Buying a new motherboard can be scary for people who aren’t very invested in tech. Your motherboard is the figurative glue that holds your computer hardware together, connecting your components so that they work in a correct manner.
One of the most important things is to be able to fit your motherboard into your computer case, which is the shell that contains all the hardware. This begs the question: can any motherboard fit in any computer case?
No, your case size and motherboard form factor make all the difference. Motherboards may be too big to fit into some computer cases, so it’s important to pick the correct dimensions. There is a big variety in sizes when it comes to motherboards. To check what motherboards fit what cases, look up the form factors for both motherboard and computer case.
We can safely conclude that any motherboard cannot fit in any computer case. Keep reading to find out detailed information about motherboard form factors and computer case sizes, so you can make a safe decision on what motherboard to buy.
What Different Sizes Do Motherboards Come In?
The different sizes for motherboards are called ”form factors”, as I mentioned previously. There are three various form factors for motherboards. These are (in order from the smallest to biggest) Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX.
The three sizes are a way for the hardware manufacturing industry to have an easier time designing their various components. These three different form factors facilitate the production of things like graphics cards so that they can easily be fitted into motherboards.
Mini-ITX
The Mini-ITX is meant for smaller PC cases. The measurements for the Mini-ITX are 6.75 inches x 6.75 inches. The small power supply makes a mini-ITX motherboard good for small computers with non-demanding components.
The Mini-ITX supports 2 slots of RAM, either 0 or 1 GPU:s, and fewer SATAs than the two other sizes. They certainly serve their purpose, not every computer is an optimized gaming beast.
Micro-ATX
A Micro-ATX (”mATX”) is a larger form factor size motherboard than the mini-ITX. It is measured at 9.6 x 9.6 inches. It’s the in-between option regarding motherboards, having more utility when it comes to expansion than the mini-ITX, whilst being smaller than the ATX.
RAM slots and expansion slots both vary from 2 to 4, which is quite a big difference from the smaller mini-ITX boards. These boards aren’t even necessarily more expensive than the smaller mini-ITX, because the ITX demands very sophisticated craftsmanship due to its small size.
ATX
Last but not least, we have ATX. Its measurements are 12 x 9.7 inches. This is the biggest motherboard model of the three, providing a lot more space for expansion slots, RAM slots, and so forth. One reason why you might buy one of the other options is the size of the ATX since it does not fit some computer cases.
Do thorough research on the size of your PC case before investing in an ATX motherboard. RAM slots vary from 2 to 8, and the expansion slots vary from 4 to 7. Notice the difference between this motherboard and the micro-ATX.
Finally, ATX motherboards have been known to have some issues with cooling as a result of the configuration of the motherboard. A computer case that facilitates good cooling is recommended with an ATX.
What Different Sizes Do Computer Cases Come In?
Similarly to motherboards, there are computer cases with different categories according to size. Let’s go over them below, and what sizes might be best for which motherboards.
Full Tower
Full towers are the biggest PC cases, and they’re best for maxed-out PCs with good gaming capabilities. The full tower is usually chosen if you have a motherboard class called EATX.
The reason I didn’t mention the full tower class in the section above is that it’s scarce, and practically only chosen for really optimized computers. Full towers also facilitate overclocking because of their excellent cooling potential. Full towers are usually really expensive.
Mid Tower
I’d argue that this is the most common type of computer case, a balanced case that fulfills the demands of most PC users, whether they have really good specs or decent specs on their computers. ATX motherboards are usually fitted to this type of computer case.
While it doesn’t give you the same amount of space as a full tower, it’s cheaper. Plus, you probably don’t even need a full tower anyways.
Mini Tower
This computer case is decidedly smaller than the mid tower. Mini towers can handle micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards but not ATX. It’s a fine computer case for computers built to do desktop work on. These computer cases are common in offices and such.
It’s made to take up as little space as possible while not sacrificing too much in the quality of its components.
SFF
I’ll just mention this in short, since it’s the last computer case form factor. The SFF is tiny and mostly used for things such as home theater systems.
It has space for a small number of components, but it’s getting more and more popular. Technology is allowing us to develop smaller and smaller components with powerful hardware, so don’t be surprised if a lot of people are using these in upcoming years.
How Can You Tell If Your Motherboard Fits In a Computer Case?
As you might suspect by now, it all depends on the form factors of your computer case and your motherboard. So, let’s go over what computer cases are best for what motherboards.
- ATX motherboards go into full towers and mid-tower computer cases, not micro-ATX or mini-ATX
- Micro-ATX motherboards go into all computer cases and are mostly built with mini towers
- Mini-ITX motherboard can also go into all computer cases but are mostly used for mini towers or SFF builds
Do Old Motherboards Fit In New Cases?
Yes, if the form factors are appropriate then it doesn’t matter. The form factor concept is old itself, and the overwhelming majority of motherboards and computer cases follow this concept.
Intel came up with the previously mentioned ATX sizes in 1995 and has been facilitating them ever since.
Do All Motherboards Use the Same Screws (Standoffs)?
Yes, motherboards all use the same standoffs and screws. The screws are m3x5 flathead screws. What does this mean for your motherboard? Well, you can reuse your old screws on new motherboards. You can also very easily replace them if the need arises.
Also, all motherboards use standoffs. This is to provide space between your motherboard and the computer case so that your motherboard doesn’t short-circuit and kills all your hardware.
What To Do If Your Motherboard Doesn’t Fit In Your PC Case
If your motherboard does not fit your computer case, don’t try to force it. Actually, that’s always the case when fiddling with computer hardware. If the motherboard doesn’t fit, the best thing to do is to check if the form factors for both the case and the motherboard are appropriate.
If they aren’t the appropriate sizes, you simply have to get a new case that fits your motherboard.