What's up with the crappy mATX boards?

Tilltech wrote: PetrolHead wrote: Do you mean mITX boards?  WTF? I specifically mentioned mATX multiple times, what's wrong with you, functional illiteracy?

Do you really think that is an appropriate response to someone that sincerely tried to answer your question? And then responded to your insult with another thoughtful post?

I know that it isn't.

Tilltech, I'll remember that name...

Just making sure, based on your (now removed) signature and the fan connector part, but you're essentially right, I did read through your hastily. It's a valid question. Why do none of the mATX  boards with four DIMM slots have both WiFi and Realtek ALC1220 as well? After all, ASRock already has mITX boards with both. If you want to be an optimist, ASRock's mATX "flagship" at the moment still has room for improvement, so maybe they'll release something like Taichi mATX or Fatal1ty mATX down the road. If not, then for some reason ASRock just doesn't deem it worth the effort. Maybe there's just more market potential with the mITX boards.


Edited by PetrolHead - 23 Jul 2017 at 7:07am

Do you mean mITX boards? Because both the AB350M Pro4 and the A320M Pro4 have 4 DIMM slots. Neither have WiFi or ALC1220, though. The Fatal1ty mentioned in your signature does have the latter, but I very much doubt you'd be able to tell the difference between ALC1220 and ALC892 (which is on the boards I mentioned). Is the CPU fan connector the only one you classify as a system fan connector? According the specs, the Fatal1ty has three connectors in total:

1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
1 x Chassis Fan Connector (4-pin)
1 x Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)

Other boards also tend to have at least three connectors, and I'm not sure why you'd need more in a small form factor (mITX) build.

In any case, I guess the answer to your underlying question is price, form factor and market size. Putting four DIMM slots on an mITX-board is likely a pain, they look cramped even with two. WiFi costs money and the antenna socket takes up space in the backplate. Connectors also take up space and cost money, so why put more than what a typical mATX or mITX build uses (some might use only two)? All of this might be doable (except maybe four DIMM slots on an mITX board), but is there big enough of a market to justify the extra cost? I don't know, but I doubt there is. However, it would be good for PR and bragging rights, which also have value...


Edited by PetrolHead - 23 Jul 2017 at 4:52am