Micro ATX vs. Standard ATX?

[juicycrapachino]

Which one is better? What are the pro's and con's of a micro ATX motherboard compaired to an ATX motherboard and vice-versa? Is speed affected or is it just the amount of features able to be put onto the board? Thanks in advance!

 

[T_T]

check out [url="http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=4764]this link[/url] to see a very good comparison.

 

[rockyjohn]

Gee if I only have room for a small board I will go with micro-ATX but if I have more room I will go standard. What kind of question is that? Are you just trying to grab some quick points to improve ranking?

Wow I just saw the poll is already closed. And started less than an hour and a half ago.

 

[aford10]

mATX motherboards are often cheaper. They are obviously smaller, and usually lack the extra PCIe slots. They are capable of fitting in the smaller cases.

If you've got the budget and room in the case, I usually recommend ATX motherboards.

 

[Cs342]

Choose an ATX motherboard if you're going to be running CrossFire/SLI as there are more expansion slots. Also, ATX boards are bigger and are slightly better for enthusiast-level overclocking. If, however, you just need a motherboard for one video card and won't be doing an extreme amount of OC'ing, then a micro-ATX board will be perfect for you, even if you're a gamer. Just remember to put it in a nice ATX case for better cooling!

 

[jsc]

ATX whenever possible.

 

[damasvara]

Despite the case size consideration, mATX motherboards usually consume less power than the ATX version. I you're aiming to build a "green rig", go for the mATX. But if you're aiming to max out your PC, ATX is definitely the answer.