all the OD and HDD provisions (i.e. just a single regular or slim OD slot and room for maybe 2 HDDs) would really work.

 

[chrisjames61]

I will never build anything larger than mITX again. There's really no reason to, haven't used PCIe cards other than a single graphics card for years.

If you are into overclocking you need room for big water. Or large aftermarket cpu coolers. Or a lot of 140 mm fans to get nice airflow over your mainboard. Or you SLI or CrossFire. The list is endless why someone would need a full ATX board and case to house everything.

 

[Jumpem]

mATX is a bit larger than I need. But mITX does not have a slot for a sound card.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I regretted going mITX myself. mITX cases that can accept full length video cards and full size ATX PSUs aren't really that smaller than mATX cases (Bitfenix Prodigy mITX is ALMOST as large as a Aerocool DS mATX) and they have a host of issues with case and mobo clearances for HSFs like my 250D.

All that money spent on the 250D, H100i, Z77 board for my existing 2500K system, I could have easily spent slightly more for a 4690K + H81 mATX mobo + Aerocool DS case while still using the old Hyper 212+ and overclock just as well.