Best Mini ITX Motherboards: Complete Reviews With Comparisons
Are you looking for something that doesn’t take up so much space while still integrating the best components?
If you’re building a mini PC, you don’t have to sacrifice performance capabilities.
The best mini ITX motherboard will allow smaller PC builds and enable the attachments of high-quality graphics, memory, and storage devices.
Our list includes five top-tier AM4 socket products from four of the biggest motherboard manufacturers.
Comparison Chart
Mini ITX Motherboard Reviews
1. Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming
The Strix B550-I Gaming is one of the best small form factor boards from the Asus ROG product line.
It carries the B550 chipset, which means the board can accommodate many of the latest 4th Generation Ryzen processors.
This board integrates the most up-to-date PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth.
Review
The Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming motherboard performs well out of the box, a typical characteristic of Asus ROG boards.
Its performance is solid and consistent, which means you won’t have any problems with compatibility and stability.
Load-line calibration settings are quite awkward, but the board overclocks pretty well.
This board could have been better if all the fan headers consistently used two-ampere current ratings for splitters.
Fortunately, the fan control interface functions as intended.
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- Memory Slots
The Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming board has two DDR4 DIMM slots capable of holding a maximum memory capacity of 64GB.
Overclocking speeds can go as high as 5100MHz, depending on the paired CPU.
- Expansion Options
This board has a single PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion socket, which also works well with PCIe 3.0 devices.
Unfortunately, you can’t use multi-graphics technologies with most mini ITX motherboards because of the single x16 slot.
- Storage Interface
The B550-I Gaming has four SATA 6Gbps slots and two M.2 slots for storage devices.
You can use RAID 0, 1, and 10 with the four SATA slots. Both M.2 slots work well with PCIe 4.0 and SATA devices.
- Back Panel Ports
The ports on the rear panel include one USB 2.0 and four USB 3.2 Gen2. One of the USB 3.2 Gen2 ports is a Type-C.
Network connectivity ports include an Intel I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet and an Asus Wi-Fi module.
For audio, the board has three LED-illuminated audio jacks and a single Audio Type-C port.
Finally, a DisplayPort and an HDMI port comprise the built-in display connectors.
- Internal Connections
Since the board is relatively small, it only has a CPU fan header, an AIO_PUMP connector, and a single chassis fan header.
Coupled with its VRMs, these cooling connectors should be adequate.
You can improve lighting aesthetics using the built-in Aura RGB strip header and the addressable Gen2 header.
Other inclusions are a Clear CMOS jumper, a speaker connector, and a thermal sensor connector.
PROS
CONS
2. MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi
MSI also uses the B550 chipset for its mini-ITX offerings, and one of them is the MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi board.
With it, you can assemble a sleek, small, custom PC while focusing on gaming components.
Then, you can pair it with any of the 3000 to 5000 Series Ryzen processors.
Like the ROG Strix B550-I Gaming, this board features the latest PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi6.
Review
If you are more into MSI than Asus, the MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is a viable solution.
It is a few bucks more expensive than the B550-I Gaming, which has better VRMs.
Nevertheless, you can’t deny that it is a feature-rich board.
With the latest BIOS release, it can support the all-new Ryzen 5000 Series processors.
Although it isn’t the cheapest mini ITX motherboard, it fares well for gaming and PC-building enthusiasts.
It brings the utility of standard-sized ATX motherboards in a smaller package.
- Memory Slots
The maximum memory capacity of the MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is also 65GB.
It has two DDR4 memory slots supporting overclocked speeds up to 4600MHz.
- Expansion Options
The single PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slot also shares functionality with PCIe 3.0 devices.
- Storage Interface
If you look at the storage interface, you will find four SATA 6Gbps ports and two M.2 Key-M slots. Both M.2 slots run PCIe 3.0 on x4 mode.
Moreover, the first M.2 slot works with PCIe 4.0 and SATA 6Gbps devices.
- Back Panel Ports
The rear panel I/O on the MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is more comprehensive than on the Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming.
It has two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports.
One of the USB 3.2 Gen2 ports is a Type-C, and one of the USB 2.0 ports doubles as a Flash BIOS connector.
Additionally, the board has five audio jacks, an S/PDIF Out port, and a Flash BIOS button.
Network connectors include a dual-antenna Wi-Fi module and an Ethernet LAN port.
The only downside of this board is the HDMI, which is its lone display output connector.
It won’t be a problem if you plan to use a single display device.
- Internal Connections
The internal cooling connectors include a CPU fan connector, a water pump header, and a system fan header.
Moreover, you can route three more USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports to the front panel through internal USB headers.
While the board does not have any built-in aesthetic LEDs, it has a single RAINBOW LED connector.
You can play around with the MSI Mystic Lights app for fully customized RGB lighting.
Other internal headers include a Clear CMOS jumper and a front panel audio connector.
PROS
CONS
3. Gigabyte A520I AC
The A520I AC is another mini ITX motherboard offering from Gigabyte.
It uses the A520 chipset, which provides a trusted, streamlined platform for everyday performance and connectivity.
For starters, it has a Realtek GbE LAN chip and supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2.
This motherboard is compatible with any of the 3rd Generation Ryzen 5000 Series processors.
Review
For many entry-level small PC builders, the cost of B550-based boards can be off-putting.
As such, we are giving you the Gigabyte A520I AC as a more affordable option.
It is cheaper than any of the other alternatives, and it features Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable components.
The digital VRM solution on this board is a direct, six-phase power delivery system capable of powering even the top-notch Ryzen 9 5950x CPU.
- Memory Slots
Each of the two DDR4 DIMM sockets has a capacity of 32GB, putting the max RAM size of the board at 64GB.
The memory overclocking capacity of the A520I AC matches that of the Strix B550-I at 5100MHz.
If you choose a 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen CPU with Radeon Graphics, you might even be able to overclock it up to 5300MHz.
Of course, overclocking results will depend on the type of memory modules you have.
- Expansion Options
One drawback of the Gigabyte A520I AC is its PCIe 3.0 x16 expansion slot.
Many alternatives already have PCIe 4.0, but it is relatively new, and most GPUs still don’t support it.
- Storage Interface
The A520 chipset enables the A520I AC motherboard to have four SATA 6Gbps storage connectors that support RAID 0,1, and 10.
Unfortunately, the board only has a single M.2 connector that supports SATA and PCIe 3.0 devices.
- Back Panel Ports
The Gigabyte A520I AC is more generous with display output, as it has a DVI-D port and two HDMI ports.
Six USB connectors include four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports.
Other rear panel features include a Q-Flash Plus button, an Ethernet port, two SMA antenna connectors for Wi-Fi, and three audio jacks.
- Internal Connections
The board has enough internal connectors for a CPU fan and two system fans.
However, it doesn’t offer any connections for water cooling.
You can also go crazy with RGB lighting using the built-in RGB LED and addressable LED headers.
Other internal features include a speaker header, a TPM header, a serial port header, and a Clear CMOS jumper.
PROS
CONS
4. ASRock B550M-ITX/ac
The ASRock B550M-ITX/ac is the third B550 motherboard we have on this list.
It is slightly more expensive than the Gigabyte A520I AC, but it costs only about half as much as the other B550 options here.
Review
We’re glad to offer this board because it is a lower-cost alternative.
The problem is, it cuts back on so many features available on most B550 motherboards.
Unless you are putting a Ryzen 3900X or higher, or you need Wi-Fi 6 or two M.2 slots, the ASRock B550M-ITX/ac is pretty much a solid choice.
- Memory Slots
The ASRock B550M-ITX/ac can hold a total of 64GB of system RAM using its two DDR4 DIMM slots.
If you pair it with a Renoir APU, you can overclock the memory speeds up to 4733MHz.
- Expansion Options
Although the ASRock B550M-ITX/ac is a budget board, it features the latest PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slot.
It also has a vertical M.2 Key E socket for the bundled Wi-Fi 802.11ac wireless module.
- Storage Interface
ASRock also packs the B550M-ITX/ac with four SATA 6Gbps ports.
However, like the Gigabyte A520I AC, this board has only one M.2 slot for SATA or PCIe storage devices.
- Back Panel Ports
The rear panel I/O has a PS/2 combo port, two USB 2.0, three USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C.
Communications ports include two Wi-Fi antenna connectors and a LED-illuminated LAN port.
The board has an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, and three audio jacks.
- Internal Connections
You can have four additional USB ports using the two internal USB headers.
Three fan connectors allow a CPU fan, a water pump, and a chassis fan.
Lastly, ASRock does not hold back on RGB aesthetics by incorporating an RGB header and an addressable LED header.
PROS
CONS
5. Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
Now that we’ve discussed products from the top four manufacturers, we can pick one more from the top one.
Asus offers the ROG Strix X570-I Gaming motherboard, which uses a chipset slightly better than the B550 in several ways.
Although they use a relatively older chipset than the B550, X570 motherboards offer better overall features, connectivity, and flexibility.
Furthermore, they have a broader range of compatible CPUs, starting from the Ryzen 2000 Series up to the 5000 Series.
Review
Asus has a long-standing reputation for creating the best motherboards.
The ROG Strix X570-I Gaming motherboard features the latest Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and Intel I211-AT LAN module.
However, the best Asus products tend to break the bank more than comparable boards from other brands.
The Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming is no exception, and it is the most expensive option on this shortlist.
However, if you enjoyed an X470 motherboard and would like to test the latest PCIe 4.0 GPUs, the ROG Strix X570-I can be a bust.
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- Memory Slots
The maximum RAM capacity of the ROG Strix X570-I is 64GB. It has two DDR4 DIMM slots, each capable of holding a 32GB module.
The fastest recorded memory overclocking speeds have reached 5100MHz. You can accomplish the same with the right processor.
- Expansion Options
The single expansion slot is a PCIe 4.0 x16 socket that can also run PCIe 3.0 devices.
- Storage Interface
The storage interface on the ROG Strix X570-I incorporates four SATA 6Gbps ports and two M.2 sockets.
Both M.2 sockets allow SATA and PCIe devices, but the first M.2 socket only allows PCIe 4.0 connections.
- Back Panel Ports
Asus takes on a more modern approach by removing PS/2 and USB 2.0 ports from the ROG Strix X570-I board.
Instead, it capitalizes more on high-speed USBs, including four USB 3.2 Gen1 and four USB 3.2 Gen2.
One of the USB 3.2 Gen2 ports is a Type-C.
Display connectors include an HDMI and a DisplayPort, while network connectors comprise an Asus Wi-Fi module and an anti-surge LAN port.
The high-end SupremeFX audio component has three LED-illuminated jacks.
- Internal Connections
The ROG Strix X570-I has very comprehensive internal connectors for cooling devices.
It allows a PCH fan, an HS fan, a CPU fan, a water pump, and a chassis fan.
In addition to the built-in RGB lighting, the board also offers an Aura RGB header and an addressable Gen2 header.
Extra internal ports include a speaker connector, a thermal sensor connector, and a Clear CMOS jumper.
PROS
CONS
FINAL VERDICT
After dissecting all the features, we think the top mini ITX motherboard is the Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming.
It offers the best value for your money, even if it is the option with the highest price.
Go for the MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi motherboard if you need a more affordable solution.
Unfortunately, our offerings in this segment cater only to those wanting to use AMD processors.
If you plan to build an Intel-based platform, you will need a board with an LGA1150 socket or later.
For high-end Intel-based desktops, choose from any of the X299 motherboards.
