- May 19, 2011
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I've occasionally come across but not paid that much attention to the fact that there are MicroATX boards that aren't as large as the boards I normally use. The ones I normally use - take the ASUS B450M-A II for example (of the largest type of mATX that I normally use):
www.asus.com
Which take six screws at the CPU end of the board to secure it to the case and the outermost two at the other end (which don't run parallel to the board).
Smaller mATX boards only take 4 screws at the CPU end then two more that aren't as far away and do run parallel. I think they also normally only have two memory module slots.
This isn't something I've ever wondered much about before because as far as I was concerned, if a case's specs stated that it can fit an mATX board then that's all there is to it, right?
Nope.
Take this case for example:
As you can see from this image, it has all the screw points:
But there are two problems. The first one is visible from the image though a little hard to believe in that the 3.5" drive bay area has a cut-out so the motherboard's top screw point furthest from the IO panel can be used, however the drive bay then overhangs by about 1cm which is right where the motherboard power connector is on the board I'm using. Even if the board wasn't installed, there's only about a 3cm gap between the board backplate and the overhang and bending a motherboard power connector that much is asking for trouble.
The second problem isn't visible in that picture but is even stranger. The case comes with four metal motherboard spacers, the old-school variety that you put the board on top and then screw a screw into it. The four that the board comes with are already installed in the CPU area where all compatible boards are going to use them. The case then comes with four plastic motherboard spacers that look like this:
I've come across these before but usually only two of them to be used at the end of the board farthest from the IO panel. This case came with four, logically to be used there but also two to be used at the PCIE far end of the board. The only way I'm aware of to use only the first two is to lower the board in and tilt it to line up with the IO panel then when you've got everything lined up, you push the board onto the final two plastic spacers and then screw the remainder in. When there's four and you need to use them all, you would have to tilt the board in some way that defies physics.
I've packed up the case and intend to get it returned for something else. When picking a case I normally pay attention to the drive bays, but I guess I'll have a new thing to check for!
PRIME B450M-A II｜Motherboards｜ASUS United Kingdom
ASUS Prime series is expertly engineered to unleash the full potential of AMD and Intel processors. Boasting a robust power design, comprehensive cooling solutions and intelligent tuning options, Prime series motherboards provide daily users and DIY PC builders a range of performance tuning...
www.asus.com
Which take six screws at the CPU end of the board to secure it to the case and the outermost two at the other end (which don't run parallel to the board).
Smaller mATX boards only take 4 screws at the CPU end then two more that aren't as far away and do run parallel. I think they also normally only have two memory module slots.
This isn't something I've ever wondered much about before because as far as I was concerned, if a case's specs stated that it can fit an mATX board then that's all there is to it, right?
Nope.
Take this case for example:
As you can see from this image, it has all the screw points:
But there are two problems. The first one is visible from the image though a little hard to believe in that the 3.5" drive bay area has a cut-out so the motherboard's top screw point furthest from the IO panel can be used, however the drive bay then overhangs by about 1cm which is right where the motherboard power connector is on the board I'm using. Even if the board wasn't installed, there's only about a 3cm gap between the board backplate and the overhang and bending a motherboard power connector that much is asking for trouble.
The second problem isn't visible in that picture but is even stranger. The case comes with four metal motherboard spacers, the old-school variety that you put the board on top and then screw a screw into it. The four that the board comes with are already installed in the CPU area where all compatible boards are going to use them. The case then comes with four plastic motherboard spacers that look like this:
I've come across these before but usually only two of them to be used at the end of the board farthest from the IO panel. This case came with four, logically to be used there but also two to be used at the PCIE far end of the board. The only way I'm aware of to use only the first two is to lower the board in and tilt it to line up with the IO panel then when you've got everything lined up, you push the board onto the final two plastic spacers and then screw the remainder in. When there's four and you need to use them all, you would have to tilt the board in some way that defies physics.
I've packed up the case and intend to get it returned for something else. When picking a case I normally pay attention to the drive bays, but I guess I'll have a new thing to check for!
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