When to build mini ITX?

[NickJames]

So I plan on finally putting together my Ncase build but I had a question that some of you mITX vets could answer.

I know manufacturers tend to announce ATX and EATX boards alongside new sockets to have available for launch. So if I were to adopt to say next gen AMD or Intel, about how long after launch can we expect mITX boards to show up? I remember waiting almost 6 months for ASUS to put out their first mATX board for socket 1155, is it about the same for mITX?

 

[Boil]

LGA 1151 is the latest socket from Intel, plenty of mITX boards out for that already. Should see Kaby Lake-S CPUs late 2016/early 2017, but those still use the LGA 1151 socket & are supposed to be compatible with current LGA 1151 MBs. Same timeframe should also bring the 200-series chipset, motherboards with said chipset will still use the LGA 1151 socket…

So, go for current Skylake MBs now, or wait until next year sometime for LGA 1151 socket / 200-series chipset MBs…

This is also on the horizon, Intel's 3D XPoint Memory Performance Tested, Up to 8X Performance Increase Over Conventional SSDs - To Be Featured on Optane SSDs and Optane DIMMs, which, in combination with Kaby Lake & the 200-series chipset, should make for a scary rig…!

But by the time all the above is mainstream, there will most likely be 'the next great thing' right around the corner…!

Like all things tech related, buy now to suit your needs; waiting for the next big update is an endless cycle…

 

[QuiteSufficient]

I don't recall any significant delay between regular Skylake and ITX Skylake. It seems like the ITX boards are usually "look what we can do" showcases around launch time.

Also -

I've been running a Maximus Impact ITX board in a full ATX case for the last couple months, just because I was waiting to see if the NCASE came down in price.

I ended up going with the new Fractal ITX case.

I installed the same board, a 6700k with a good air cooler, my Strix 980TI, 2 fans in the front, and 1 in the rear.

Within a couple nights of gaming the 980ti - bouncing off its 84C throttle limit the whole time in the ITX case - cooked the motherboard. The sides of the case also felt like dinner plates that had been heated in the oven.

The lesson I learned from this is I wouldn't go NCASE or any big gpu ITX build without full water, which can add considerably to the cost of the build. My CPU did fine in ITX, maybe 5C hotter than in the ATX case on average, but the GPU did not like it at all.

 

[NickJames]

LGA 1151 is the latest socket from Intel, plenty of mITX boards out for that already. Should see Kaby Lake-S CPUs late 2016/early 2017, but those still use the LGA 1151 socket & are supposed to be compatible with current LGA 1151 MBs. Same timeframe should also bring the 200-series chipset, motherboards with said chipset will still use the LGA 1151 socket…

So, go for current Skylake MBs now, or wait until next year sometime for LGA 1151 socket / 200-series chipset MBs…

This is also on the horizon, Intel's 3D XPoint Memory Performance Tested, Up to 8X Performance Increase Over Conventional SSDs - To Be Featured on Optane SSDs and Optane DIMMs, which, in combination with Kaby Lake & the 200-series chipset, should make for a scary rig…!

But by the time all the above is mainstream, there will most likely be 'the next great thing' right around the corner…!

Like all things tech related, buy now to suit your needs; waiting for the next big update is an endless cycle…

Haven't really gotten the upgrade bug yet, I feel like just holding out a bit longer. Kaby Lake looks like it'll be the one I switch to unless AMD's Zen is everything its hyped up to be. Definitely not in a rush to build, just curious as to the timeline correlation between a new socket/arc being released and the motherboard that support it.

I don't recall any significant delay between regular Skylake and ITX Skylake. It seems like the ITX boards are usually "look what we can do" showcases around launch time.

Also -

I've been running a Maximus Impact ITX board in a full ATX case for the last couple months, just because I was waiting to see if the NCASE came down in price.

I ended up going with the new Fractal ITX case.

I installed the same board, a 6700k with a good air cooler, my Strix 980TI, 2 fans in the front, and 1 in the rear.

Within a couple nights of gaming the 980ti - bouncing off its 84C throttle limit the whole time in the ITX case - cooked the motherboard. The sides of the case also felt like dinner plates that had been heated in the oven.

The lesson I learned from this is I wouldn't go NCASE or any big gpu ITX build without full water, which can add considerably to the cost of the build. My CPU did fine in ITX, maybe 5C hotter than in the ATX case on average, but the GPU did not like it at all.

That bad? I got a reference style blower 980ti that I was hoping would do fine stock.