TOP 5 Mini-ITX and Mini-STX Compact Motherboards

ASRock J3455B-ITX is not just a Mini–ITX motherboard, but a set with a processor at once, and soldered and not subject to upgrade. However, there is not much to change the low–performance complete Celeron J3455: the older chip of the Apollo Lake family – Pentium J4205 - has the same four processor cores and only an integrated graphics accelerator is more powerful (18 microkernels versus 12). But it is unlikely that anyone will assemble an energy-efficient PC (the processor's TDP is negligible 10 watts), based on its gaming capabilities.

RAM is supported only by the SO-DIMM laptop format, and the old-style DDR3L-1866. Apollo Lake processors are not friends with the latest DDR4. But a discrete graphics card can be installed from a desktop PC. A low-profile model will look most appropriate. It may be needed in case of a shortage of video outputs, because there are only two of them on the rear interface panel of the motherboard – HDMI and VGA.

As a result, ASRock J3455B-ITX is an perfect kit for assembling an office PC: it costs less than the motherboard and processor separately; it consumes little electricity; it does not make noise at all due to the absence of a fan. And the presence of now rare LPT and COM ports allows you to use this motherboard also in industry. Many machines and other highly specialized equipment are controlled through these interfaces.

Asus H110I-PLUS is one of the most affordable Mini–ITX motherboards compatible with the latest Kaby Lake processors, including the best-selling Pentium G4560 (see the article "Intel Kaby Lake processors: from Celeron to Core i7". A new revision of this motherboard has already begun to go on sale, supporting Kaby Lake, as they say, out of the box. But if you come across an instance of an older revision, you will need to manually update the BIOS firmware.

The theoretical disadvantage of the Intel H110 chipset compared to the new B250 and even the old B150 is the DMI 2.0 bus instead of 3.0. But in fact, through this bus, the chipset interacts not with a fast processor and graphics card, but with significantly slower SATA and PCI-E x1 devices. Therefore, the bandwidth of even the old version of the DMI bus will be enough for most users.

Despite the reduced size of the printed circuit board (some of the electronic components had to be moved to the back side), the Asus H110I-PLUS is a full-featured motherboard with two full-size DDR4-2133 DIMM memory slots and a full-speed slot for a PCI-E 3.0 x16 graphics card. The lack of PCI-E x1 slots for internal expansion cards (improved audio, wireless network, video recording) is partially compensated by numerous USB ports for external devices performing the same functions.

There is no direct replacement for the Intel H110 chipset in the new 200-series, so the B250 became the new junior (in fact, medium-level) chipset. Motherboards based on it are one and a half times more expensive, but in the case of compact PCs, it can really offer useful functions. The key difference is the support of the M interface.2. Moreover, in the case of the MSI B250I PRO motherboard, there are two such slots at once.

The first slot is M.2 will presumably be used for the corresponding compact SSD drive to save space in a cramped Mini-ITX PC case. The second slot is for the Mini–PCI-E Wi-Fi adapter (new ones are rare in stores, but there are plenty of used ones at Internet flea markets). However, the MSI B250I PRO does not have connectors for Wi-Fi antennas, so how to lay them inside the case and bring them out will have to be decided independently. However, you can not fool yourself for a long time, use a ready-made external USB W-Fi dongle, and both slots are M.2 occupy with solid-state drives.

From personal experience, I would like to note the excellent sound of the integrated audio track, traditional even for inexpensive MSI motherboards. Therefore, the B250I PRO is best suited for building a compact PC that acts as a centre for home multimedia entertainment: games, music and movies.

MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC is one of the most functional Mini-ITX motherboards. Thanks to the flagship Z270 chipset and an 8-pin power connector, it supports manual overclocking of the processor and RAM. However, only a 5-phase VRM is unlikely to allow setting overclocking records. Yes, and a tower supercluster (required for extreme acceleration) will not fit on such a compact motherboard.

The advantages of the Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC are not limited to overclocking potential alone. The motherboard has a DisplayPort video output for connecting 4K monitors, and a sound subsystem with seven analogue MiniJack outputs and another digital SPDIF, and, most importantly, a Wi-Fi adapter of the newfangled AC standard (1300 Mbit/s) with two antennas included.

Special attention is paid to the strength and durability of the structure. Chokes and capacitors are selected high-temperature, and the PCI-E x16 slot, like DIMM slots, is reinforced with metal, which is especially important when the graphics card is several times larger and heavier than the motherboard. But due to the high cost, we can only advise avid gamers and computer enthusiasts to buy MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC.

The Mini-STX computer platform is even more compact than the Mini-ITX. In addition to the reduced size of the motherboards (15x15 vs. 17x17 cm), it implies an external power supply and the transfer of the front interface panel directly to the motherboard. Thanks to this, self-assembled PCs are the size of a factory nettop. At the same time, they use not low-frequency laptop, but full-fledged desktop processors.

The range of Mini-STX-mothers in east european retail is not great. Most often available are the Asus H110S1 and Asus H110S2 . The second one is supplemented with another Ethernet port, but it also costs more, so we recommend buying a more affordable first one. Among the features of the H110S1, it is worth noting the laptop memory format SO-DIMM, the complete absence of PCI-E slots and the presence of two M.2 slots, one of which is shortened (not suitable for SSD, but compatible with Wi-Fi). The chipset lacks its own radiator (there simply wasn't enough space for it), but due to its proximity to the processor, it will be blown by its cooler.

In addition to DisplayPort and two HDMI, the Asus H110S1 also has an LVDS video output (a flexible loop like laptops) used in embedded systems. This makes it clear that the main scope of the motherboard is ATMs, payment terminals and other industrial computers. But nothing prevents you from building a miniature home or office PC based on it, unless you can't play it.