Atx or not?

[MJ...]

Should I go with an atx configuration if I plan to build a pc with an msi gtx970 or should I consider smaller mobo's?

[Eelviny]

If you only ever plan to have one GPU, you can probably get away with a Micro ATX board. It gives ample room for one GPU plus a few other small expansion slots for future proofing.

I've had bad experiences with Crossfire/SLI anyway, so I would only recommend one GPU, but your mileage may vary!

[MJ...]

Also I would like to use a corsair aio 240mm I already have

[ClobberXD]

2 minutes ago, MJ... said:

Should I go with an atx configuration if I plan to build a pc with an msi gtx970 or should I consider smaller mobo's?

Unless large is annoying, you better go with ATX. The smaller it gets, the lesser the features, and more the price!

[ClobberXD]

Just now, MJ... said:

Also I would like to use a corsair aio 240mm I already have

You can use almost any cooler with any motherboard (CPU socket, that is...), unless either one of them is proprietary, or they are explicitly mentioned not to be compatible.

[Eelviny]

6 minutes ago, MJ... said:

Also I would like to use a corsair aio 240mm I already have

That's not dependant on the motherboard, only the PC case. I always recommend Fractal Design, but there's plenty of other case manufacturers that can fit a 240mm rad into an mATX case. Just don't try to fit one into a mini-ITX motherboard/case combo.

Also, make sure you do your research - some cases may support two 120mm fans, but not have enough height/depth to fit in a 240mm radiator since they need a slight bit of clearance above them. This is something to watch out for in all cases, not just mATX ones.

[TheRandomness]

5 minutes ago, anandgeforce said:

Unless large is annoying, you better go with ATX. The smaller it gets, the lesser the features, and more the price!

Erhm, mATX is almost always cheaper than ATX.

[Eelviny]

3 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Erhm, mATX is almost always cheaper than ATX.

mATX hits that sweet spot where larger motherboards use more materials and get more expensive, while smaller motherboards cram more in... and get more expensive.

[ClobberXD]

1 minute ago, TheRandomness said:

Erhm, mATX is almost always cheaper than ATX.

That's kinda true when you compare MSI Z170A Gaming M5 with the ASUS B150-PLUS or something... Generally there aren't many higher-end mATX, or mITX boards. I know of only the ROG series ones.

[Eelviny]

1 minute ago, anandgeforce said:

That's kinda true when you compare MSI Z170A Gaming M5 with the ASUS B150-PLUS or something... Generally there aren't many higher-end mATX, or mITX boards. I know of only the ROG series ones.

That's true if you want to look at it in terms of the range of products - ATX is more popular, so there are more types available. Having said that, if you're not too picky about your mobo, you can get a much better deal on an mATX.

And yeah, just stay away from mini-ITX.

[ClobberXD]

Just now, Eelviny said:

That's true if you want to look at it in terms of the range of products - ATX is more popular, so there are more types available. Having said that, if you're not too picky about your mobo, you can get a much better deal on an mATX.

And yeah, just stay away from mini-ITX.

You drastically start losing features, or they'll reduce as you go down from ATX. mITX boards, got only one PCIe x16 slot and 2 DIMM slots. And they are expensive as hell compared to a similar tier ATX or mATX board.