Motherboard Size Comparison: What are Typical Motherboard Sizes and Which is Best?

Yes we all know that a motherboard is an important part and that it is like a backbone that keeps the communication between components well to perform rightly. But what many people don’t know is the importance of its different sizes.

Motherboard is more like a chip that fits into the CPUs or gadgets that features some core functionality, typically smart devices. However, if we especially talk about PCs, the size of the mobo differs and varies greatly!

Certainly the range in motherboard sizes indicates its specific approach that ultimately caters the performance you want. And without knowing the precise size you will only end up regretting and replacing. For gamers the motherboard should be as precise as the joy they want

In addition, depending on the computer type i.e. tower or desktop there are various motherboard sizes available. However the thing that makes the intent best motherboard buying compromised is the range! Why are there so many sizes out there? 

Which is the best motherboard size to opt for?  We are covering up this and a lot more in this article. Stay glued and pick up your motherboard size like a wise man! Or women for that matter!

Read on!

Motherboard And Its Size Range

Generally, or I should say by now, (due to the ever so evolving technology concern) the motherboard is available in major sizes. Take a good look below:

Why do we have different motherboard sizes?

That is an obvious question that comes to mind right next after learning about the different sizes and dimension range of motherboards. After all, what’s the use of diversity in motherboard physical size?

Well the answer is pretty much simple. It is because the size is responsible to allow you other components within its slots. Larger boards come with more slots and hence it becomes easier to upgrade your system from current specifications.

As a general rule, the standard ATX motherboard features seven PCI or PCI-Express expansion slots, whereas a MicroATX comes with the four slots within.

It is inferred that you should choose the desktop case and other components of it, only after selecting or choosing the motherboard size.  

Means simply choose the motherboard size first and then go for the computer casing!

Best Size in Motherboard to Opt For

Choosing the size and dimension in the motherboard doesn’t come with any hard and fast rule. Certainly you choose the size that you want to or which goes with your requirement.

Besides, there are other factors that depend on such as if you are a gamer or want to use a PC for regular work or light browsing  or if you are a professional who highly leans on graphical or photo editing work or not.

So, there are things that decide the best size on a motherboard by taking your preference in the first place.

However, if you want a compact and rather minimal PC that is more like a laptop you can say, keeping its portability around, the smaller mini-ITX or micro-ATX motherboard would be the best fit. For smaller and minimal design mini-ITX always prove to be a right choice in size and keep things user-friendly too.

What is Form Factor?

You might be wondering about what does this ‘Form Factor’ mean in motherboard and how come we always say that we talk about its size?

To put it simply, the form factor for a computer defines its dimension, shape and the other physical specifications including dimensions. Also it determines the size of the component that you want to install within the motherboard later on.

Gains and Losses of Each Form Factor

It would be unfair if we just tell about the sizes and the comparison without actually shedding light on the drawback of each followed by the advantage.

Certainly if you are up to building the great and much anticipated PC, be it for gaming or professional tasks you can make the best decision when you know the insight fully. So below are the perfect illustrations of each form factor with cons:

ATX Form Factor

Pros

• Best for overclocking
• Rich in PCI-E lanes or slots
• Features higher RAM efficiency
• Aesthetically best

Cons

• Not good for fitting into smaller cases
• Costly approach!

Micro-ATX Form Factor

Pros

• Affordable and reliable
• Adaptive fits, fits into most cases
• Higher RAM storage than that of mini-ITX
• Excellent for single GPU PC builds

Cons

• Bad for multi-GPU setup
• Intense and continuous overclocking isn’t possible
• No aesthetic for adding appearance

Mini-ITX Form Factor

Pros

• Ideal for smaller cases
• Offer robust aesthetics than micro-ATX

Cons

• Not suitable for larger case
• Not best for multi-GPU setups
• Features mere two RAM slots
• Expensive than micro-ATX
• Poor performance when overclock to the extreme

XL-ATX

Pros

• Comes with more built in RAM slots
• Dedicated for full-tower CPU build

Cons

• It is rather expensive
• Doesn’t support standard PC case sizes

Nano-ITX

Pros

• Reasonably priced
• Compact and minimal design

Con

• It isn’t supportive for all type of standard PC

Pico-ITX

Pros

• It is best for compact and small IoT (Internet of Things) devices
• Hassle-free and user-friendly

Con

• It offers you the finite support for hardware compatibility

In today’s article we have especially talked about the motherboard and its comparison with each other in view of general adaptation. However, if you want to buy a motherboard, paying heed to the size is just one factor that plays a part.

For even more in-depth search, always consult the buying guide that gives you even more detail about what else matters in a motherboard.