Running Linux on the Mini-ITX

The Mini-ITX form factor was an idea with great promise. A very small motherboard for all-in-one computers with low power envelope. What can be better than that in a world where even a mobile phone can nowdays run a word processor. However, the rather promising idea did not last long. The biggest failing of the Mini-ITX form factor was that it was not accompanied by an appropriate thermal design.

Even ATX had some rudimentary thermal design. BTX is mostly thermal design and very little of anything else on top of ATX. For mini-ITX to be successful its thermal design should have been as detailed and thorough as the BTX one. Mini-ITX motherboards operate in cramped cases where pre-calculated and standardised airflow is the only way to have sensible cooling.

This is where Via failed and Intel, Asus and the rest of the Atom-me-too crowd happily followed. The few exemptions like POV ION only prove the rules.

As a result the mini-ITX cases have all kinds of "wonderful" airflows which usually result in them being too noisy for their main duty - the small living room PC for everyone. It takes at least 70-80£ to get a sensible mini-ITX case with low noise levels. Usually more. There are notable exemptions like the HP thin clients but they are few and far between.

-- AntonIvanov? - 06 Dec 2008