So @Wahaha360 is in contact with some motherboard manufacturers, and beyond the usual suggestions (e.g. mDTX w/dual PCIe slots) one thing he's brought up with them is the possibility of adding a PCIe slot at an alternate location that would enable sandwich or console-style layouts without requiring expensive and potentially unreliable flexible PCIe risers. Along the same lines, I had this idea for a flexible form-factor based on mini-ITX:
Essentially, it replaces the PCIe slot on a mini-ITX board with a PCIe edge connector. This would allow for many more possibilities for the PCIe slot, simply by switching out an inexpensive and reliable PCB riser. Among them:
Now, this is just an idea at this stage, and we have yet to get feedback on the engineering feasibility, but we thought it worthwhile to share it with the community. I think such a flexible motherboard form-factor would be of tremendous benefit to SFF case designers and users alike, as it would help to create a more accessible, standardized way of enabling a multitude of different SFF case layouts at a potentially lower cost.
Any feedback you might have is welcome.
To be clear, I'm introducing this as a concept for a new board form-factor that extends the functionality of mini-ITX, not as a wishlist of features people want for a specific motherboard. That should have its own thread if people want it.
Essentially, it replaces the PCIe slot on a mini-ITX board with a PCIe edge connector. This would allow for many more possibilities for the PCIe slot, simply by switching out an inexpensive and reliable PCB riser. Among them:
- Standard mini-ITX w/traditional perpendicular PCIe slot
- Using a long PCB riser to enable back-to-back sandwich-style layouts (like the A4, Ghost S1, etc.)
- Using a long PCB riser to enable console-style layouts
- Multiple PCIe slots via a riser supporting bifurcation
Now, this is just an idea at this stage, and we have yet to get feedback on the engineering feasibility, but we thought it worthwhile to share it with the community. I think such a flexible motherboard form-factor would be of tremendous benefit to SFF case designers and users alike, as it would help to create a more accessible, standardized way of enabling a multitude of different SFF case layouts at a potentially lower cost.
Any feedback you might have is welcome.
To be clear, I'm introducing this as a concept for a new board form-factor that extends the functionality of mini-ITX, not as a wishlist of features people want for a specific motherboard. That should have its own thread if people want it.
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