Mini ATX

Mini ATX or Mini-ATX is a name used for various motherboard form factors, mainly a 15 × 15 cm (or 5.9 × 5.9 inches) size developed by AOpen Inc.. This Mini-ATX definition is slightly smaller than Mini-ITX. There is no single widely accepted form factor by this name.

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). 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 a Mini-ITX form factor. The smaller form factor Nano-ITX motherboard lacks a CPU socket module which limits its flexibility for different applications.

ATX

ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended) is a motherboard configuration specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT design. It was the first major change in desktop computer enclosure, motherboard and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts. The specification defines the key mechanical dimensions, mounting point, I/O panel, power and connector interfaces between a computer case, a motherboard and a power supply.

ATX is the most common motherboard design. Other standards for smaller boards (including microATX, FlexATX and mini-ITX) usually keep the basic rear layout but reduce the size of the board and the number of expansion slots. Dimensions of a full-size ATX board are 12 × 9.6 in (305 × 244 mm), which allows many ATX chassis to also accept microATX boards. The official ATX specifications were released by Intel in 1995 and have been revised numerous times since. The most recent ATX motherboard specification is version 2.2. The most recent ATX12V power supply unit specification is 2.31, released in February 2008.