The world of computing is full of well-meaning advice that's turned into near-mythology over the decades, as nuanced discussions turn into commandments when removed from the original context. Perhaps you've heard about the "right way" to mount an AIO cooler from someone parroting one orientation devoid of critical thought. That's one of the more recent examples, but every niche of computing has its fair share, including my beloved Mini-ITX motherboards, and the Small Form-Factor builds they go in.

This small niche of computing is having a renaissance moment lately, spurred by the pandemic and small, bespoke PC chassis designers that put their time in social isolation to good use, pushing the SFF hobby forward after many years of virtual disinterest from mainstream computing brands. Which is a shame, because it was created in 2001 as a pared-down demonstration platform to showcase chipsets and processors, and deserves to be thrust into the limelight. And like the stage those lights take their name from, Mini-ITX has a small, but enduring list of myths, falsehoods and other stories oft repeated as if they're truisms.

Mini-ITX means compromising on performance

You can blame years of low-powered edge computing applications for this one sticking

In the early days of M-ITX being used for running industrial sensors and other localized tasks that didn't require hefty compute cycles, who could blame the casual observer for thinking that smaller motherboards were never going to be as powerful as larger form factors? After all, everything in the US is marketed the same way, with (almost) anything larger shown to be superior to those of smaller stature.

Back then, you couldn't get M-ITX motherboards that had VRMs powerful enough to support flagship CPUs like the or Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, not without something blowing up in the process. And if you can't support CPUs at stock settings, you really couldn't use them overclocked, instantly alienating a large percentage of the potential buyers. Nowadays, smaller motherboards have better power delivery, and can handle even the spiciest CPUs without issue, and better airflow and designs have powerful GPUs behaving even in SFF confines. You might want to undervolt your hardware to be sure, but you can get almost to performance parity with ATX builds with relative ease.

SFF PCs have terrible thermals and throttle

The design of both the cases and the components has vastly improved

For PC cooling to work effectively you need a few things to work in harmony, but one of those things is tricky when you're building in a shoebox. That's airflow, which can be tricky enough when using a mid-tower chassis, but gets even trickier when every component tries to block the path of air from one side to the other. Older, earlier SFF chassis used to focus heavily on optimizing how much stuff could be put inside, with cooling an afterthought.

But modern chassis use optimized airflows with well-placed fan mounts to keep air passing over components, and the panels are often made of mesh or CNC'ed for more air transfer to occur. The old meta of hotboxes with no ventilation where components were locked away for extended torture testing is over. The well-designed cases also have more options for air or AIO cooling, and smaller or thinner fans to use where necessary. Plus, with M.2 NVMe being more affordable and available, there are fewer components to put inside SFF cases to begin with, greatly aiding with airflow.

SFF is a niche hobby for masochists

Okay, I don't have a strong retort for this one except to say so was every hobby before it went mainstream

In the early days, SFF builders had to do a lot more work than ATX enjoyers, because cases weren't designed for the smaller PCBs, neither were CPU air coolers or AIO CPU coolers, case fans were too thick, and often simple things like the bolts or screws to fasten components together were also too large. It reminded me of when enthusiasts had started modding larger cases with side panels or cold-cathode tube lighting, and progressing to cobbled-together watercooling systems made out of repurposed aquarium pumps. There was a group of us modding smaller motherboards into anything they would fit in, and others making their own cases. I'm sure some of those early modders ended up getting design jobs at the large case OEMs, but it wasn't just the cases that needed making.

Everything needed adjusting or creating from scratch, whether that was shortening fan and PSU cables so that there was enough empty space inside those tiny boxes for air to flow through. Or hacking down air cooler fin stacks to fit in reduced areas, and in some cases hacking holes in the case to hot rod the CPU cooler out into empty space. And then you had companies like Steiger Dynamics showing everyone what the no-compromise HTPC should look like, with Hi-Fi sensibilities and a reputation for immaculate build quality that's still hard to rival today.

Mini-ITX components are overpriced

PC components have normalized to be around the same price

M-ITX motherboards do still carry a premium price tag, that likely reflects the smaller market share than the components used in their manufacture. That's always been the case, but the gap is shrinking, as M-ITX components haven't really gotten more expensive with inflation while every other PC component has. GPUs, CPUs, even case fans are all at premium prices now, and motherboards are still closer to where they always have been.

You don't even have to settle for less RAM nowadays, because DDR5 has 64GB DIMMS for use, and prices of memory are thankfully still relatively low. But every other peripheral, component, or add-on has either been designed to go in a smaller area anyway, SATA hard drives are rarely seen outside of NAS enclosures, and even fans are dropping their cables in favor of magnetic connectors.

You don't have enough space to make something aesthetically pleasing

Please look at a well-planned SFF build in a boutique chassis and try to say that with a straight face

There are those of us who like a challenge, and then there are those of us that really like a challenge. Spend enough time telling an SFF enjoyer that they can't make something beautiful because there isn't enough space to work in, and they'll go away and start a company like Steiger Dynamics and pump out pristine PCs on demand, for years and years on end.

While I'm looking forward to building my Nanoq S, that's a relatively new case and designed for easy access. Back in the day, every small case was a pain to build in, but you'd never know it from some of the builds Steiger has done. I couldn't find a picture of it but they did a particularly stunning watercooled build in a Fractal Design Node 202 with chrome plated tubing that would have your average car guy weak in the knees. Where there's a will, there's a way, they say, and M-ITX fans can work miracles.

Mini-ITX has a thriving community of PC builders pushing for the next innovation

Every time human ingenuity gets put in a box of artificial constraints, something magical happens. We start seeing solutions to problems we hadn't thought of yet, because that narrowed focus supercharges something in our connection-making abilities. SFF building makes you a better PC builder, but it also makes you better at dealing with life's ups and downs because there's always something to optimize or work around, just like in our imperfect daily lives.