Mini ATX or Mini-ATX is a generic name that may be used by motherboard manufacturers to describe a small motherboard, and has been used by

AOpen AOPEN (, stylized AOPEN) is a major electronics manufacturer from Taiwan that makes computers and parts for computers. AOPEN used to be the Open System Business Unit of Acer Computer Inc. which designed, manufactured and sold computer componen ...

in reference to a motherboard design with dimensions . Mini-ATX motherboards were designed with MoDT (Mobile on Desktop Technology) which adapt mobile CPUs for lower power requirements and less heat generation, which may be beneficial for

home theater PC A home theater PC (HTPC) or media center computer is a technological convergence, convergent device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a software application that focuses on video, photo, audio playback, and ...

s (HTPC), in-car PCs, or industrial use.

Alternative definition

The term miniATX was originally used in (now obsolete versions of)

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

ATX ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended) is a motherboard and power supply configuration specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT design. It was the first major change in desktop computer enclo ...

specification, and denoted motherboards with dimensions of 284 x 208 mm (11.2 x 8.2 in.), before being abandoned in v2.1 in favor of the

microATX In computer design, microATX (sometimes referred to as μATX, uATX or mATX) is a standard motherboard form factor introduced in December 1997. The maximum size of a microATX motherboard is . However, there are examples of motherboards using micr ...

specification. The two terms refer to different specifications and should not be conflated.

Features

Size

With dimensions of , an AOpen-spec Mini-ATX motherboard can be placed into a single DIN space for standardized application conditions such as a car, rack mount, tower case, wall mount, etc. which may be impossible for the larger Mini-ITX form factor. The smaller form factor

Nano-ITX Nano-ITX is a computer motherboard form factor first proposed by VIA Technologies at CeBIT in March 2003, and implemented in late 2005. Nano-ITX boards measure , and are fully integrated, very low power consumption motherboards with many uses, but ...

motherboard lacks a CPU socket module which limits its flexibility for different applications.

Noise

Due to a mobile CPU having lower power requirements, there is less heat generated by the CPU and internal components, and the thermal design is simplified. With its passive cooling design, it is typically noiseless and the manufacturing costs and overall operating power requirements are lower relative to active cooling designs.

Stability

Mini-ATX motherboards are a smaller form factor of the ATX motherboards, They typically use surface-mount technology for component placement, solid state capacitors to ensure stable power delivery and an 8-layer

PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * ...

design to increase durability and longevity. This design is aimed to provide a better overall performance and reliability compared to other form factors.

Flexibility

The

DC-to-DC converter A DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit or electromechanical device that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. It is a type of electric power converter. Power levels range from very low (small batteries) ...

solution design removes the power supply unit from a Mini-ATX case. This reduces the system size and an external power supply unit brings more flexibility when deploying system.

References

External links

* PCtechguide on the ATX form factor: https://www.pctechguide.com/motherboards/atx-form-factor * Other form factors information from C&T: http://www.codesandtutorials.com/hardware/computerfundamentals/motherboard-types-form_factor.php {{Computer form factors Motherboard form factors