Mini-ITX: What is a Mini-ITX Motherboard?

Mini-ITX Motherboard format was specified by VIA in 2002 as a vehicle to promote their C3 CPU and chipsets. Since then many manufacturers worldwide have produced Mini-ITX form factor motherboards with almost any CPU imaginable. Commell have been at the forefront of advanced Mini-ITX motherboard developments being the first to announce the availability of the CPUs.

Mini-ITX is a specification for a motherboard measuring 170x170mm with a conventional I/O shield as used on larger scale motherboards. The layout on-board varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but most boards have a PCI slot in a standard location or laterly a PCIe slot and on many motherboards one or two MINI-PCI or Mini-PCIx slots. Mini-ITX motherboard power supplies range from standard on-board ATX connectors to rear panel DC connector jacks.

Commell have been pioneers in Mini-ITX implementations using CPUs from manufacturers such as VIA, AMD, and Intel and can typically be relied upon to be first to introduce new CPUs as they become available. Some of the latest motherboards such as the Whiskey Lake and Skylake CPUs are keeping this format right up to date, with the latest technology. BVM has a long standing relationship with Commell as its official UK distributor and has been instrumental in establishing Commell within the UK. BVM stock a broad range of Commell Mini-ITX motherboards in UK and can supply Mini-ITX with Windows Embedded installed.

How to choose the right Mini-ITX motherboard.

In selecting a suitable Embedded Mini-ITX motherboard for embedded applications there are a number of steps. First is a consideration of the raw CPU performance required followed by the on-board functionalaity. Following this must be a consideration of power supply, system heat specification and power consumption. In many ranges there are now two discrete lines of development, the mobile devices and desktop families of CPU and chipset. The mobile devices typical have much lower power demands but may fall behind the desktop CPUs in terms of sheer instruction performance.

A number of Mini-ITX chassis and enclosures are available for Mini-ITX motherboards incorporating PSU and disc drives. Care needs to be taken in selecting a suitable enclosure that takes into account the requirements of the Mini-ITX module of choice. For instance many of the later motherboards include Compact Flash or memory sockets on the reverse of the module. This is fine if a custom enclosure is being used but can cause mechanical problems with some of the earlier chassis. Similarly the modern motherboards with high performance CPUs produce much more heat that the slower simpler ones using low power chips.

Here’s a small selection of our Mini-ITX Motherboards…

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At BVM, we don’t just supply products, we deliver comprehensive computing solutions tailored to suit your unique requirements. With over 30 years of expertise in the industry, our dedicated sales team is ready to help you through select the perfect rugged, industrial or embedded hardware for your next project.

We supply a wide and diverse range of Industrial and Embedded Systems. From Industrial Motherboards, SBCs and Box PCs, to Rack Mount computers and Industrial Panel PCs. If you can’t find an off-the-shelf solution that fits, our in-house design team is at your service to craft a customized solution that exceeds your expectations.

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