ATX vs MicroATX

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

I am going to purchase an intel i5 6600k and need recommendations as to what motherboard I should purchase (any recommendations of a specific board beyond z170 are much appreciated). Anyways, its been a long time and I keep seeing some boards that are labeled as ATX and some labeled as Micro ATX. What are the differences and what should I be looking for? I have a very large computer case and don't need to build anything compact. Its an NZXT Switch 810 I believe (off memory) and I should have plenty of room.

smorizio · Mar 20, 2016

atx 9 by 12 micro is 9x9 off top of head. micro atx most have less sata ports then full size. most only have one video slot...some will do sli also have less ports on back of the mb.

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

Stick with full size ATX boards. They're easier to work with. When you want to expand or upgrade your system you'll have more slots to work with and they usually have more input/output ports to work with on the back of your case. They usually have better power phase design than smaller boards which is important on the 'Z' series boards for overclocking.

Rookie_MIB · Mar 20, 2016

To expound upon the information - there are differences in sizes and features. Because of the smaller size of the MicroATX, there are a maximum of 4 PCI/PCIe slots, vs a max of 7 PCI/PCIe slots on the ATX boards. Some of the MicroATX boards also limit themselves to 2 RAM slots vs the ATX which almost always has 4 due to reduced area. That's not always a hard and fast rule though.

ATX boards also do have just more real estate for extra stuff. As mentioned, some of the ATX use it for extra SATA controllers, and also some of the extra space is used for the newer M.2 drives as they lay flat - the ATX has plenty of space for it.

Physical dimensions are as mentioned:

MicroATX 9.6" x 9.6" maximum
ATX 9.6" x 12" maximum

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Okay so it sounds like I really want to stick with a standard ATX board from what I'm gathering here. Just wanted to make sure. May I ask what boards you would specifically mention for my upgrade (i5 6600k)? Is one brand a go to brand over another? Any features I should be looking for? Is it worth it to splurge a few extra bucks for something?

Thanks for breaking down the micro vs ATX! I don't need micro!

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

If you stick with the major board makers, Asus, Gigabyte, AsRock or MSI you should be fine. Look for the features you want now and maybe some you may want later on that you can plan for now. If you want to overclock, the Z170 boards are what you want, obviously don't pick the cheapest boards. If you may consider SLI later on then get a board that supports it. You should be able to find a good Z170 board that has what you're looking for in the $150 range. The 6600K does not come with a cooler. I recommend the Cryorig H7.

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

Thank you so much in advance this is really helping. I know they may seem like simple questions but I haven't built a PC in many years and have forgotten most everything. So I don't think I will be doing SLI in the future so we can take that off the list, but I don't know what other features are available, I would like to dabble in OC'ing so a board that allows itself to that would be nice. Also, I don't mind spending a little extra money now for options that may be nice in the future. When you say "Look for the features you want now and maybe some you may want later" could you help give me some examples please?

Eidt: I have added the Cryorig H7 to my amazon wish list

I've never heard of these. Last time I was looking for new hardware the Cooler Master EVO 212 was all the rage.

giantbucket · Mar 20, 2016

i personally prefer mATX over ATX whenever possible, since that gives me more case options (you cannot stuff an ATX board into a mATX case, but you can do it the other way around). the only reason to really look at ATX is if you need dual graphics cards, or way more SATA ports, or simply because it's the only thing you can find in a local store.

for MOST people (and that's like 90% even on here) a single graphics card and two ram sticks is the most sensible build anyways.

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

SLI was one of the features I was thinking of. Maybe you might want to add extra drives later on for additional storage so it's nice to know how many sata ports the board supports. If you have peripherals to plug in the back you'll want to know how many USB ports there are and if there's enough to add more later on as you acquire new toys. Is there a board slot for a wifi card (there is, no problem there). Does the board have good power phase design for a stable overclock. That will take some research on your part to learn if you want. If not just stick with medium priced boards (or better) and avoid the cheap ones. Here's some decent medium priced boards to look at-

https://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/asrock-motherboard-z170extreme4,asus-motherboard-z170a,gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170xgaming5,msi-motherboard-z170agamingpro/

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

giantbucket :

Well I already have a very large case that I am more than happy with, I think I'm going to avoid the mATX for now just because of my case and i would rather have more wiggle room b/c I am just a novice builder. I have only built a PC from the ground up once, I've only upgraded my GPU since then but now I kind of want to start over. Thanks for the input though! I think I will be sticking with a single GPU and going to get 16gb (2x8gb) most likely.

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

You'll probably end up with more features than you need. You just don't want to be stuck with a board that doesn't have what you want.

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

Fantastic list thank you so much, I will be looking into that more deeply here when I get home! Yeah SLI isn't going to be needed anytime soon so we can skip that, however I do have and utilize quite a few inputs (usb) etc. so I'm thinking the more inputs the merrier, same goes for SATA ports (is SATA the standard for plugging in like GPU, fans, and all of that)

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

Exactly, and I am 100% okay with that. I'd rather have more than I need with room to expand in the future as opposed to not having enough options and needing a new mobo in a few years. I don't mind spending a few extra bucks...

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

Sata is for your drives, such as SSD, hard drive, dvd drives. System/case fans will plug directly into the motherboard, so counting the fan headers is a good thing also, so you know how many you can connect without using peripheral power plugs (molex usually). You'll probably end up with SLI support even if you don't want it unless you buy a cheaper board. GPU uses PCIe power cables that come directly from the power supply as well as power that comes from its' slot on the board.

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Much appreciated for clarifying all of this for me, going to have a look at your previously linked list now that I'm home! Can I see your system specs through your profile or anything like that? Just out of curiosity

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

You can view my system by hovering mouse over my name icon. It's several years old now and I'll be upgrading sometime this year most likely. This is the full list of my parts- http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3yT8f7

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

Are there any differences in these brands? Is one known for better reliability etc or does it even matter? Also, "SATA 6 Gb/s" what exactly does this mean... I was kind of eyeing the ASRock Extreme4 but it doesn't have this feature. And "sata express" what is this?

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

With sata express you can mount an SSD directly to the motherboard. They give PCIe lanes to a storage device and are faster but cost more so I just recommend 2.5" drives instead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA_Express

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Upon looking at the ASRock Extreme, it almost seems like this has features for those more advanced. I don't want to be too confused, what are your thoughts on this issue?

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

Do you have any thoughts on either of these two motherboards?
ASUS Z170-AR
MSI Z170A Gaming M5

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

Don't feel bad. I look at this stuff every day and have a time keeping up with it. I like the Asus boards and always have. Back in the mid 90's when I first started building they were the best and although some of the other board makers have stepped up their game I still favor Asus for my own builds. No doubt the Z170 boards will have some 'over provisioning' for many people but you can learn more about the hardware as you use it to discover what you've missed over time. I'm unsure what else to tell you at this point.

cctaylor88 · Mar 20, 2016

Archaic59 :

I completely understand and you have been more than helpful this is just a much harder choice then I thought it would be, especially when considering all of the different options some of the motherboards offer/don't offer. Its just a huge decision as after I choose all of these components I won't be upgrading for quite some time you know? I guess I am just overwhelmed.

Archaic59 · Mar 20, 2016

cctaylor88 :

As far as I know the Z170-AR has the VGA and DVI ports removed as compared to the Z170-A. I know of no other differences between them. I see people complain about MSI support fairly regularly around here but I have no personal experience to qualify that so I don't pimp their boards that much but they do make great GPU's.

ATX vs MicroATX

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