Reasons NOT to build Mini-ITX instead of Micro-ATX?

douglasl

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May 25, 2015
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The Mini-ITX motherboard supports the CPU I would have bought otherwise and enough RAM and USB ports. The Mini-ITX case supports the number of drives I want. I'm not doing gaming.

Are there any reasons I'm overlooking NOT to build a Mini-ITX system instead of the Micro-ATX systems that I've typically been building for home?

Thank you!
 
Solution
@Paul pretty much answers your question. I might add a few thoughts though...

Some generic things to bear in mind:
- mITX mobos are often a little more expensive than similarly features mATX boards, but there's not loads in it.
- You need to be much more careful with component compatibility with mITX cases... there's less space so some things don't fit
- Building mITX is a bit more time consuming, cable management can be a bit more of a pain.

There are other (bigger) potential drawbacks of mITX, but from what you describe they're not really relevant for you...
- Much less upgradability/expandability (only 2 RAM slots and 1 PCIe slot, so no option for GPU + network card, Raid card, sound card, etc)
- Small cases make heat much of an...
@Paul pretty much answers your question. I might add a few thoughts though...

Some generic things to bear in mind:
- mITX mobos are often a little more expensive than similarly features mATX boards, but there's not loads in it.
- You need to be much more careful with component compatibility with mITX cases... there's less space so some things don't fit
- Building mITX is a bit more time consuming, cable management can be a bit more of a pain.

There are other (bigger) potential drawbacks of mITX, but from what you describe they're not really relevant for you...
- Much less upgradability/expandability (only 2 RAM slots and 1 PCIe slot, so no option for GPU + network card, Raid card, sound card, etc)
- Small cases make heat much of an issue if you're wanting high end GPUs and OC'd CPUs, this can mean hotter and/or noisier builds

Having said all that, if you just want to build a PC now and leave it alone forever and you're prepared to spend a few extra $$ and sacrifice potential future upgrade options to get a significantly smaller build, then that can be a great choice for you.
 
Solution