Question Mini-ITX vs Micro ATX

[deadrush]

I’m about to build a new pc and I’m looking for a smaller form factor than typical ATX mid tower. I’m have trouble deciding wether ITX is worth the extra cost vs MATX.

 

[punkncat]

There are smaller than ITX now, but in a traditional sense it is the smallest you can go. You lose a LOT of expandability, generally limit yourself to 2X RAM sticks, and in my own experience in spite of claims about power delivery I have yet to have an ITX board that offered the overhead of ATX for power.

M-ATX is the most affordable option in mobo and case, offers expandability, and also comes pretty standard with 4X RAM. Given the pricing and the very small increase in size with the correct case it is really a great build size option IMO.

 

[deadrush]

Thank you for the information. Are there any specific MATX cases you would recommend that are on the smaller size. I don’t plan to expand in the future and only really plan to use 2 ram sticks in dual channel

 

[punkncat]

Case selection can be really tough as it is so 'personal' on the aesthetic and what YOU have to look at for years moving forward. With that said there are a whole lot of case builders out there at just as many price points. At this very moment in time my two favorite builders in respect to feature to price are Lian Li in the high end, and Gamdias on the low/value side.

edit- I will say that I picked a really cheap LARGE case from NZXT and where I like the case a lot, I was turned onto some videos from Steve over at GN by a long time member here and after perusing them it really does make it hard to suggest purchasing something new from them by way of support of that type behavior. I really cannot comment much on that little case they offer other than to say that air flow has been an ongoing challenge with some of their older stuff.

 

[dwd999]

You can still have a small case with a full ATX motherboard. I use the Lian Li O11 Air Mini for that. If you're committed to an mATX then you might consider Lian Li's A3 line of cases which include ones with an attractive wood front.

 

[Why_Me]

Thank you for the information. Are there any specific MATX cases you would recommend that are on the smaller size. I don’t plan to expand in the future and only really plan to use 2 ram sticks in dual channel

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/pop/pop-mini-air/rgb-black-tg-clear/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukcnCb-64U

 

[deadrush]

My main goal is a smaller case with minimal desk space used and most likely will be hidden behind monitors. Another major concern is cooling as I don't want the build to be limited in performance due to heat.

 

[beyondlogic]

I’m about to build a new pc and I’m looking for a smaller form factor than typical ATX mid tower. I’m have trouble deciding wether ITX is worth the extra cost vs MATX.

Honestly in some cases yes and in others no and depends on how comfortable you are with water cooling etc.

Micro atx b850 am5 for example has more nvme storage Vs itx counterparts and editional 2 slots extra for ram as itx are restricted to 2 slots .

The pros are lower power draw.
Usually between 20w from each other.

Atx full features.
Micro atx some features shaved off not alot.
Mini itx minimalistic on basic boards one some boards you may get a extra nvme on the back.

Micro atx has more room for over locking Vs itx.

As for case size can vary between micro atx and itx.

Itx tends to be more expensive for more exotic PSUs needing to be used SFX for example.

 

[LordVile]

I’m about to build a new pc and I’m looking for a smaller form factor than typical ATX mid tower. I’m have trouble deciding wether ITX is worth the extra cost vs MATX.

Depends what you want. I’ve been on ITX for a while and I like having a smaller footprint. Depending on the case you can mitigate or eliminate the cooling issue too. For example in mine I can have a 3 slot 365mm GPU if I wanted to and I have a 360mm AIO.

The main cost you’ll incur in on the motherboard, maybe PSU and maybe the case but it’s maybe a £100 increase which depending on the budget could be significant or not.

 

[deadrush]

This is my general idea build for ITX

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rP2Pgn

And MATX

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BpdLwY

The difference is about $200 US

Also if I can use air cooling only I would prefer that to save some cost on AIO if not necessary

*NOTE* these would not be final build parts just general idea of what I’m looking for

 

[geofelt]

To increase your options, have you considered putting the case on the floor next to the desk?
You can use front panel extenders for power and peripherals.

MATX may not be much larger than ITX and is generally less expensive.

 

[deadrush]

Unfortunately I do not have space beside or under my desk. So I’m looking for smaller than ATX as my current build has a Corsair 5000d and takes up massive amount of space

 

[dwd999]

Do not assume air cooling is less expensive that an AIO, those fan costs mount up. I have 9 fans in my O11 Air Mini but they all idle at 25 percent so its really quiet. Perhaps you could just move your present components from the Corsair into an Air Mini. That would be the lowest cost option depending on whether or not your current AIO will fit. Otherwise your pick with the A3 case would most likely allow the best cooling if you fill out all of the fan slots.

 

[LordVile]

Unfortunately I do not have space beside or under my desk. So I’m looking for smaller than ATX as my current build has a Corsair 5000d and takes up massive amount of space

Have a look at the 2000d

 

[deadrush]

I’m doing a full build because my system is older and stuck on AM4 with DDR4. So in short I basically have to replace almost everything except like a m.2 so at that point I would rather sell old pc as a whole and then build new.

I’m for sure leaning towards the Lian Li A3 or Asus Prime AP201