Computer cases and motherboards should be fully compatible in terms of size and mounting locations, otherwise you will be in for a surprise.
See more articles from iGuRu.gr when you search for news on Google.
If you try to put a motherboard in a computer case that are not fully compatible with each other and insist on fitting them then you will most likely end up damaging the board. Each motherboard requires a specific computer case to fit perfectly with it.
Manufacturers of both motherboards and boxes have standards (form factor). When purchasing these you should check them to make sure the motherboard form factor matches the box manufacturer's specifications. For example, an ATX motherboard only fits in an ATX box.
And it's not just that the positions of the motherboard's mounting screws match, but that its ports match the input and output holes of the box.
But how many kinds of Motherboards and boxes are there? How will you tell them apart? And what is yours? Let's go see.
Motherboard format standards
As new generations of components were developed, motherboard standards also changed. For example, the introduction of AGP and, more recently, PCI Express have influenced motherboard design. However, the standard size and layout of motherboards have changed much more slowly and are controlled by their own standards.
Although there are a number of motherboard form factor standards available today, the most common types are E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX. IBM's long-standing AT (Advanced Technology) standard was replaced in 1995 by the current industry standard ATX (Advanced Technology Extended), which still governs the size and design of the motherboard in most modern computers.
Here is a quick overview of all motherboard form factors to help you understand better.
| Template | Manufacturer | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| XT | IBM | 1983 | Obsolete. The IBM Personal Computer XT was the successor to the original IBM PC, its first home computer. As the specification was open many clone motherboards were made and it became a de facto standard. |
| AT (Advanced Technology) | IBM | 1984 | Obsolete. Created by IBM for the IBM/AT Personal Computer, an Intel 80286 machine. It was replaced by the Baby-AT and then the ATX. |
| Baby AT | IBM | 1985 | The successor to IBM's AT motherboard in 1985. Equivalent to the AT, it became popular due to its significantly smaller size. |
| ATX | Intel | 1995 | It was created by Intel in 1995 and has remained the most popular standard ever since |
| SSI CEB | SSI | ? | Compact Electronics Bay was created by the SSI forum and is about servers and workstations. |
| SSI EEB | SSI | ? | It was created by the SSI forum and is about servers and workstations. |
| SSI MEB | SSI | ? | It was created by the SSI forum and is about servers and workstations. |
| microATX | Intel | 1996 | A smaller variant of the ATX form factor about 25% smaller. Compatible with most ATX cases, but with fewer slots than ATX. Very popular for desktop and mini PC since 2017.[Update] |
| Mini ATX | AOpen | 2005 | Mini-ATX is significantly smaller than Micro-ATX. Mini-ATX motherboards are designed with MoDT (Mobile on Desktop Technology) to accept mobile processors for lower power requirement, less heat generation and better applicability. For car, home theater, industrial computers. |
| FlexATX | Intel | 1999 | A subset of microATX. It allows for more flexible motherboard design, component placement and shape. |
| Mini-ITX | VIA Technologies | 2001 | An ultra-small form factor designed for small devices such as thin clients and set-top boxes. |
| Nano-ITX | VIA | 2003 | It targets smart digital entertainment devices such as PVRs, set-top boxes, media centers, car computers and smart devices. |
| Pico-ITX | VIA | 2007 | |
| Mobile-ITX | VIA | 2007 | |
| Neo-ITX | VIA | 2012 | It is used in VIA Android PC |
| Deep Mini-ITX | ASRock Rack | ? | Proprietary variant of Mini-ITX with more than two memory slots. |
| Mini-STX | Intel | 2015 | It is used in small form factor computers, and houses an intel processor with socket and SO-DIMMS. |
| BTX (Balanced Technology Extended) | Intel | 2004 | A standard proposed by Intel as a successor to ATX in the early 2000s, where according to Intel the layout has better cooling. |
| MicroBTX (or uBTX) | Intel | 2004 | MicroBTX (also called uBTX) is 264 × 267 mm in dimension and can support up to four expansion slots. |
| DTX | AMD | 2007 | The DTX is compatible with ATX cases with dimensions of 203 × 170 mm. |
| smartModule | Digital-Logic | ? | It is used in computers single board (like the Raspberry Pi). Requires a baseboard. |
| ETX | contron | 1999 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a baseboard. |
| COM Express Basic | PICMG | 2005 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a baseboard. |
| COM Express Compact | PICMG | 2005 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a baseboard. |
| COM Express Mini | PICMG | 2005 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a carrier board. |
| COM-HPC Size A | PICMG | 2020 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a carrier board. |
| COM-HPC Size B | PICMG | 2020 | Used in single-board computers. Requires a carrier board. |
| COM-HPC Size C | PICMG | 2020 | It is used in computers embedded systems. Requires a carrier board. |
| COM-HPC Size D | PICMG | 2020 | It is used in computers embedded systems. Requires a carrier board. |
| COM-HPC Size E | PICMG | 2020 | It is used in computers embedded systems. Requires a carrier board. |
| CoreExpress | SFF-SIG | ? | Used in single-board computers. Requires a carrier board. |
| Extended ATX (EATX) | Unknown | ? | Used in rackmount server systems. |
| Enhanced Extended ATX (EEATX) | Supermicro | ? | Used in rackmount server systems. |
| LP extension | Western Digital | ? | Based on a Western Digital design, it allowed smaller cases than the AT standard. It is used in off-the-shelf thin computers. LPX was never standardized and was generally only used by large manufacturers. |
| Mini-LPX | Western Digital | ? | It is used in off-the-shelf thin computers. |
| PC/104 | PC/104 Consortium | 1992 | It is used in embedded systems. AT Bus Architecture (ISA). |
| PC/104-Plus | PC/104 Consortium | 1997 | It is used in embedded systems. PCI Bus Architecture. |
| PCI/104-Express | PC/104 Consortium | 2008 | It is used in embedded systems. PCI Express architecture. |
| PCIe/104 | PC/104 Consortium | 2008 | It is used in embedded systems. PCI/104-Express architecture without the old PCI bus. |
| NLX | Intel | 1999 | A low-profile design that never became popular. |
| UTX | TQ-Components | 2001 | It is used in computers embedded systems and IPCs. It requires one baseboard. |
| WTX | Intel | 1998 | For high-end servers and workstations with multiple CPUs and hard drives. |
| SWTX | Supermicro | ? | A proprietary design for high-end servers and workstations that have multiple CPUs. |
| HPTX | EVGA | 2008 | A design from EVGA currently seen on two motherboards. On eVGA SR2 and SRX. Intended for use with multiple CPUs. |
| XTX | Ampro / Congatec | 2005 | It is used in embedded systems. Requires a base board. |
Note that larger boxes can also accommodate smaller boards if they have compatible holes and mounts.
How to check compatibility
When you buy a motherboard look in its features for the design format standard it has. This one will be one and only.
To buy a computer box, see in turn which motherboard formats it supports. Make sure your native format is clearly stated.
That is, if you buy an ATX format motherboard then you should also get a box that can support ATX.
When you bring all of the above to your home and start assembling, do the following checks:
First, check the mounting holes on the motherboard and see if the computer case has matching holes to mount the board. Depending on the formats the box supports, you may see a different number of holes on it.
There's also a chance you'll need to move the case's metal spacers from their current locations to different ones to match the holes on your motherboard.
These spacers help maintain the distance of the motherboard from the metal case, avoiding possible short circuits.
Next, make sure the case has enough slots to support the PCIe expansion cards on the motherboard.
Then check the input/output ports of the board (I/O board) to see that they are all accessible to the user when the computer case is fully closed.
Check the front side. Panel mounts, cable management options, and RGB lighting integration are also some key factors to consider.
Finally remove all the spacers that are in the box and will not be used, since they are for other types of motherboard!. They can cause short circuits and end up destroying your entire motherboard.
How to find yours
You only have to look at the technical characteristics of your motherboard and your box. So simple.
Dimitris hates Mondays...
