microATX

In computer design, microATX (sometimes referred to as μATX, uATX[1] or mATX)[2] is a standard motherboard form factor introduced in December 1997.

The mounting points of microATX motherboards are a subset of those used on full-size ATX boards, and the I/O panel is identical.

In recent years, however, it is common even for ATX boards to integrate all these components, as much of this functionality is contained in the typical northbridge–southbridge pair.

[citation needed] In the DIY PC market, microATX motherboards in general are favored by cost-conscious buyers, where cost savings for the equivalent feature sets outweigh the added expandability of extra PCI/PCI Express slots provided by the full ATX versions.

[6] In addition, some microATX cases require the use of low-profile PCI cards[7] and use power supplies with non-standard dimensions.