Can i put a Micro ATX board in a ATX case if so how?

[Frag_Maniac]

It's pretty much given away in the name. Unlike iTX, Micro ATX or mATX, will fit on any ATX mount format, just using only some of the holes. One thing about mATX too, is it is not nearly as much a small niche form factor as iTX, so the MBs can be had at a better price than you can find comparable iTX ones.

 

[Ruru]

??? Ummm, sorry but no. For starters, if the board supports DDR3, it only supports DDR3. You cannot use DDR2 or DDR4. They physically different and therefore NOT compatible - they will not fit in a DDR3 slot without excessive force, which surely will damage the RAM, or the slot, or both. They also use different voltages.

Common sense? NO!!!! Common knowledge? NO!!!! And that's the problem here.

"Can I put DDRX in a DDRY slot?" is asked over and over again in the forums, and has been since DDR2 came out superseding DDR. Bing Google it if you don't believe me.

Even if we assume everyone is talking about the same type RAM (DDR3, in this case), and even with the qualifier "usually", I sure would not make that assumption. It is "safe" to assume "any generic DDR3 memory" will physically fit in the RAM slot connector without causing any damage. But we cannot assume any and every old DDR3 will "work" - that is, be supported and function properly by the motherboard/chipset, or the CPU!

No shit? Unless you have a combo board yet those supported only one RAM type at a time.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Bad thing about mATX boards is where the pci-e slot is in relation to where the standoff screws are
The bottom of the mATX board hasn't got a lot of support for a gpu

Just installing a gpu there is a risk of snapping the mother board pushing it into the pci-e slot.
No support so you should fit something rubber behind the board and between the case on the bottom
.

 

[Bill_Bright]

No shit? Unless you have a combo board yet those supported only one RAM type at a time.

That's totally different from what you said earlier about compatibility. Combo (AKA crossover) boards are unique exceptions and have nothing to do with this discussion.

You said,

Usually any generic memory type is compatible

As I noted above, even with the "usually" qualifier, compatibility cannot and must not be assumed. I explained why. You quoted it.

To explain further why it cannot and must not be assumed...

Just because RAM is DDR3 and a particular board supports DDR3, that does NOT mean the board (or chipset, or CPU) will work with (be compatible) with that specific DDR3. For example, the DDR3 standard allows for a maximum capacity of 16GB per stick. Yet many Intel CPUs will only support up to 8GB sticks. Many motherboards support a maximum of just 4GB per slot. Some AMD DDR3 platforms have similar limitations.

So before a user attempts to add "any generic memory" to a system, they need to check the motherboard manual or the board's webpage for the RAM QVL to see if that specific RAM is compatible. It may physically fit the slot, but that does not mean it is totally compatible with the board (or CPU).

 

[Greenslade]

Hi,
Bad thing about mATX boards is where the pci-e slot is in relation to where the standoff screws are
The bottom of the mATX board hasn't got a lot of support for a gpu

Just installing a gpu there is a risk of snapping the mother board pushing it into the pci-e slot.
No support so you should fit something rubber behind the board and between the case on the bottom
.
View attachment 276812DQ670W Intel Core i5 2nd Gen @ 3.00GHz MOBO 4GB DDR3 Ram With IO Shield - Bundle

​

​

​

​

Hi,
Bad thing about mATX boards is where the pci-e slot is in relation to where the standoff screws are
The bottom of the mATX board hasn't got a lot of support for a gpu

Just installing a gpu there is a risk of snapping the mother board pushing it into the pci-e slot.
No support so you should fit something rubber behind the board and between the case on the bottom
.
View attachment 276812

What

Hi,
Bad thing about mATX boards is where the pci-e slot is in relation to where the standoff screws are
The bottom of the mATX board hasn't got a lot of support for a gpu

Just installing a gpu there is a risk of snapping the mother board pushing it into the pci-e slot.
No support so you should fit something rubber behind the board and between the case on the bottom
.
View attachment 276812

DQ670W Intel Core i5 2nd Gen @ 3.00GHz MOBO 4GB DDR3 Ram With IO Shield - Bundle.

That is not going to be a problem on this board INTEL DQ670W I got it for £27 it comes with the i5 2320 ,I see there are six stand offs on the board.​

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Well that's not a micro atx board either

 

[Greenslade]

Hi,
Well that's not a micro atx board either

What board is it then?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Guess it is

Intel® Desktop Board DQ67OW - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Desktop Board DQ67OW quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

Sure has more mounting holes than my old acer did.

 

[Greenslade]

Hi,
Guess it is

Intel® Desktop Board DQ67OW - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Desktop Board DQ67OW quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

Sure has more mounting holes than my old acer did.

Well mine is not an OEM board i am glad to say.
That is what i was asking Bill, but we all know Intel boards are used in OEM PC,s with property
crap. I will download the manual but only print the basic stuff as there are far to many pages in the manual.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Well these two lower mounting holes are not on a straight line so this is weird not sure I've seen a atx case that has odd hole alignments like this
.

Top/ middle holes like normal though :/

 

[Bill_Bright]

Sure has more mounting holes than my old acer did.

Yeah, you cannot go by the mounting holes. The ATX Form Factor standard only dictates where mounting holes "can" go, not where they "will" go. So board designers free to use whichever mounting points they want - but only those. This is why I say cases are designed to support 1000s of different motherboards but user MUST ensure case standoffs are only inserted where a corresponding motherboard mounting hole is located.

Well these two lower mounting holes are not on a straight line so this is weird

Nope. Actually, that is normal.

 

[ThrashZone]

Special case was made for this board.

 

[Greenslade]

Hi,
Well these two lower mounting holes are not on a straight line so this is weird not sure I've seen a atx case that has odd hole alignments like this
.
View attachment 276955

Top/ middle holes like normal though :/

Thats weird i hope i can get it in case.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thats weird i hope i can get it in case.

Hi,
It should you just have to take off bottom far left and right standoffs
Only one on the bottom middle line up

Far right bottom standoff conflicts with sata ports "no hole I can see" and the far left no hole and the one it has is just to high on the board so it will have to be removed to so it doesn't touch the back of the board.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Special case was made for this board.

Say what it is! It's that nasty, 4-letter word, "proprietary"!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Nope all three bottom holes are way off from a atx case
All three were custom placed for a special case in mind

 

[Bill_Bright]

ll three were custom placed for a special case in mind

Then that makes them proprietary! The ATX Form Factor Standard does NOT allow modifications or deviations from the standards and still allow the component to be considered ATX Form Factor compliant.

Again, the ATX Form Factor Standard dictates where those mounting holes can be. If someone makes a "special" case that has mounting holes in non-standard locations, it is proprietary. Why? Because that means you cannot take an ATX compliant board and mount it in that case and have the mounting holes in the board line up properly with corresponding standoffs. If a case standoff does not align with a motherboard mounting hole, circuit runs may be shorted out.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
It's ghetto mod time for the lower three mounts is all top 3 and middle 3 mounts are fine probably

Ghetto Mods

Post Your own or Found Ghetto / DIY style mods here:D EXAMPLE : FOUND 3870X2

www.techpowerup.com

 

[68Olds]

ThrashZone, look at the picture of the case I posted. The 8 mounting holes with the bottom two out of line is a normal mATX configuration. There is no bottom right 9th hole. I circled the wrong one in my post. The correct standoff hole is at the tip of the (yellow Paint) arrow.

The Acer you posted is the proprietary config. Look below the bottom left of the board in your picture & you can see a mounting point on the mobo tray labeled A / M. That board has a total of 6 mounting screws, correct?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yes mine only has 6 holes but yeah that is a test bench not an actual case but I get your points fewer standoff mods

 

[Bill_Bright]

but I get your points fewer standoff mods

Not mods. Just the designers decided to use fewer. They can do that and still be ATX compliant. They just cannot add more motherboard mounting holes where corresponding case mounting points/standoffs don't exist.

 

[68Olds]

The real question is Why did Greenslade shift his search focus from LGA775 boards over to Sandy Bridge boards?

 

[Greenslade]

Usually any generic memory type is compatible, tho with some luck even ECC can work (in non-ECC mode on intel platform)

But that board above looks standard by its mounting and connectors.

Sorry but I don't got what you mean by this..?

ThrashZone, look at the picture of the case I posted. The 8 mounting holes with the bottom two out of line is a normal mATX configuration. There is no bottom right 9th hole. I circled the wrong one in my post. The correct standoff hole is at the tip of the (yellow Paint) arrow.

The Acer you posted is the proprietary config. Look below the bottom left of the board in your picture & you can see a mounting point on the mobo tray labeled A / M. That board has a total of 6 mounting screws, correct?

View attachment 276965

ThrashZone, look at the picture of the case I posted. The 8 mounting holes with the bottom two out of line is a normal mATX configuration. There is no bottom right 9th hole. I circled the wrong one in my post. The correct standoff hole is at the tip of the (yellow Paint) arrow.

The Acer you posted is the proprietary config. Look below the bottom left of the board in your picture & you can see a mounting point on the mobo tray labeled A / M. That board has a total of 6 mounting screws, correct?

View attachment 276965

Not mods. Just the designers decided to use fewer. They can do that and still be ATX compliant. They just cannot add more motherboard mounting holes where corresponding case mounting points/standoffs don't exist.

That sounds very logical to me Bill

The real question is Why did Greenslade shift his search focus from LGA775 boards over to Sandy Bridge boards?

I decided as it was a newer platform I would go for that. Plus the fact even my i5 2320 would blow away the top Q9650.
And that at a later date I will get an i5 2500k Cex has got it in store now for £12,
How do you make those red circles on Photos? I just tried one of my old Dell PSUs, into the mains a green light comes on but the fan not spinning, does it only spin up when the 24 and 4 pin connecters are connected to the motherboard?

 

[68Olds]

I decided as it was a newer platform I would go for that. Plus the fact even my i5 2320 would blow away the top Q9650.
And that at a later date I will get an i5 2500k Cex has got it in store now for £12,

I get that. More power for the same, or less, money.

How do you make those red circles on Photos?

Good old MS Paint. Thankfully very little skill is required. lol

I just tried one of my old Dell PSUs, into the mains a green light comes on but the fan not spinning, does it only spin up when the 24 and 4 pin connecters are connected to the motherboard?

Did you jump-start the PSU with the Green & Black on the 24 pin? The fan may be a Zero RPM fan until the PSU warms up to a certain temperature or reaches a certain output load. Hard to say.

 

[Greenslade]

I get that. More power for the same, or less, money.

Good old MS Paint. Thankfully very little skill is required. lol

Did you jump-start the PSU with the Green & Black on the 24 pin? The fan may be a Zero RPM fan until the PSU warms up to a certain temperature or reaches a certain output load. Hard to say.

Thanks for that but i have a MAC i don,t know weather that is available for it .No i didn,t .When i unplugged it from the mains the green light stayed on for a bit of time after that.So i could try it on the my MSI 7513 Motherboard it only has one 4 pin on the 12v rail.I am not sure i want to take a chance trying it with a new PSU.