In that case, your choice essentially boils down to Mini-ITX and microATX motherboards and their respective cases.
Mini-ITX is the smaller of the two, but how much exactly do you lose?
If you do the math, you’ll find that microATX motherboards are about 40% larger than Mini-ITX.
Capix Denan / Shutterstock.com
To put things into perspective, a Mini-ITX motherboard has a smaller footprint than a 10-inch laptop.
This difference in size primarily affects the overall expandability and choice of case.
Let’s first talk about cases.
MSI
We measure PC case volume inliters.
Although there aren’t any strictly defined definitions, manufacturers typically put Mini-ITX cases in the 512-liter range.
Small microATX cases are about 12 to 30 liters.
Joe Robinson / How-To Geek
Remember, you’re free to always go up in the size of the case but not down.
Neither option will occupy much space on your desk or under your TV.
If your goal is to have asmalland not thesmallest possiblecomputer, microATX will be great.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
If you need the smallest computer possible,you should take mini PCs into consideration too.
Some can even fit in the palm of your hand or inner coat pocket.
Performance and Expandability: How Much Do You Lose With Mini-ITX?
Cooler Master
This is where the real differences between Mini-ITX and microATX hide.
microATX motherboards are essentially a trimmed version of a full-size ATX case.
They still retain four RAM slots, although some budget options only have two.
Mini-ITX is even smaller than microATX, so it has fewer of everything.
But the biggest sacrifice is that Mini-ITX motherboards typically only have two RAM slots.
Adding those features later will be difficult or impossible.
If you’re a gamer, we have recommendations for excellentmotherboards for AMDandIntel.
Cooling is another factor that’s at play with small PCs.
microATX cases are larger, which means more fans, larger radiators, and better cooling.
On the other hand, microATX is often cheaper than standard ATX motherboards.
microATX is a popular form factor that strikes a perfect balance between size and features.
Portability: How Small Do You Need?
microATX cases can easily fit inside car trunks without taking up that much space.
Cable routing is a nightmare, and good luck trying to fit more than one SSD or HDD.
The motherboard is pretty much the only thing guaranteed to fit.
Everything else is incredibly difficult to cram in, especially if it’s a full-sized component.
microATX doesn’t suffer from this problem as much, but smaller cases still pose a challenge.
You’ll have more room for cables, storage, fans, and long graphics cards.
