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Mini-ITX motherboards are smaller and quieter than traditional ATX boards, using older CPUs that generate less heat. They allow for unique computer designs and are often used in home theater systems. A new even smaller standard called nano-ITX is being developed.
Motherboards are circuit boards found inside electronic devices. They contain all the circuitry necessary for the basic functionality of the device. PC motherboards generally come in one form factor, or size and shape, called ATX. Mini-ITX is a motherboard form factor designed to produce smaller and quieter computers than typical desktops and towers.
The Mini-ITX standard was created in 2001 by VIA Technologies. The traditional ATX board is 300mm x 240mm; a mini-ITX board is just a third the size, 170mm x 170mm. The size reduction is achieved by removing a number of expansion slots and soldering components to the motherboard instead of connecting them with bulky sockets.
Mini-ITX motherboards also use processors, or CPUs, that are a generation or two behind the state of the art. The CPUs are not made by Intel, but are clones of Intel’s Pentium architecture and retain full compatibility. In addition to being smaller than newer processors, they run at a much slower speed. In semiconductors, the amount of heat a device generates is proportional to the speed at which it operates; by accepting a lower level of performance, Mini-ITX motherboards can do away with most of the bulky coolers found in ATX systems. In particular, they can be built without fans.
Mini-ITX-based PCs take advantage of their small size to create computers that look completely different from the “beige box” so common in offices and homes. The small size and simple cooling requirements allow you to build a computer out of virtually anything; Mini-ITX boards were mounted inside toasters, antique wooden radios and Art Deco jewelry boxes. One intrepid individual even built a computer inside a George Foreman grid. Because the lack of whirring fans allows for quiet operation, mini-ITX boards are often found in computer-based home theater systems.
VIA Technologies is working on an even smaller motherboard standard called nano-ITX. It will only be 120mm x 120mm, or about 5 inches on one side. Computers built using nano-ITX will be roughly the size of a paperback novel.
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