Types of Motherboard Form Factors

In a nutshell, the motherboard form factor indicates the shape and size specifications of the
board. The form factor also determines additional parameters such as the casing, power supply,
mounting holes, and overall physical layout.

The first form factor dates back to 1983. At that time, IBM built the personal computer XT and
since the form factor specs were open, many manufacturers used it as a de facto standard.

Today the technology landscape has changed. The original motherboard XT form factor evolved
to 40 different forms, all deviating from the traditional personal computer use case. IBM is no
longer the most popular motherboard builder, there are other manufacturers such as Intel,
ASUS, VIA, ABIT, and more. There are motherboards built for embedded systems, rackmount
servers, mobiles, media centers, vehicles, and more.

Motherboard Form Factor?

The motherboard is the main component, based on its function, of the internal structure of all
computers. Mainly responsible for the interaction of all the elements of the computer, such as the
CPU, RAM, storage, graphics card, I/O, among others.

It is extremely important to recognize its capabilities, limitations as well as the main features it
contains so as not to repress the potential of any other piece within the PC. Another key element
is the form-factor (exterior physical size and shape) which also should be considered for the
computer application according to the field where it’ll be used.
Motherboards are always characterized by their chipset, type of processor socket, and their
form factor.

The following is a picture showing the most important Motherboard Components. The
motherboard in the picture is the X570 AORUS PRO and its components are:

 CPU and CPU socket.

 RAM, DRAM, and RAM slots.
 ATX power supply.
 IDE Connectors
 Northbridge and Southbridge.
 PCE Slot
 CMOS Backup Battery
 Integrated connectors for peripherals such as USB, mouse, keyboard, display, audio,
Ethernet, etc.
The form factor for this specific motherboard, the X570 AORUS PRO, is the ATX Form Factor;
30.5cm x 24.4cm dimensions.

In this article we’ll focus mainly on this feature, reviewing a list of the most common
different form factors and their benefits, especially lower footprint to make computers
more cost-effective.

Types of Motherboard Form Factors

≫ Form Factor ATX (Advanced Technology Extended)
Designed as an evolution of the Baby AT form factor, ATX marks a profound change in the
architecture of the motherboard and other components such as the cabinet and the power supply.

Within the motherboard there are significant changes such as the location of the CPU socket,
which is now placed near the power supply, thus allowing the flow of air caused by the fan of the
source and not to be interfered with by any element as it happened with the technology Baby AT.

Another change was the connection between the sources of the feed. Which is now a single
connector, unlike the AT which were two. Some of the most important improvements for
ATX and benefits are:

 Integrated input and output ports

 Slots of expansion without interference
 Start Control by software
 3 Vol. from the source (reduces hardware cost, energy consumption, and heat)
 A better airflow
 Less interference in access to drive bays.

The ATX motherboard dimensions are 12 × 13 in. A variation of the ATX is the Mini ATX,
which is essentially a reduced-size version of ATX but more reduced in terms of its shape, its
measurements are 11.2 × 8.2 inches.
This form factor is the most used today, especially on desktop computers, and after this
technology was released several other factors where based on it. Such as the Mini-ITX,
Mini-ATX, Micro-ATX, Nano ITX, and Pico-ITX.

≫ Form Micro ATX

It is an evolution of ATX. Its measures are 9.6 × 9.6 inches. The Micro-ATX supports up to four
expansion slots that can combine freely with ISA, PCI, PCI / ISA shared, and AGP. Mounting
holes changed from the Standard ATX, since the measurements are different, but they are also
compatible with most ATX cabinets.

This type of motherboard form factor supports both Intel and AMD processors. It is commonly
used on Small Form Factor Desktop Computers.

≫ Form Micro Mini-ITX

Mini ITX is a low-power consumption motherboard format of 6.7 × 6.7 inches. Its dimensions
are the most characteristic factor of this type of form factor. Although this type of motherboard
was designed with the aim of empowering teams of low consumption, at present there are no
limits and they have grown by giant steps in terms of benefits.

Since the Mini-ITX was introduced they have expanded in all kinds of applications, thanks to
their open standard factor. Mini ITX is a standard format for all types of equipment, such as
vehicle embedded computers, industrial applications, and IoT. The Mini-ITX is the first standard
system of reduced format that is popularized, reaching all types of projects and any equipment
where it may be necessary.

≫ Form Micro Nano-ITX

The Nano-ITX is another type of motherboard form factor that measures 4.7 × 4.7 in. Nano-ITX
are fully integrated boards designed to consume very low power. This type of motherboard can
be used in many applications, but it was specially designed for smart entertainment, like PVRs,
media centers, smart TVs, in-vehicle devices, and more.

≫ Form Micro Pico-ITX

The Pico-ITX is the smallest type of motherboard form factor in this list. Its measurements are
3.9 × 2.8 in and it is 75% smaller than the Mini-ITX. This motherboard was designed and
developed by VIA, to open up innovation for smaller and smarter IoT devices.

The Pico-ITX with an x86-based-platform and low-power consumption board is a great choice
for embedded systems applications, such as industrial automation, in-vehicle computers, digital
signage, and more.

Brief Comparison of the Motherboard Form Factors.

Below is a chart comparing the most popular motherboard form factors.

Form Factor Manufacturer/Date Dimensions Applications

Standard-ATX Intel 1995 12 × 13 in Workstation/Desktop
Micro-ATX Intel 1997 9.6 × 9.6 in Small Form Factor
Mini-ITX VIA 2001 6.7 × 6.7 in Small Form Factor
Nano-ITX VIA 2003 4.7 × 4.7 in Embedded Systems
Pico-ITX VIA 2007 3.9 × 2.8 in Embedded Systems
Mobile-ITX VIA 2009 2.4 × 2.4 in Embedded Systems

Below is a motherboard form factor size chart. This comparison picture helps understand the
differences in dimensions for the most popular motherboard form factors.
Form Factors and Some of Their Applications
In-Vehicle Computers

Due to its really reduced format, yet powerful performance, the Mini-ITX systems can be
installed in vehicles’ reduced spaces in order to communicate real-time tracking and monitoring
systems.

On example of a Mini- ITX solution is Lanner’s V3G, which is a rugged fanless vehicle
computer. V3G is powered by the new generation 14 nm Intel® Atom™ x7-E3950 SoC
(formerly Apollo Lake). This processor consumes low volume of power and offers performance
upgrade from previous generation of Atom™ processors, optimized for vehicle computing
applications.

Since wireless network connectivity is one of the most critical requirements, the V3G offers 2 x
mini-PCIe sockets with a swappable SIM slot supporting 3G/4G/LTE cellular communications.
In addition, the compact system comes with built-in GPS for navigation and multiple antennae
I/Os for extended receptions.

As an in-vehicle computer, V3G boasts an abundance of I/O peripheral connectivity including 2

x serial COM ports, 2 x video output by DVI-D, USB, and Digital I/O ports, and 2 x RJ-45 LAN
ports to work with other components and subsystems in armored vehicles. For storage, V3G
comes in SATA/mSATA storage options.

Lanner’s V3G is a great solution in this case due to its certified LTE wireless connectivity
and Military-grade ruggedness.

IoT Devices

Smart LED street illumination has been embraced by multiple municipal governments
worldwide, as the starting point for IoT-based smart city establishment. Since the street lighting
infrastructure already exists, many city planners take smart lighting as the opportunity to enable
their IoT foundation by consolidating sensors, wireless communication points, and open-
interface technologies. In order to work with whole these elements at an external environment,
the requirements that should be considered are abundant I/O ports, LTE connectivity, Wide
Operating Temperature and (of course) being a reduced form factor.

One example of IoTs street illumination solution is Lanner’s LEC-3030T a compact

communication white-box IIoT gateway to meet the demands for smart LED street lighting. The
gateway is physically designed in compact form factor and fanless thermal mechanism to meet
the outdoor setting. Since extreme temperature is a potential challenge in an outdoor application,
LEC-3030T can withstand a wide range of operating temperatures, from as low as -40°C to as
high as 70°C.
In terms of the performance, the LEC-3030T is empowered by Intel® Atom™ E3815 processor
and DDR3L at 1,333 MHz SO-DIMM memory up to 4GB to adequately perform data collection,
analysis and transfer in an end-to-end application. Functioning as the IoT gateway for street
lamps, LEC-3030T boasts an abundance of I/O connectors, such as VGA display, serial COM
ports (with RS-232/422/485 and ESD/surge protection), digital I/O connector, RJ-45 LAN ports,
and USB ports to accommodate various sensors and meters associated with the deployment.

These are only two excellent examples of the benefits of a PC reducing form factor tendency
which provides great benefits in space and cost. We have not only reviewed the different form
factors but also learned how the form factor enables PC applications in different industries.

Final Words
With the rise of millions of different IoT devices and embedded systems, motherboard design is
evolving rapidly. Sizes are changing, and forms are becoming more adaptable to each
application.

The size of a device depends on the size of the motherboard. A smartwatch will require a totally
different form factor than an industrial IoT device. So the form factor becomes a crucial
characteristic when building the device.

The form factor determines the specifications on how a motherboard is built, from the size,
shape, casing, power supply, mounting holes, and the overall layout.

The most common form factor is ATX, which evolved to mini-ATX, nano-ATX, pico-ATX, and
further. A different type of form factor, and smaller than the ATX is the ITX, which is
significantly smaller than the micro-ATX. The ITX form factor can also be found as nano-ITX,
pico-ITX, mobile-ITX, and more.