Motherboard Mini-DTX petition thread!

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Original poster
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
Since we will have a representative at CES, I figured now would be a good time to show motherboard manufacturers that there's support within the SFF community to finally make Mini-DTX a thing!


What is Mini-DTX?

More those you aren't aware, Mini-DTX is basically Mini-ITX but extended downward a bit to make room for a second expansion slot. Here's an example of an existing board:



So they exist, but the problem is that they're currently used as ultra budget "microATX" boards with just x1 for the additional slot :(

Here's a mockup of a Mini-DTX Z270 Strix:


Looks sweet doesn't it?

Why should I want it?

A Mini-DTX boards with dual x16 (though it'd be running x8/x8 electrically on mainstream Intel) allows the possibility of dual single-slot video cards in a regular ITX case! EK even makes a single-slot terminal now to make watercooling on Mini-DTX easier: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc-terminal-dual-parallel-1-slot-acetal



For a less extreme use case, it'd allow for a single-slot card in the upper slot (NIC, PCIe SSD, sound card, custom interface card, etc.) with a normal dual-slot video card in the bottom slot in 3-slot cases like the NCASE M1.

Really, what it allows is possibilities, like microATX does, but within basically the ITX case form factor.

What about cases?

That's the beauty of it, Mini-DTX doesn't require cases to be custom-designed for it, it can be dropped into any existing dual-slot Mini-ITX case! The most flexible use of the slots would be with a 3-slot case but it's not strictly required.

The official dimensions are 203mm x 170mm (HxW) and that would be too tall for dual-slot ITX cases. But motherboard manufacturers are already aware of this though, as seen in the ASRock H91M-XT Plus pictured above. So the "Mini-DTX" boards released would be a bit shorter, at 190-195mm tall.


So please chime in if you also would like to see enthusiast (dual x16 slots) Mini-DTX motherboards!
 
Last edited:

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Original poster
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
Ah, it's because full-height Mini-DTX is 203mm, which is actually too tall for a 2-slot case. So we would want one that's a bit under, like 190-195mm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iFreilicht

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Original poster
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
Not really, the ASRock H91M-XT PLUS pictured in the OP is like that already, it looks to be around 192mm in height.
 

aquelito

King of Cable Management
Piccolo PC
Feb 16, 2016
952
1,122
Meanwhile you can go the PCIe bifurcation road. Quickly tested and approved for my next rendering build.

https://hardforum.com/threads/pcie-bifurcation.1870298/page-11#post-1042698516

Bifurcated riser costs around $50 (w/o shipping).

@Aibohphobia : the configuration you describe :)

Given the growing number of builds relying on risers, I feel PCIe bifurcation allows more flexibility.

Mini-DTX would be of course a much safer bet, as long as motherboards and drivers bifurcation compatibility remains hazardous (too few options to date).

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3lfk1ng and owliwar

confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
SFF Network
SFF Workshop
SFFn Staff
Jun 19, 2015
4,129
7,057
sff.network
Yes, please! mDTX should be an absolute no-brainer, and some case manufacturers like Silverstone already list mDTX in the compatibility list of their cases.



A board like this would be too tall to fit into a dual-slot ITX case, though, wouldn't it?

Every dual slot ITX case that I have tried, that did not use a riser for the expansion card, would support a true M-DTX (203mm tall) board. It's when the boards go past this (i.e. the 210mm of the ECS A960M-MV) that it causes issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iFreilicht

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
If you wanna get really crazy, that Strix board has an M2 and U2 header. Provided they both have x4, you could potentially set up three GPUs on it. One on the PCIe 16x, one on an M.2 to PCIe adapter (would need to yank the heatsink off), and one off the U.2. Could be interesting!
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,466
www.nfc-systems.com
If you wanna get really crazy, that Strix board has an M2 and U2 header. Provided they both have x4, you could potentially set up three GPUs on it. One on the PCIe 16x, one on an M.2 to PCIe adapter (would need to yank the heatsink off), and one off the U.2. Could be interesting!

Welcome to my new form factor: the NFC-ATX motherboard! It's exactly the same as Micro-ATX, but I changed the name to give me more credit. XD
 

jeshikat

Jessica. Wayward SFF.n Founder
Original poster
Silver Supporter
Feb 22, 2015
4,969
4,780
If you wanna get really crazy, that Strix board has an M2 and U2 header. Provided they both have x4, you could potentially set up three GPUs on it. One on the PCIe 16x, one on an M.2 to PCIe adapter (would need to yank the heatsink off), and one off the U.2. Could be interesting!

Wouldn't 4 video cards be possible since there's two x16 slots? :eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1461748123