Motherboard form factor determines the compatibility of PC Case and Power Supply Unit.
Form Factors
AT
AT is now obsolete. Was very very large.
It lacked external ports and could only handle a monitor and keyboard
ATX
ATX improves on AT by having:
- All necessary ports built in
- Better PSU placement
- Better CPU and RAM placement
- Shorter wires with better shielding
- Capable of handling 4x the clockspeed
- Soft Power Button
- 2 more power cables
- All support Dual-Channel Good for:
- Desktop computers
Micro ATX
Uses the same connections as the ATX.
Good for:
- Desktop computers
ITX
The standard small form factor(SFF) motherboard.
- Fully compatible with ATX cases.
- Draws little power and produces little heat.
- Best for Home Theater PC
- Best for Embedded Device
Proprietary Form Factors
Certain manufacturers make proprietary motherboard forms called Daughter Boards