The ATX motherboard form factor was first introduced in 1995. If you’ve ever built a PC, you’re obviously familiar with the 12-inch long by 9.6-inch wide size.

microATX, a 9.6×9.6-inch size, shortly followed ATX with its introduction in 1997.

Mini-ITX, a 6.7×6.7-inch form factor, was released by VIA Technologies in 2001; it has gained a good following and is a genuinely good small-form motherboard to go with when size is a concern.

What’s available now that wasn’t a few years ago?

When Mini-ITX was new, the problem was that the CPUs available were few in number and most Mini-ITX motherboards were sold with the processor embedded directly into them, so you couldn’t even change them out.

Today, many more Mini-ITX motherboards are available and support CPUs – all the way up to a 65W Core 2 Quad! That’s some serious speed for a super-small board.

In addition, many Mini-ITX can now support up to 4GB of RAM whereas previously you could not go beyond 2GB.

Should you buy a case for a Mini-ITX build?

I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t and opt to custom craft a case instead. The reason? You probably won’t like what choices are available.

A custom case option that’s relatively easy to work with is one that may surprise you – an old home stereo receiver. They do hold circuit boards more or less the same way PC cases hold motherboards and have vent slits on the top cover for heat to escape, so they are safe to use. Gutting one out is a relatively simple task and you’ll have more than enough room to work with. Cutting holes for fans if needed only requires the most basic of skills. The ports in the rear can be modified easily to have small USB wires stick out to accommodate things like keyboards, mice, printers and so on.

Such a setup would look 100% proper as an entertainment center PC.

Additional perk: With some tweaking you can modify the front panel to place infrared so you can operate the computer by a third-party remote control.

Does Mini-ITX "play nice" with modern operating systems?

It pretty much always did, and with modern CPU choices the chance of an OS not working correctly using a Mini-ITX board is very slim. Windows XP, 7 and all modern Linux distributions (particularly this one) will work with Mini-ITX boards easily.

Is there still the option to go "fan-less?"

There is, but I don’t recommend going that route. You’ll have to purposely pick a Mini-ITX board with an embedded CPU that has a huge heat sink on top of it like this:

…and it will most likely be notably slower compared to using a mobo that allows the processor of your choice. Furthermore it’s most likely true you would have to custom order the motherboard from a retailer you do not ordinarily shop from just to get it – meaning it will cost significantly more.

To see fan-less Mini-ITX options available, use this Google search.

Can a Mini-ITX build be used as a regular desktop PC?

Of course it can, however if it’s a desktop build you’re looking to put together but want to stay on the smaller side, microATX is still the way to go. The extra space allows for more RAM, extra cards and so on. Mini-ITX by nature is designed to be used in am embedded-style setup, so your options for what you can add on will be less.

Here’s some links to some Mini-ITX motherboards to see if this form factor is right for you:

Intel-CPU Mini-ITX motherboards

AMD-CPU Mini-ITX motherboards

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