Favored MB form factor? (ATX, mATX, ITX - poll included)

[mrblotto]

I want a bigger case. mATX is so limiting for options, expansion, cooling, and just general room to work with.

Same here...I like a larger case. It's just easier to work with......And the expandability (sp) is nice, even if I haven't taken advantage of it every time.

But in the end, to each his own. Whatever works for you

 

[Ratman6161]

ATX for DIY. Easier to select components without worrying if they fit. No hunting for low profile cards, easier to assemble, easier to work on, easier to keep cool. And its all going to be hidden under the desk anyway so who cares what it looks like.

That's why.

 

[cmvrgr]

I am in favor of mATX - uATX that is in between expandability and size. So can have a smaller chassis that is very important for space shaving in my work station.

 

[Topweasel]

I put mITX because it's the most fun to get a working system. Back in the day I was big on getting a cheap portable computer for lan parties and was really big on getting shuttle barebones and what the manufacturers were doing with their SSF selection. My home computers will always be ATX. Besides my need for drive bays, mATX doesn't lower my footprint so it doesn't really matter if the case is 2 feet tall or 5. So it certainly my primary case choice. But the satisfaction of getting a half way decent computer into something nearly the size of a shoe box has to be one of the greatest DYI feelings.

Then I got my Ncase M1. Then I got a fully functional, i7 system with 16GB of memory, SSD, storage drive, Bluray Burner, water cooling, all in a package that looks great and could be tossed into a backpack. It went from an ok solution to portable gaming, to a full blown system that is as good as any other in a miniature package. Even though I don't travel game nearly as much I think I will always want a system like that in the future. It's been a couple years and am thinking of turning it into a mini workstation. Either next year with a Zen+ or wait till 2019 and putting a possibly 12c system into it. But regardless as it is now it's my favorite system. More than my 3930k HAF X system when I built that, or my new Ryzen 7 1700 Define R5 one I built this year even if I don't use it nearly as much.

 

[PingSpike]

My first build was a 486 in 1993, so that was probably Baby AT.

Nearly a quarter century later I would have thought we would have miniaturized a bit more.

I get that some people need all those slots, but do most people? I need a GPU slot, and maybe one more for something unforeseen in the future. But 7 slots?

I mean, the market on the whole did miniaturize quite a bit more. Tons of people buy laptops which have terrible expansion options, but they don't need them that much.

I'd say lately RaspberryPi and things like Chromecast's have started to eat into the niche mITX often filled. And from my perspective, if the PC is sitting on the floor and not portable ATX is more flexible while not taking up any meaningful amount more space. I've owned plenty of mATX boards over the years and I almost always installed them in ATX cases anyway. Hell, my wife bought a new computer cabinet that none of my traditional ATX cases could fit in and I chose to buy a cut-down ATX case with no expansion bays rather than give up ATX.