[SOLVED] ATX vs. mATX?

[Haakenloob]

If I'm building/updating a PC, is there a reason to go with either ATX or mATX over the other? PC will be primarily used for gaming. I'll likely add an nvme ssd and 1 GPU (no plans for SLI or Crossfire). I've built 1 PC in the past, but I wouldn't say I'm "skilled" at it. Are mATX cases tougher to work in?

Just looking for thoughts/experiences to help decide if going with an mATX board might work for me (previously thought I really only wanted ATX). Thanks!

 

[Dj0gany]

if ur buying a ATX motherboard,you will have to buy a bigger case and with that come more fans,and better airflow.With ATX motherboard,they have way more features like lets say 2 GPU slots,more fan pins to connect fans,more DIMM (RAM) slots.mATX motherboards ussually dont have those features.

 

[drea.drechsler]

mATX boards fit into a smaller case that still let you fit monster air coolers or AIO liquid coolers (as compared to mITX boards/cases in particular). The smaller case should make it intrude less on crowded desk space.

ATX fit into the larger cases that can make an impressive monument on the desk, especially if lit up with lots of aRGB glitz. An ATX motherboard also allows for more add-in cards with more PCIe slots. Many ATX cases also allow for easier vertical mounting of your GPU to showcase it.

You can fit an mATX motherboard in an ATX case but not the other way around.

The large ATX case diminsions allowed for a lot of HDD drives to be securely installed into bays. But monstrous SSD's that can be tacked in most anywhere make that much less important these days.

mATX motherboards are frequently lower-end on VRM quality and capability. This is especially true of AM4 mATX's, although it's been remedied a bit with the B550m series of boards from some mfrs.

 

[Haakenloob]

Thanks guys. I have no desire in mITX, so that one is out for me. Are the mATX cases harder to build in because they're smaller, or are they still roomy enough that it's not an issue?

I'm PROBABLY looking at a B 450 mobo for a 3600/3600x so I won't be doing a ton of OC that's going to need a lot of fans (probably just whatever comes with the case I decide on, plus an aftermarket heatsink fan, no custom/AIO water cooling). I know there are mATX B 450 mobos with 4 DIMM slots and m.2 nvme (even if it's still just PCIE 3, not 4) so that's what I would be potentially looking at, if I were to go the mATX route. I have no interest in adding a 2nd GPU, so I wouldn't "need" the extra lanes on an ATX board for that.

All that considered, is there any reason I "need" to stay ATX, or should mATX be OK for my needs?

 

[digitalgriffin]

If I'm building/updating a PC, is there a reason to go with either ATX or mATX over the other? PC will be primarily used for gaming. I'll likely add an nvme ssd and 1 GPU (no plans for SLI or Crossfire). I've built 1 PC in the past, but I wouldn't say I'm "skilled" at it. Are mATX cases tougher to work in?

Just looking for thoughts/experiences to help decide if going with an mATX board might work for me (previously thought I really only wanted ATX). Thanks!

Very FEW people use more than 1 PCIe slot (usually a dGPU)

mATX boards tend to be a little cheaper too, and give you a wider variety of cases to choose from. I have a dGPU, and still have room for a 4 channel USB 3 card for VR trackers and a network card IF I need it.

 

[digitalgriffin]

if ur buying a ATX motherboard,you will have to buy a bigger case and with that come more fans,and better airflow.With ATX motherboard,they have way more features like lets say 2 GPU slots,more fan pins to connect fans,more DIMM (RAM) slots.mATX motherboards ussually dont have those features.

I disagree. You can have great airflow in a ITX or mATX case, IF you set it up properly. In fact in some ways it's easier to cool because a smaller case makes it easier to direct airflow. I have 9 fans in my cube case. But only 4 really run. (2 for the intake / 2 for the AIO outtake) I stay below 82C running prime 95 on a 3900X that is running PBO (overclock)

mATX CAN support dual GPU configs.
mATX does support 4 memory slots
mATX CAN contain multiple fan headers. I have 4.

I even have an m.2 SATA III, 4 SATA Ports, and a m.2 NVME slot. Some offer Wifi 6 even.

mITX only has one PCIe slot
mITX supports only 2 memory sticks, but typically overclocks better
mITX usually has at most 3 fan headers due to limited board space.
mITX tends to be as expensive as ATX.
mITX is just as easy to cool in a small case as an ATX, or mATX.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Thanks guys. I have no desire in mITX, so that one is out for me. Are the mATX cases harder to build in because they're smaller, or are they still roomy enough that it's not an issue?
...

To me the selling point of an mATX case is it's compactness so that's going to dictate a certain amount additional hassle during assembly. But even so, it depends on the case since you can get some that are little smaller than a full-size ATX. Then again, there are some that are little larger than an mITX, require SFF PSU's and hardware mods to make a full complement of drives and fans fit quietly.

In my case, I've an older CM N200 and I have to angle the motherboard somewhat carefully to slip the front underneath the optical drive bay and I think it's pretty roomy for mATX. That also makes attaching some of the fan connectors a bit troublesome because the header is underneath the optical drive. Even though I may use a pair of forceps when my hand obscures what I'm trying to do I can still get to everything. I don't really consider that too much of a hassle at all.

I use an AIO for cooling so can't be certain, but I think the common practice of pre-attaching a big air cooler to the motherboard wouldn't work because of the angling it needs when installing. But most of the popular big air coolers use mounting brackets that make it easy enough to put in with the motherboard pre-installed so that shouldn't be an issue.

My case holds a 240mm AIO radiator in front and 2 120MM exhaust fans in the rear and top-rear. So ventilation is quite good enough for my 3700x processor and 5700xt GPU. For neat cable and wire management it's just as important to pre-plan the install (and where you'll route the wires) with a full size ATX. But it's important to keep in mind that a smaller case makes cable dressing even more important so as not to block airflow.

If picking one of the smaller mATX cases it's fairly easy to get one that will limit your GPU choices, usually in length. So that's something to watch for.

Otherwise, in any mATX case I've worked with I did not have to do any sort of mods to the hardware to make it fit. I did have to pay attention to maximum dimensions (like too tall of a CPU heatsink or too long of a GPU) but that was it. But even for my el-cheapo Rosewill case I was able to find standard, quality, items that worked well without too much searching.