Mini ITX vs ATX

[Cosmos_i7]

Hi all,

 

I am thinking of doing a new build later in the summer and I'm struggling to decide between mini ITX and a standard ATX build. Are there any significant disadvantages to using an ITX build vs standard ATX? I was thinking about using a BItfenix Prodigy or Fractal Design define r4, depending on which route I decide to go down.

 

I don't plan on adding more than one graphics card and perhaps a water cooled cpu.

 

What are the main differences and problems between an ITX and ATX? With the prodigy you could have the same amount of power as an ATX build but using less space. So surely this is the better choice? Airflow on the prodigy is actually quite good too.

 

Thanks in advanced.

[Scia]

The only real drawback of ITX is expandability. If you are certain you'll only need one PCI-e for a GPU go with a ITX if you prefer the smaller size ^^

And stuff like a H100 you can fit on a ITX np.

[Winther]

I havent built anything smaller than mATX, so I dont have personal experience. But from what I know the only real disadvantages for mITX is less connections on the motherboard, fx fans and sometimes I believe USB and sata is limited also. :)

 

So if you would like a small build with good power and dont want to go for multi gpu, then the small formfactor is a good choice! :)

[tk421]

I've got a Bitfenix prodigy build and I don't really have any problems with an m-ITX setup.  I'm not an audiophile so onboard sound is just fine for me and all I needed was one PCIE 3.0x16 slot.  My recommendation is to make sure you get a good motherboard since you won't be able to expand much later on.  Also, watch your PSU size on the prodigy.  It needs to be 160mm long or less.

[WoodenMarker]

You basically get less ram/pci/pci-e slots with itx.

[Cosmos_i7]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still unsure, but I will probably decide closer to the time, mini ITX is very appealing to me though. I am a bit of an audiophile but I use an external USB DAC and amplifier, along with a condenser microphone, so if it has USB ports its fine! 

 

Thanks for the help.