ATX vs ITX Motherboards
Whether you want a mini gaming PC, or a tower gaming PC with more features ready, there’s plenty of options for motherboard sizes. Today, we’re going to investigate ATX vs. ITX motherboards! ITX motherboards are mainly for a mini PC, but they can be used in other configurations. ATX motherboards are not the biggest standard, but they are generally the most popular and come off as the motherboard standard.
ATX Motherboard: The best choice for Tower Desktops
ATX motherboards being the standard means that there are plenty of variations to discover! ATX motherboards almost always offer 4 DIMM slots for RAM, but pricey models can have 8 DIMM capabilities. These motherboards will contain PCIe lanes for the PCIe slots (of course) and straight to the M.2 slots for quick storage access. Depending on the price, a motherboard can have more individual lanes so each part has full speeds; budget boards will usually dedicate individual lanes to the main M.2 and PCIe slot alone. The more expensive boards will have more of each slot overall. ATX boards tend to have more heatsinks and standard covering compared to a board for a mini gaming PC. These boards will have compatibility with options that a mini gaming PC wouldn’t be big enough for, like liquid cooling ATX boards with tube ports and reservoirs.
ITX Motherboards: For small form factor PCs
ITX motherboards are the absolute standard for a mini gaming PC. The term “mini” really does describe these boards. They are very small, and much more limited in options. ITX boards contain all the necessities to run a PC. CPU socket, x2 RAM slots on budget boards, and modern storage options for M.2 SSDs. Sometimes the M.2 slot is handily placed on the backside of the board. I’ve also seen these “USB-C Modules” that ITX boards will use to create more usable space in the system. These models are pretty niche. The module itself is connected via two USB-C headers off the board, and the module can hold up to two M.2 slots.
In general, ITX boards are just small motherboards stripped of features, yet have their own value in the tiny size they employ. They are very much more expensive in terms of price per processing capability, but again…you’d be enjoying a nice mini gaming PC!
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