The low down on Mini mobo's?

BK80

Distinguished
Feb 15, 2014
30
2
18,535
Hi guys,

Could somebody give me the low down on the difference between a normal ATX mobo and the micro ATX mobo's? Is it simply a size difference?

I was looking at picking up an ASUS Z87-A, but for pretty much the same price i can get the ASUS TUF brand Gryphon which is the mini version of the bad ass Sabertooth board.

Do these mini boards have all the same fatures? Same size CPU socket, same size RAM socket, same size PCI slots etc?

I have a Corsair Carbide 300r case and i'm pretty sure it will fit a mini board. Should i pick it up, or stick with the Z87-A?
 
Solution
The difference is mainly the number of PCI/PCIe slots, though some uATX boards may have fewer SATA connectors.

The TUF board might have a 5-year Warranty so that's an advantage.

If you're certain you won't need any of the PCIe/PCI slots then the full ATX won't matter. Unless you think you might use a second graphics card in SLI/Crossfire it shouldn't matter to most people.

In general you want to have enough for a SOUND CARD (one slot), and the graphics card (two slots) if below sound card or three if above.

Most people don't use sound cards anymore, and even mini-ITX boards are "good enough" for most people (only graphics card slot) and 2xDDR3 memory slots.
The difference is mainly the number of PCI/PCIe slots, though some uATX boards may have fewer SATA connectors.

The TUF board might have a 5-year Warranty so that's an advantage.

If you're certain you won't need any of the PCIe/PCI slots then the full ATX won't matter. Unless you think you might use a second graphics card in SLI/Crossfire it shouldn't matter to most people.

In general you want to have enough for a SOUND CARD (one slot), and the graphics card (two slots) if below sound card or three if above.

Most people don't use sound cards anymore, and even mini-ITX boards are "good enough" for most people (only graphics card slot) and 2xDDR3 memory slots.
 
Solution