Pros and Cons of ATX versus micro ATX motherboard?

[TheDarkKnight]

Reading motherboard reviews on NewEgg has raised some questions I want to ask before my next purchase. At least one review goes something like this:
Pros - lots of features, good cost, stable, etc.
Cons - "not an ATX motherboard"

My question is, "Why is it a con to purchase a motherboard that isn't an ATX motherboard?". Are these statements made in ignorance or do they have merit? Should I always choose an ATX motherboard over a micro ATX motherboard and, if so, why?

I've been wanting to upgrade my system for awhile but I have become paranoid and cautious in doing so because of all the negativity with regard to certain comments people make. I just purchased 32 gigs of 1.65V memory and learned afterwards that its "defective" (shrug) . So, I guess I need to make wiser decisions. All comments on my thread topic much appreciated.

 

[Athadeus]

It is ignorance. You just get some more expansion slots (PCI, PCI-E x1) that usually aren't necessary.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Reading motherboard reviews on NewEgg has raised some questions I want to ask before my next purchase. At least one review goes something like this:
Pros - lots of features, good cost, stable, etc.
Cons - "not an ATX motherboard"

My question is, "Why is it a con to purchase a motherboard that isn't an ATX motherboard?". Are these statements made in ignorance or do they have merit? Should I always choose an ATX motherboard over a micro ATX motherboard and, if so, why?

I've been wanting to upgrade my system for awhile but I have become paranoid and cautious in doing so because of all the negativity with regard to certain comments people make. I just purchased 32 gigs of 1.65V memory and learned afterwards that its "defective" (shrug) . So, I guess I need to make wiser decisions. All comments on my thread topic much appreciated.

Newegg reviews are retarded, especially for mobos.

And if all you ever need was a PCIe 16x slot for the video card, there is really no reason to buy ATX over mATX when latter is usually cheaper.

 

[Zap]

On a form factor level, micro ATX is just like ATX, but minus the bottom three slots.

On a marketing level, because manufacturers know that most computer builders believe (however misinformed they are) that ATX is somehow "better," the manufacturers will usually make higher end ATX boards and lower end mATX boards. This is purely a marketing and manufacturing decision, and has nothing to do with the capabilities of the actual motherboard form factor (size).

That being said, there has been some rather high end micro ATX motherboards. For instance, take a look at the Asus Maximus III Gene. It is a full featured socket 1366 motherboard that supports dual graphics cards, full on overclocking, all the RAM slots of an ATX board and so on. Heck, it is even part of Asus' ROG (Republic Of Gamers) series. It has more features than the majority of ATX motherboards.

However, that kind of motherboard is quite rare due to reasons I've stated above.

As for "defective" memory, I believe I made a valid case in that thread in Memory and Storage.

 

[llee]

It should be noted that smaller form factors tend to be cheaper. A neat way to impose a price limit on spending for parts is to reduce your form factor size. While many ATX boards cost in the 200s, MicroATX boards usually hover around $150 and MiniITX boards stay around $100. It really depends on what you're looking for though.

 

[wwswimming]

It should be noted that smaller form factors tend to be cheaper. A neat way to impose a price limit on spending for parts is to reduce your form factor size. While many ATX boards cost in the 200s, MicroATX boards usually hover around $150 and MiniITX boards stay around $100. It really depends on what you're looking for though.

the specific part that it decreases the cost of is one of the most expensive parts - the beautiful multi-layer circuit board.

9.6 x 9.6 vs. 12 x 9.6 for ATX - a 48 x 48 panel will yield 25 micro-ATX PCB's, or 16 ATX PCB's.

if the 48 x 48 panel costs $2000 through finishing processes such as Hot Air Solder Leveling, Solder Mask, etc., that' $80 each for the uATX, $125 each for the ATX.

plus the cost of the additional connectors.

from a layout point of view, if we take out the routing for the additional connectors, there isn't much there. a lot of ATX circuit boards you can look at, and see "there's nothing there" - it's obvious the circuit would have fit on a uATX board.

 

[Pneumothorax]

Don't full size ATX boards tend to have more robust VRM stages?

 

[Zap]

Don't full size ATX boards tend to have more robust VRM stages?

Let me copy/paste what I said above:

On a marketing level, because manufacturers know that most computer builders believe (however misinformed they are) that ATX is somehow "better," the manufacturers will usually make higher end ATX boards and lower end mATX boards. This is purely a marketing and manufacturing decision, and has nothing to do with the capabilities of the actual motherboard form factor (size).

In other words, yes ATX motherboards often have better VRMs but it is not because they are ATX, but because the motherboard manufacturer thinks that is what enthusiasts want.

It is completely possible to make a micro ATX motherboard that has every bit as good VRMs as an ATX motherboard. Manufacturers are reluctant to do that because they think enthusiasts/gamers won't buy such an expensive motherboard if it were micro ATX.

On the flip side, enthusiasts/gamers don't buy micro ATX motherboards because manufacturers don't make them as high end as their ATX motherboards.

It is a chicken/egg problem.

 

[DaveSimmons]

That does mean if you only need one graphics card, 2-4 RAM slots, and are going to run at stock speed or close to it then you're probably wasting money spending an extra $50-150 for a deluxe regular ATX motherboard instead of microATX.

 

[paperwastage]

it all boils down to what you need right now, and what you think you might need in the future, and whether you want to save money

I would say save the money if you only need 1GPU...

 

[Pneumothorax]

Let me copy/paste what I said above:


In other words, yes ATX motherboards often have better VRMs but it is not because they are ATX, but because the motherboard manufacturer thinks that is what enthusiasts want.

It is completely possible to make a micro ATX motherboard that has every bit as good VRMs as an ATX motherboard. Manufacturers are reluctant to do that because they think enthusiasts/gamers won't buy such an expensive motherboard if it were micro ATX.

On the flip side, enthusiasts/gamers don't buy micro ATX motherboards because manufacturers don't make them as high end as their ATX motherboards.

It is a chicken/egg problem.

At one time there were good microatx boards with as good VRM as full size. ie DFI lan party. Even Antec made a 'baby' micro atx p180. I guess the market for them stunk as I can't think of a high end P67 micro atx board with the same VRM's as the enthusiast boards. I recently fried a Gigabyte micro atx P55 board with a mild i7 870 4 ghz overclock that my gigabyte full atx mobo handled easily for over 6 months.

 

[Meghan54]

Running an Asus Rampage II Gene, the mATX version of the Rampage II Extreme ATX motherboard. Socket 1366, running an i7 920 @ 4GHz for a looooong time now (maybe approaching 18-20 months) and it has performed admirably. Never had one single problem out of the board and it has achieved OC's quite comparable to what its full sized counterpart achieves with the same cpu.

 

[WildW]

There can be layout issues with micro atx boards. For instance, long double-slot graphics cards can block other useful things like SATA sockets if they're in the wrong place.

 

[Arg Clin]

Depends on if you have a specific reason to go mATX I think. (small case of some kind)

All other things equal, and if you have the room and case for it, I'd pick an ATX, because you can always chose not to use the expansion options of an ATX, but you can't add them to a mATX.

 

[Mide]

These days mATX is just fine. As long as you don't need a second video card or all of those expansion slots, the mATX chipset and such are just as good as its ATX counterpart. That and it saves room in your rig.

 

[chihlidog]

I love my Maximus III Gene. I'd take it over most ATX boards. Dont let the size deter you, just make sure youre getting a quality mATX and you're good.

 

[Meghan54]

These days mATX is just fine. As long as you don't need a second video card or all of those expansion slots, the mATX chipset and such are just as good as its ATX counterpart. That and it saves room in your rig.

Most, if not all, halfway decent mATX motherboards will support SLI/X-Fire.

And about the chipset......mATX boards use the same chipset as the full ATX boards on equal models. Derp......

 

[Zap]

There can be layout issues with micro atx boards. For instance, long double-slot graphics cards can block other useful things like SATA sockets if they're in the wrong place.

There can be the exact same layout issues with ATX boards, and plenty of mATX boards have angled SATA connectors.

 

[Massive Overkill]

Massive amounts of RAM? no problem, SLI/Crossfire? no problem, Big-ass heat sink? no problem:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1508581

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035995346&postcount=17

 

[tomoyo]

I'd just like to note wrong on prices being cheaper as you get smaller. Micro-ATX can definitely be cheaper than Full ATX, but mini-itx is generally not cheap unless you get a bottom barrel foxconn. And a number of mini-itx boards are in the 130-150 range. Micro-ATX is probably the cheapest option all around followed by Mini-ITX and full atx.

Back on main topic:
Seeing as far less actually use the expansion slots these days, Micro-ATX is just as good for most people.

Now personally I do find full ATX useful because I have a sound card, wifi card, graphics card + various accessories on my system. This obviously eats a bunch of slots, but it seems like most people don't even buy sound cards these days.

 

[Zap]

I'd just like to note wrong on prices being cheaper as you get smaller.

Are we talking motherboards, or women's bikinis? :wub:

Now personally I do find full ATX useful because I have a sound card, wifi card, graphics card + various accessories on my system. This obviously eats a bunch of slots, but it seems like most people don't even buy sound cards these days.

Yeah, with the way Windows runs audio these days, not much of a benefit to use a discrete sound card.

Also, I've had good luck with USB WiFi adapters - especially the ones with stands and upgradable antennas. Indeed some of these can pull in better signals than PCI/PCIe cards with fixed antennas due to being able to position them.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Yeah, with the way Windows runs audio these days, not much of a benefit to use a discrete sound card.

vastly superior audio fidelity and HRTF technology are more than enough to seal the deal on discrete sound for me, although there are excellent external solutions for those that don't have room for a discrete PCI-e card

 

[Zap]

vastly superior audio fidelity and HRTF technology are more than enough to seal the deal on discrete sound for me

"I can't hear a difference" is more than enough for me to keep using onboard audio.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

from my perspective that's like saying you can't see the difference between TN and IPS or 60 and 120Hz, and in either case such a claim makes it hard for me to believe the person has truly experienced the alternative

of course there's also a huge difference between "can't tell the difference" and "don't think its worth the cost"

but seeing as how visually oriented humans are, I don't find the level of ignorance regarding audio to be too surprising

 

[Zap]

from my perspective that's like saying you can't see the difference between TN and IPS or 60 and 120Hz, and in either case such a claim makes it hard for me to believe the person has truly experienced the alternative

I didn't say "you" but "I" can't hear a difference. Why does it matter? You don't know what I listen to or what kind of speakers/headphones I use, so your perspective may not be aligned with mine.

What if I just listened to audiobooks through some cheap $10 multimedia speakers? What if the only sounds I hear are the Windows sound events and some random crappy Youtube stuff? What if I'm partially deaf? What if I just don't give a damn? What if I didn't have the budget for a nice sound card when I built my system?

Besides, sometimes I suspect that people hear what they want to hear. How else can audiophiles justify spending huge amounts of money for accessories? How else can some people say that vinyl sounds better than anything digital, or that radio sounds better? It is all very subjective. Some people like the "live" sound of Bose direct/reflecting speakers, while others hate it.

BTW I do appreciate reasonably decent sound. It's just that once past a certain level, I don't feel that I gain anything.