Micro Atx Expansion Slots
ATX vs Micro ATX
Micro Atx Expansion Slots Jackpot
PCI Express: The best type of expansion slot to have in your PC is the PCI Express, also written as PCIe. Without boring you, the PCI Express type of expansion slot communicates with the motherboard, and therefore with the microprocessor, both quickly and efficiently. PCI: The PCI slot is the most common form of internal expansion for a PC. It has an ultra-reliable steel form factor, many bays, and expansion slots, and the design is very versatile and it can work with many of today’s systems. And the best thing about this case is that it is ultra-cheap. Key Features: Motherboard Support: Micro-ATX; Features 5 drive bays and 4 expansion slots. Four expansion slots with vented covers, an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU, and an exhaust-fan mount fitted with a 120mm fan are fairly standard for a chassis that supports up to Micro-ATX. The ATX board has five expansion slots while the Micro ATX board has three expansion slots. The number of drive bays in a ATX form factor is more than that of in a Micro ATX form factor. A Micro ATX board can be installed in an ATX chassis but the other way is not around is not possible.
When buying computers, most people do not know that there are two common form factors for desktops; the ATX and Micro ATX, which is also commonly abbreviated as mATX or uATX. “ATX” stands for “Advanced Technology eXtended” and was an improved version of the older AT form factor. Micro ATX is one of the offshoots of ATX, and its main difference from the main ATX form factor is size. ATX retains a generally rectangular board size measuring 305mm. by 244mm. Micro ATX is a more even square which retains the 244mm. width but cuts down the length to by 61mm.
The main downside of Micro ATX compared to ATX is the reduced number of expansion ports that are located on the bottom end. While ATX boards typically have five expansion slots, Micro ATX typically has three with four being the absolute maximum. This is partially offset by many board manufacturers integrating common functions like sound, networking, and even graphics. It is no longer uncommon to see computers that do not utilize the expansion ports.
Even though Micro ATX is a smaller form factor, the identical width allowed it to retain most of the mounting points established by the ATX form factor. This allows Micro ATX boards to fit and mount perfectly inside an ATX chassis. With Micro ATX cases, the main focus is a reduced size for a smaller footprint. This inhibits the use of an ATX board inside a Micro ATX chassis.
An indirect consequence of the Micro ATX form factor is the reduced number of drive bays inside the case. Not much of a problem if you only have one or two hard drives inside, but it can be an issue if you have a lot of hard and optical drives or you want to implement a RAID. For many, more room is generally better to accommodate future expansions even if they never really do it. Because of this, Micro ATX cases are still not as popular even if Micro ATX motherboards are now more popular than the full-sized ATX boards.
Summary:
1.ATX is larger than Micro ATX.
2.ATX boards typically have more expansion slots than Micro ATX boards.
3.A Micro ATX board can be installed in an ATX chassis but not the other way around.
4.A Micro ATX chassis has fewer drive bays than an ATX chassis.
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To increase general awareness of PC users on motherboard sizes and form factors, the following outlines most known ATX motherboard form factors in a simple guide.Micro Atx Expansion Slots Games
- Standard ATX (most of the time referred to as simply “ATX”)
Standard ATX specifies length to be 12 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches.
Maximum number of expansion slots is seven (7)
Up to ten (10) mounting holes are available, although four of them are optional (circled in red) Micro-ATX specifies length to be 9.6 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches, it has three less expansion slots than standard ATX. Maximum number of expansion slots is four (4)
Up to eight (8) mounting holes are available. The two holes circled in green are optional positions for motherboard manufacturers to utilize and holes circled in red are usually eliminated if the board size is small to not require them.
Micro-ATX and ATX are the most common motherboard form factors
DTX
Mini-DTXDTX specifies length to be 8 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches. Mini-DTX specifically refers to DTX motherboards with a width of 6.7 inches. Compared to Micro-ATX, DTX has two less expansion slots.
Maximum number of expansion slots is two (2)
Up to six (6) mounting holes are available. The holes circled in red are usually eliminated if the board size is small enough to not require them. Mini-DTX is the more common of the two DTX form factors
Mini-ITX specifies length to be 6.7 inches with width of 6.7 inches. It is the smallest form factor possible utilizing ATX mounting holes.
Maximum number of expansion slot is one (1)
All Mini-ITX motherboards use four (4) mounting holes, there are no known exceptions.
This form factor is the smallest of all ATX motherboards.
Standard SSI-CEB specifies length to be 12 inches with width varying from 9.6 to 10.5 inches. It is slightly wider than standard ATX.
Maximum number of expansion slots is seven (7)
Up to eight (8) mounting holes are available
This form factor is common to lower end dual CPU motherboards
Many ASUS ROG series motherboards have dimensions of 12 inches by 10.6 inches, which is slightly larger than CEB specification. Cases designed for CEB motherboards are generally compatible with ASUS ROG series motherboards such as RAVEN RV02 and Fortress FT02.
ASUS ROG motherboard with dimensions of 12 inches by 10.6 inches
- SSI-EEB (most of the time referred to as Extended ATX or E-ATX)
Standard SSI-EEB specifies length to be 12 inches with width varying from 10.5 to 13 inches. It is significantly wider than standard ATX.
Maximum number of expansion slots is seven (7)
Up to eleven (11) mounting holes are available
This form factor is common to high end dual CPU motherboards
Standard SSI-MEB specifies length to be 16 inches with width of 13 inches. Compared to SSI-EEB, It is longer above the top to accommodate room for two additional CPU sockets.
Maximum number of expansion slots is seven (7)
Up to fourteen (14) mounting holes are available
This form factor is common to quad CPU motherboards
XL-ATX has length of 13.5 inches and width of 10.3
Maximum number of expansion slots is nine (9)
Up to twelve (12) mounting holes are available
HPTX has length of 13.6 inches and width of 15
Maximum number of expansion slots is nine (9)
Up to seventeen (17) mounting holes are available
Form factors smaller than standard ATX motherboards
Retail motherboards smaller than standard ATX motherboards will always be compatible with cases designed for standard ATX form factor.
In order of decreasing sizes, they are:
Form factors larger than standard ATX motherboards
Motherboards larger than standard ATX will not be compatible with cases designed for standard ATX form factor.
Cases designed for larger than standard ATX form factor will be compatible with standard ATX motherboards or smaller.
In order of increasing sizes, they are:
Non-standard form factor motherboards
Non-standard form factors are created by motherboard manufacturers for special applications