mATX vs ATX

[Nikeshp79]

Hi,

 

I'm on quite a strict budget for my first PC and was wondering what the drawbacks are of going for an mATX motherboard compared to an ATX motherboard. I intend to use my PC for gaming without overclocking any components, however I intend to add (in the future) more storage drives, and use maybe an extra PCIe slot for a PCIe SSD or something like that.

 

Anyways, the mATX boards are generally cheaper which I find appealing however I feel that in opting for this - I will be losing performance potential (I know this isn't necessarily true). I can buy an ATX board within my budget, but to save some cash for put towards other components (such as increased storage capacity and more RAM) it would help by buying an mATX board.

 

Thanks for the replies, this is something that has been pondering my mind for quite a while and I can't seem to get a definite answer.

[Theblasphemouscoffee]

nowadays the only thing that you are comporomising on is the number of expansion slots with mATX im pretty sure, so if you only have a graphics card, an maybe one extra thing then mATX should be fine for you.

[othertomperson]

Keep in mind all of the features that you actually need (PCIe slots, etc) and get the cheapest board that covers all the bases you care about.

[Nikeshp79]

OK I feel more confident in buying an mATX board now, should save me £10-£20 which is great   Thank you for replying, it greatly helps.