Why only ATX ???

[GothAmKing]

Quite a noob question,but I want to know exactly for what reasons gamers shouldnt opt for mATX boards ??

The best answer I can think of is about space for SLI/CFX and for other PCI cards and all that.

While I was browsing I saw Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 priced at a quite meaty place despite being mATX. This further instigated my curiousity.

Thanx for all upcoming replies....................

 

[StrangerGuy]

The cost difference isn't that great to begin with and you get more slots, although I agree ATX isn't even needed for the vast majority of DIYers.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I would never buy ATX.

I recommend mATX if you need the extra slots, say for SLI/CF. Or MiniITX if you dont.

ATX is dead for me.

 

[GothAmKing]

Well then let me ask another rookie question - CAN I EVER THINK OF 8+4 POWER PHASE DESIGN IN mATX mobos ???

 

[dma0991]

It isn't because we do not consider smaller form factors, it is just too expensive for what you've paid. I had looked into mITX boards a couple of times and they are expensive compared to a similar priced ATX board that offers more features. Space is definitely a plus to me especially if I were to install huge air coolers, mITX just doesn't have the sufficient space to do so.

The same goes for mATX just that it is cheaper than mITX while being more expensive than comparable ATX boards, we're comparing number of features like SATA ports, USB 3.0 header, VRMs, etc.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Well then let me ask another rookie question - CAN I EVER THINK OF 8+4 POWER PHASE DESIGN IN mATX mobos ???

You can get whatever phases you want in mATX. Its exactly the same as in ATX. Still as useless too.

 

[ShintaiDK]

It isn't because we do not consider smaller form factors, it is just too expensive for what you've paid. I had looked into mITX boards a couple of times and they are expensive compared to a similar priced ATX board that offers more features. Space is definitely a plus to me especially if I were to install huge air coolers, mITX just doesn't have the sufficient space to do so.

The same goes for mATX just that it is cheaper than mITX while being more expensive than comparable ATX boards, we're comparing number of features like SATA ports, USB 3.0 header, VRMs, etc.

mATX is the cheapest.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600315499&IsNodeId=1&Description=LGA1155&name=Intel%20H77&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&Pagesize=20

 

[coffeejunkee]

It isn't because we do not consider smaller form factors, it is just too expensive for what you've paid. I had looked into mITX boards a couple of times and they are expensive compared to a similar priced ATX board that offers more features. Space is definitely a plus to me especially if I were to install huge air coolers, mITX just doesn't have the sufficient space to do so.

The same goes for mATX just that it is cheaper than mITX while being more expensive than comparable ATX boards, we're comparing number of features like SATA ports, USB 3.0 header, VRMs, etc.

mITX is always more expensive than comparable mATX/ATX, just because it's harder to cram everything in a really small space. mATX is basically ATX with lower 3 slots cut off which is not more expensive to produce, and therefore unlike you say mATX boards are cheaper than comparable ATX boards.

I wouldn't recommend mATX for sli/cf systems although some support it slot wise. It's better to have a free slot between cards to let them breathe.

One thing about mATX I consider a (minor) drawback is that the pci-e x16 slot is moved up one place so the videocard is closer to cpu cooler and it does increase cpu temps by a few degrees.

 

[Golgatha]

Even with a single video card in the system, I still like to give as much room as possible to the video card and keep it away from the other expansion cards for cooling purposes.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Well then let me ask another rookie question - CAN I EVER THINK OF 8+4 POWER PHASE DESIGN IN mATX mobos ???

Asus Maximus V Gene has that

 

[piasabird]

I built a computer basically for streaming video and put it in a Antec 300 tower because the was the best option for price of the Case/MB/PwrSply. At the time Antec had a good sale going on for the case with a 480w power supply combo for like $70. I might have like something like a black alum silverston mini-itx case but smaller was more expensive.

There are some cases like the Apia M1 That is almost small enough for a low power gaming system but if you want a large power supply and heavy duty video card you almost have to go at least as large as a MATX for a case with better airflow.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

mATX is a little cramped and it is worth buying ATX just because it is easier to work on.

 

[Stoneburner]

Are you asking just in general when picking motherboards? Or are you talking about putting systems together? IF you have a full atx case, why not get an ATX mobo JUST IN CASE you need an extra slot for something?

 

[PCTC2]

I used to love full ATX towers because I water-cooled and because I had SLI with a dedicated audio card, RAID, etc. 6+ Hard drives. They do have their uses.

Now I've "seen the light" and my gaming computer is in a Silverstone TJ08-E. Room for 5 3.5" + 1x SSD, long GFX cards. I have my H77 mATX motherboard w/ USB 3.0, etc in it with my Core i5 2400, HD 5870, SSD, and HDD's and it runs cool and it's small. I have it under my desk whereas my Core i7 920 workstation is in my Corsair 800D and its a behemoth.

If I could do it again, I would probably buy a small ITX case and a Zotac Z77 ITX board.

 

[bononos]

How much of a price difference are we talking about here, btwn comparably equipped matx/atx boards (minus some slots from matx)?

The size issue is a wash with me since the widths are same so the amount of fiddling with cables is to different (at least for me). Power consumption difference is really small to negligible. The video card slot is situated one slot upwards and can heat up the cpu from radiating heat. So I continue to use atx boards as my primary choice unless I need a small/htpc build.

 

[Smoblikat]

The cost difference isn't that great to begin with and you get more slots, although I agree ATX isn't even needed for the vast majority of DIYers.

The only time I buy ATX is for gaming builds, out of the 8 computers in use that ive built now 2 of them are ATX, the rest are mATX. ATX has beefier VRM's and more slots.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I just bought an ASUS mATX motherboard for a new build, but for a full-on gaming rig, going ATX makes a lot more sense. Room for large air coolers, easier to cool cases with more volume and more fan placements, and a much larger selection of motherboards to choose from.

 

[cmdrdredd]

The only time I buy ATX is for gaming builds, out of the 8 computers in use that ive built now 2 of them are ATX, the rest are mATX. ATX has beefier VRM's and more slots.

More slots yes, but not all mATX boards cheap out on VRMs. The Asus Maximus V Gene and the rest of the ROG mATX line from them have used their top of the line VRM design just like the standard ATX boards.

 

[dma0991]

mATX is the cheapest.

Those are from the lower end spectrum, they are cheap but what I'm comparing against is boards like the Maximus V Gene versus boards like mine, MSI Z77A-GD65. Two different sized boards and almost similar in features but the mATX board is still >$30 premium over a larger sized board.

mITX is always more expensive than comparable mATX/ATX, just because it's harder to cram everything in a really small space. mATX is basically ATX with lower 3 slots cut off which is not more expensive to produce, and therefore unlike you say mATX boards are cheaper than comparable ATX boards.

The space constraint is definitely a reason for the price increase but I find it more so that mITX is a niche product and not many buyers, hence its hefty price. The price of mITX alone costs more than a mATX motherboard and it is putting me off from buying cases that would fit mITX motherboards. Only lower end motherboards will fit into the idea that mATX is cheaper than ATX boards, most high end mATX will still be more expensive compared to an ATX motherboard.

That being said, I only buy low end boards when I know that I'm not going to run the motherboard out of its rated specifications. Like my parent's ASRock H61M-GS.

 

[Zap]

I like smaller systems just because having a big computer case that's mostly empty seems like just a big waste of space, especially with 4TB HDDs and the popularity of 2.5" SSDs.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I rarely pick out a motherboard based on the form factor. Normally I base it on the number of slots for whatever it is I'm doing. Ex: if I'm building a server, sata ports are important, if I'm building a gaming PC, having two real PCIe-16 slots is important (a lot of boards have two that are the SIZE of a 16 but one is actually 8x. useless if you want to put two video cards for SLI). So whatever form factor the board I want happens to be in, is what I get.

If I was building a HTPC then I'd probably look at size more since I'd want a smaller case, so mATX would be ideal in such a situation.

 

[JimmiG]

You'll want to use an ATX case anyway for cooling. Then you might as well go with a proper ATX motherboard.

When I built my previous system, I had an extremely tight budget (student) so I went with a mATX board. My PCI audio card ended up sitting right against the dual-slot video card which got very hot. Not good.

 

[cmdrdredd]

You'll want to use an ATX case anyway for cooling. Then you might as well go with a proper ATX motherboard.

When I built my previous system, I had an extremely tight budget (student) so I went with a mATX board. My PCI audio card ended up sitting right against the dual-slot video card which got very hot. Not good.

It depends. When I was buying components, the mATX Asus Maximus V Gene was the best Z77 motherboard available so that's what I bought.

 

[Zap]

You'll want to use an ATX case anyway for cooling. Then you might as well go with a proper ATX motherboard.

When I built my previous system, I had an extremely tight budget (student) so I went with a mATX board. My PCI audio card ended up sitting right against the dual-slot video card which got very hot. Not good.

I haven't used a PCI audio card in years.

Regarding case cooling, all has to do with the design and NOT with the size. There are plenty of ATX cases with inferior airflow, and plenty of mATX cases with great airflow, and vice versa.

 

[MadAd]

while plenty of enthusiasts will still use the old atx for space, personally i cant see me ever using it again, on my next build im planning as uATX for my main pc and moving over my server boxes to itx

pcs have to shrink, generally, ATX is a prehistoric standard, hell my first voodoo1 based PC was in an atx box and that was what, 13 years ago?