Mini ATX

Mini ATX or Mini-ATX is a name used for various motherboard form factors, as there is no single widely accepted form factor by this name.

Not to be confused with Mini-ITX, the motherboard form factor compatible with ATX and micro-ATX mountings.
ATX motherboard size comparison; rear is on left.
  FlexATX (229 × 191 mm)
  microATX (244 × 244 mm)
  Mini ATX (284 × 208 mm)
  Standard ATX (305 × 244 mm)
  Extended ATX (EATX) (305 × 330 mm)
  WTX (356 × 425 mm)

A common one is the 15 × 15 cm (5.9 × 5.9 in) size developed by AOpen Inc.. This Mini-ATX definition is slightly smaller than the Mini-ITX 17 × 17 cm (6.7 × 6.7 in) size. 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 PCs (HTPC), in-car PCs, or industrial use.

Alternative definitions

Another definition of Mini-ATX is Intel's 11.2 × 8.2 in (284 × 208 mm).[1][2] This was at one time specified within the ATX specification but was later removed after the adoption of microATX.

Features

Size

With dimensions of 15 × 15 cm (5.9 × 5.9 in), a 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 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 use surface-mount technology, solid state capacitors and 8 layers PCB design to maximize reliability.

Flexibility

The DC-to-DC converter 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.

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References
  1. http://en.kioskea.net/contents/pc/carte-mere.php3
  2. http://www.pcguide.com/ref/case/formATX-c.html

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