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Thread: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

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    Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    Hello!

    I'm considered a new build soon, and I'd like it to be powerful but also cost effective. I'm thinking of going i5-2500k, overclocking, etc etc, yada yada.

    Now, I know that the mobo is a key component. And I'm willing to put quite a bit into it. However, it is really tipping my total over the ~£800 mark. I've been looking at full size ATX boards, and I saw a Micro-ATX which would save ~£40 for me.

    I'm wondering - is Micro-ATX any good? Or is the full size one worth it? Here are two I was looking at:
    P8P67 Pro
    P8P67 Pro-M

    What are the main differences (size, I presume) and how will it affect me as an enthusiast builder?

    Many thanks!

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    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    Expansion slots and room for second graphics cards. If you have no peripheral cards and only want a single graphics card then save then money and get a matx board if you want.

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    I would like to have a Wifi card, and perhaps a sound card in the future (but I've read that integrated sound is so good nowadays there's no point). I think there'd be enough space for the single Wifi card?

    Thanks

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    Depends what speakers you are using as to if you will notice between onboard and a soundcard but i suspect you wont. Most motherboards will have a single PCI-E x1 slot which isn't obstructed by a double width graphics card so you should be fine on that front.

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    Quote Originally Posted by EvanJackPenn View Post
    I would like to have a Wifi card, and perhaps a sound card in the future (but I've read that integrated sound is so good nowadays there's no point). I think there'd be enough space for the single Wifi card?

    Thanks
    Just get a USB adapter for the wifi.

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    If you don't care about sli/crossfire then you could get a cheaper board like this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p...usb30-firewire or http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244473

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    The Gigabyte P67A-UD3P is a bargain just now from Amamzon at a mere £104.70 and it'll let you keep your options open.
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004OYBDY...SIN=B004OYBDY0

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    How will the price/quality of the mobo affect me in terms of performance? I will not be loading it up with 4 graphics cards or anything, most likely just 1 Radeon HD 6950 unlocked into a 6970 and an overclocked i5-2500k. I assume I don't need a £150 board for this kind of set up?

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    Quote Originally Posted by EvanJackPenn View Post
    How will the price/quality of the mobo affect me in terms of performance? I will not be loading it up with 4 graphics cards or anything, most likely just 1 Radeon HD 6950 unlocked into a 6970 and an overclocked i5-2500k. I assume I don't need a £150 board for this kind of set up?
    The motherboard price/quality will not affect speed in that case, no.

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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    All good advice ealier, but you are building a performance rig so you need to look at the whole system

    Small form factor mobos are great, if size is a consideration, and most of the SFF mobos have the major peripherals embedded on them, lan, sound and I think if you look hard enough, you might find wi-fi. But adding embedded peripherals pushes up the cost, and reducing the size of the board limits xpansion options. So you need to do same careful trade off calculatiins on what your needs are now and what they might be inthe future. Clearly it is pointless buying a mobo with 6 PCI slotsand leaving 4 unused, but it would be equally frustrating to build something now, but not be able to upgrade or add something else because the mobo is fully populated.

    With the introduction of USB3, the problem is slightly less severe, Wifi, 3G, sound. Lan and other devices will already function with USB/USB2, but it tends to make for a less compact system than having everything together in one case.

    Like most things, it is a compromise, and you have to decide which features are the most important to you.

    GHood luck with the build - let us know what you decide, and how it goes - loads of people here to help if you do run into snags!
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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    I was thinking of mATX as well. However, I delayed the decision because reviews of Z68 mATX boards are rare and I had reservations about whether their VRMs are good enough for overclocking.

    I've finally settled on the full ATX Asus P8Z68-V:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...-raid-atx-hdmi

    Not the cheapest ATX board around but not lacking very much either. It means I can't use my existing mATX case but I found an 'as-new' Antec ATX case on ebay at a ridiculous price.

    I don't think mATX boards are particularly cheap. Saving space is their only virtue, IMO.


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    Re: Is Micro-ATX a good way to save?

    The only thing that doesnt seem to have been mentioned is power. An ATX board could have better and more power lanes than a matx one. This might only show up on overclocking but if your buying an unlocked chip then your going to overclock it arent you??

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