Mini ITX Vs Micro ATX: Which You Should Prefer?

Both micro-ATX and mini-ITX are popular with people looking to customize their own motherboards and, as a result, their own computers. These two mainboards are the widely used small form factor motherboards on the market.

This piece of writing mainly talks about Mini ITX Vs Micro ATX. In this article, we’ll take a look at these two motherboard types and ultimately see which one is best for whose needs.

Mini-ITX:-

The Mini-ITX design is somewhat unlike in that it is not based on the genuine ATX standard, however relatively based on the varied ITX design formed in 2011 for small set-top boxes and entrenched systems. Mini-ITX motherboards are the smallest of the three, allowing you to build powerful and portable small form factor PCs.

Power Supply: When installing processors in a case higher than the Atom line (for example, Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300), you need to pay attention to the power supply capacity. Buy cases with a power supply unit of at least 90W, and preferably 120W.

Attention! When using 2 memory modules and additional devices, a 120W power supply is strongly recommended.

Micro-ATX:-

Micro ATX, also known as uATX, mATX, or µATX, is a standard introduced in 1997 based on the ATX specification. ATX is a specification standard for mainboards manufactured by Intel. ATX stands for Advanced Technology extended. It’s the first major change to the hardware configuration of desktop-type computers.

The ATX specification defines the mechanical dimensions, mounting points, input/output panel power, and connector interfaces between the motherboard, power supply and chassis. A new specification introduces compatibility to many components of the hardware of a desktop computer. A typical micro-ATX board measures 244 x 244mm.

Power Supply: The power supply used in the micro ATX system is the same as the power supply used in the ATX. The power supply has three main output voltages at +3.3V, +5V and +12V. Additional low-power −12V and 5V standby voltages are also available. Power is connected to the motherboard using a 20 connector designed to reduce accidental misconnections that can lead to irreparable damage. It also provides a +3.3V supply directly and removes the requirement that 3.3V be derived from a 5V supply.

Mini ITX Vs Micro ATX:-

• Micro ATX is a figure factor design introduced by Intel Corporation based on the ATX specification. Mini-ITX was originated with VIA technology.

• Mini ITX is lesser in size than micro ATX.

• M-ITX has just single PCIE expansion slot, while micro ITX has more than one expansion slot, although less than standard ATX systems.

• Mini-ITX is quieter than micro ATX-based computers.

Final Verdicts:-

If you don’t have enough space, the Mini ITX is the only good choice. However, the Mini ITX requires that the size of the graphics card to be integrated into the system is also small. This is because the slots face the edges.

Micro ATX is the top choice in many circumstances. Use ATX if you require extra than 4 PCIe slots and use Mini ITX if you want the smallest PC you can get.