ATX vs ITX – Difference and Comparison

What is ATX?

Intel released ATX in 1995 following years of development on previously published AT architectures. It was the first significant alteration in the computer case since the motherboard and power supply was installed. Following its introduction, the ATX form factor quickly became the industry standard.

As usual, an ATX board includes four RAM slots, however, these can be expanded to accommodate up to eight RAM slots. It comes with 64 GB of RAM, which may be upgraded to 128 GB or 512 GB upon request, according to the needs of the customer. ATX features three PCI slots, which may be expanded to a total of five if necessary. ATX boards are a low-cost choice for building any form of computer. the distinction between ATX and ITX

At this time, the ATX motherboard is the most extensively used motherboard type. As an alternative to the normal ATX boards, there are two more types of boards available: the MicroATX and the FlexATX boards. In comparison to regular ATX boards, the MicroATX and FlexATX boards are smaller in size. Because of their uniform dimensions, ATX motherboards can be used with any standard computer. Their primary applications include gaming PCs and workstations.

What is ITX?

Originally designed for use in tiny configuration computer systems, they were made available by VIA Technologies in 2001. ITX was created with the goal of using a compact PC and lowering the total cost of ownership; nonetheless, the cost of ownership grew in succeeding editions.

Only two RAM slots and one PCI slot are available on an ITX motherboard. Because of the limited amount of RAM slots available, they are unable to be employed in higher configuration computers. ITX boards are available in a variety of sizes, including MiniITX, NanoITX, and PicoITX. MiniITX, on the other hand, is the most extensively utilized. ITX motherboards are more expensive than ATX motherboards due to the smaller size of ITX motherboards.

ITX is a type of processor that is found in tiny and portable computers as well as small form factor computers. Furthermore, they can be employed in a basic job system.

Difference Between ATX and ITX

  1. Unlike ATX motherboards, which are of standard size, an ITX motherboard is of a smaller proportion than the usual size and is consequently referred to as a tiny form factor motherboard.
  2. Standard PCs, gaming PCs, and workstations utilize ATX boards, whereas ITX boards can only be found in small PCs and notebook computers, and gaming PCs and workstations use ITX boards.
  3. A high-end ATX board allows for an increase in the number of PCI slots, whereas an ITX board does not allow for such an increase.
  4. Mini ITX motherboards are used in ultra-compact computers that are smaller than a laptop. It’s in laptops, tablets, smartphones, home theatre systems, DVRs, and cable boxes. Standard ATX motherboards are utilized in larger systems that require great performance.
  5. The RAM slots on an ATX board can be expanded to eight, whereas an ITX board has a restricted capacity.

Comparison Between ATX and ITX

Parameters of ComparisonATXITX
SizeThe standard size of ATX is around 305*244 mm.ITX is smaller than the standard size- around 170*170 mm plate.
Price comparisonATX is relatively cheaper than ITX.Even after being smaller in size, ITX is more expensive than ATX.
UsageThe standard use of ATX is in PCs for workstations or games.ITX is used in compact PCs or laptops.
PCI slotsUsually, ATX consists of three slots though the high end ones can even have up to five slots.ITX consists only of one slot.
RAMIt normally has four RAM slots, but high-end ATX models can have up to eight.ITX comes with only two slots of RAM.

References

  1. https://www.scientific.net/AMR.1115.484
  2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1008156/