Mini ITX vs Micro ATX - what to Choose..

[enigma27]

Hi All.

Need some help...

I cant decide on weather to get an X97 board in Mini ITX or Micro ATX

Going to be running a 4790K Devils canyon and a GTX 780 + 16gb ram...

whats the pros and cons between the two..

P.s. the board manafacturer I have chosen does both varients of form factor.. if it helps I want to overclock the CPU but an not bothered about SLI...

 

[Pulse]

I'm also weighing this up. My pros and cons are -

Micro ATX
+ Larger working space in cases
+ Better airflow / cooling
+ More space for future expansion (HDDs/GPUs mainly)
- Takes up more space

Mini ITX
+ Smaller
+ Easy placement of case
- Less airflow / cooling
- Future expansion
- Not as much connectivity
- Generally just as, if not more expensive

 

[HeX]

Only real reason to go mITX is if you have limited space for your PC to go. There is no other benefit.

I've got mITX because my PC sits on a shelf above the TV. A normal case, even an mATX one wouldn't go there, hence mITX.

If you've got ample room for a normal size PC, then just go mATX/ATX.

 

[enigma27]

Thanks Guys.

Think I have decided on Micro ATX...

I currently have a full size ATX and and only downsizing due to size..

what would i be loosing if anything from going ATX to Micro?

Currently system is I5 @ 4.4k with 16gb ram and 780

New system will be I7 4790K + 16gb ram and 780

 

[HeX]

Going from ATX to mATX all you really lose is a few PCIe expansion slots, a few fan headers, and possibly a couple of SATA ports. But you can get cases around a third smaller than a normal sized ATX case.

 

[enigma27]

Thanks Hex.

Appreciate it.