Motherboard Smallest/Thinest motherboard with atx ability?

_ONE_

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Mar 1, 2017
111
115
Hello!

For my future prototype I would like to know what is the smallest and thinest possible motherboard deal.

But

Including desktop cpu socket and at least a pci-e x4 for connecting a decent gpu (1060 and more)


I heard about stx and thin itx

Stx are perfect in size but seems limited with pci-e and have vertical ram slot

While thin itx are good in connector and have horizontal ram position, but yet too thick for what I need.

The perfect thing is an stx with horizontal ram slot and pci-e.


You know something like that?

Thank you
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582
Hello!

For my future prototype I would like to know what is the smallest and thinest possible motherboard deal.

But

Including desktop cpu socket and at least a pci-e x4 for connecting a decent gpu (1060 and more)


I heard about stx and thin itx

Stx are perfect in size but seems limited with pci-e and have vertical ram slot

While thin itx are good in connector and have horizontal ram position, but yet too thick for what I need.

The perfect thing is an stx with horizontal ram slot and pci-e.


You know something like that?

Thank you

STX is thicker than Thin-itx.
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582

Yes, I am.

Thin-itx has laydown ram, and the IO shield is 25mm tall, and as per this, the STX IO shield is 40.3mm tall (which I can confirm, I'm making both an STX Case and a Thin-itx case). Normal ITX IO shield is 44mm.

Thin ITX is the the thinnest form factor.

If you need STX, you can use a M.2 to pcie x4 adapter, and then an x4-x16 riser.

Cheers,
Windfall
 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582

thewizzard1

Airflow Optimizer
Jan 27, 2017
333
248
Some industrial ITX boards offer flat soDIMM mounting, and if you're making a project, you can desolder your rear I/O and install new ones, or just leave them off. There's also sub-ITX offering - Most weird SFF units now-a-days will have m.2,

But what you want is PICMG 1/2 length, but you'll be making / requesting a custom butterfly mount for your graphics card. PICMG is your only option for that super-slim unit. But why bother with sub-44mm units when your graphics card will end up being 2-slot thickness anyways? You won't want a 1-slot thickness fan, trust me.

IEI offers this:
https://www.ieiworld.com/en/news/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=848

And this nice 3.5" SBC:
https://www.ieiworld.com/en/news/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=960
 
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Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582
Some industrial ITX boards offer flat soDIMM mounting, and if you're making a project, you can desolder your rear I/O and install new ones, or just leave them off. There's also sub-ITX offering - Most weird SFF units now-a-days will have m.2,

But what you want is PICMG 1/2 length, but you'll be making / requesting a custom butterfly mount for your graphics card. PICMG is your only option for that super-slim unit. But why bother with sub-44mm units when your graphics card will end up being 2-slot thickness anyways? You won't want a 1-slot thickness fan, trust me.

IEI offers this:
https://www.ieiworld.com/en/news/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=848

And this nice 3.5" SBC:
https://www.ieiworld.com/en/news/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=960

A PCIe computer???

I would rather have this SBC, thank you very much: http://www.bcmcom.com/bcm_product_ECM-CFS.html
 
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aquelito

King of Cable Management
Piccolo PC
Feb 16, 2016
952
1,122
Would that help ?



https://www.adexelec.com/other.htm
 

_ONE_

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Mar 1, 2017
111
115
Well thank you for all those reply!

No in fact I see the stx format as the smallest one but indeed not the thinnest one now.

Desoldering is an interesting idea.


I'll remove the heatsink and replace everything with an ultra low profile water-cooling system.

Now I also saw those stx with mxm gpu slot on them but... Impossible to buy them, are they specific to their pc brand only?


About m.2 to PCI-e, how much gpu performance will I get from those connector?

98% 95%...80%?


Thanks
 

_ONE_

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Original poster
Mar 1, 2017
111
115
Yes the man that did the NFC s4 highly recommended it.


Absolutely itsi worth it if I'm going to manufacture
 

aquelito

King of Cable Management
Piccolo PC
Feb 16, 2016
952
1,122
@Hexagone_6 : I'm currently developping a thin-mini ITX dedicated case and the thinnest height you can achieve with a dual-slot GPU stacked over the board is 68 mm.
You add 2 x 2 mm aluminium casing and you get a 72 mm case height.

Which is not far from the S4 Mini (while being more compact).

 

Windfall

Shrink Ray Wielder
SFFn Staff
Nov 14, 2017
2,117
1,582
@Hexagone_6 : I'm currently developping a thin-mini ITX dedicated case and the thinnest height you can achieve with a dual-slot GPU stacked over the board is 68 mm.
You add 2 x 2 mm aluminium casing and you get a 72 mm case height.

Which is not far from the S4 Mini (while being more compact).


That is INSANE power density.
 
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chx

Master of Cramming
May 18, 2016
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