This blog was originally published on August 29, 2022, and has been updated to reflect the latest product and certification information.

Update date: October 8, 2026

What is form factor?  

In computing, form factor defines the physical dimensions, layout, mounting points, and mechanical design of a hardware component, determining how it fits and integrates within a system.

For motherboards, form factor also shapes expansion capability, I/O density, thermal design, enclosure compatibility, and scalability. Choosing the right form factor is therefore a key system design decision, especially in industrial and embedded applications where space, connectivity, and deployment requirements must be carefully balanced.

What is Motherboard?

A motherboard is the primary circuit board that connects and coordinates a system’s processor, memory, storage, expansion devices, networking, and peripheral I/O.

Beyond connectivity, it defines key capabilities such as CPU support, memory capacity, PCIe expansion, storage, networking, display outputs, power delivery, and hardware management. In industrial computing, the motherboard also influences system longevity, serviceability, environmental compatibility, and future scalability.

Different types and sizes of motherboards

Motherboards come in various types and sizes, catering to different needs and specifications of computer systems. The most common types are:

ATX 

ATX measures approximately 305 × 244 mm (12 × 9.6 inches) and offers the greatest expansion flexibility among mainstream motherboard form factors. Its larger board area supports multiple PCIe slots, greater memory and storage capacity, and extensive I/O, making it well suited for industrial workstations, machine vision systems, edge AI platforms, automation systems, and other compute-intensive applications.

Advantages

• Maximum expansion and scalability
  
• Multiple PCIe slots for GPUs, NICs, and accelerators
  
• Greater memory and storage capacity
  
• Broad chassis and component compatibility

Considerations

• Requires a larger enclosure
  
• May provide more expansion than needed for compact systems
  
• Less suitable where space is a primary constraint
  

Micro-ATX  

Micro-ATX measures up to approximately 244 × 244 mm (9.6 × 9.6 inches) and provides a smaller footprint than ATX while retaining substantial expansion capability. With support for multiple expansion slots and balanced memory, storage, and I/O, it is commonly used in industrial automation, machine control, vision inspection, edge computing, and mid-size industrial systems.

Advantages

• Smaller footprint than ATX
  
• Supports multiple expansion slots
  
• Balanced memory, storage, and I/O capabilities
  
• Suitable for mid-size industrial systems

Considerations

• Fewer expansion slots than ATX
  
• More limited board space for onboard interfaces
  
• Still larger than many embedded platforms
  

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Mini-ITX

Mini-ITX measures approximately 170 × 170 mm (6.7 × 6.7 inches) and is designed for compact systems where space efficiency is a priority. It typically combines a single PCIe expansion slot with high-density onboard I/O and M.2 connectivity, making it suitable for industrial edge computers, kiosks, digital signage, IoT gateways, transportation systems, and compact machine controllers.

Advantages

• Compact design for space-constrained systems
• High-density onboard I/O and M.2 connectivity
• Supports modern processors and PCIe expansion
• Suitable for embedded systems, kiosks, and IoT gateways

Considerations

• Typically limited to one PCIe expansion slot
• Less space for onboard I/O and storage
• Compact enclosures require careful thermal design
  

Single Board Computers for Embedded Applications

Single board computers, or SBCs, integrate core computing functions onto a compact board and are widely used in industrial and embedded systems.
Compared with conventional motherboard formats, SBCs typically prioritize compact integration, onboard I/O, embedded connectivity, and application-specific expansion.

Nano-ITX

Nano-ITX measures approximately 120 × 120 mm and was developed for compact embedded systems requiring a smaller footprint than Mini-ITX.
Although less widely adopted than Mini-ITX, it remains an option for specialized systems that require integrated computing and connectivity in limited space.

3.5” Single Board Computer

A typical 3.5-inch SBC measures approximately 146 × 102 mm (5.75 × 4 inches) and combines a compact footprint with rich industrial I/O and onboard expansion. With flexible processor, memory, storage, networking, and display options, it is widely used in industrial automation, HMI, robotics, kiosks, transportation, machine control, and IoT gateway applications.

Advantages

• Flexible Intel and AMD x86 processor support
  
• Rich industrial I/O and onboard expansion
  
• Flexible memory, storage, networking, and display options
  
• Suitable for performance-focused embedded systems

Considerations

• Less expansion than Mini-ITX or larger motherboards
• Dense layouts require careful thermal and mechanical design
  
• I/O capabilities vary by board design

2.5” PICO-ITX Single Board Computer

The 2.5” PICO-ITX further reduces board size while maintaining essential compute, I/O, and expansion capabilities. These platforms often combine low-power x86 SoC processing with onboard connectivity, making them well suited for compact IoT gateways, industrial controllers, smart retail devices, embedded OEM systems, and other space-constrained applications.

Advantages

• Compact integration for devices with limited enclosure space
  
• Low-power x86 SoC processing
  
• Onboard I/O and expansion for embedded connectivity
  
• Suitable for IoT gateways, controllers, and OEM devices

Considerations

• More limited expansion than 3.5-inch SBCs
• Reduced board area can limit physical connectors and I/O
  
• Thermal and mechanical design become increasingly important

1.8” FEMTO-ITX Single Board Computer

The 1.8-inch SBC provides an ultra-compact footprint, with some implementations measuring approximately 84 × 55 mm. Despite its size, it can support onboard storage, embedded expansion, networking, and multiple displays, making it suitable for ultra-compact IoT devices, smart controllers, embedded display systems, portable industrial equipment, and specialized OEM products.

Advantages

• Ultra-compact footprint
  
• Onboard storage and compact expansion interfaces
• Supports multiple display and connectivity options
  
• Suitable for highly integrated embedded devices

Considerations

• Limited physical space for expansion and connectors
• Requires careful power, thermal, and cable management
• Best suited for applications where minimizing size is a priority
  

What are Industrial Motherboards and How are they Different?   

Industrial motherboards are designed for long-term, reliable operation in commercial and industrial systems, where requirements often go beyond those of standard consumer PC platforms. Depending on the application, they may need to support extended operating temperatures, continuous operation, long product lifecycles, specialized I/O, stable component availability, and greater resistance to shock, vibration, or environmental exposure.

Unlike consumer motherboards, which are typically optimized for general-purpose computing and shorter product cycles, industrial motherboards place greater emphasis on reliability, integration flexibility, lifecycle support, and application-specific connectivity.

Industrial platforms are available across multiple form factors, from ATX and Mini-ITX to compact 3.5-inch, 2.5-inch, and 1.8-inch SBCs. Smaller formats are particularly useful in applications such as industrial automation, transportation, digital signage, medical equipment, kiosks, robotics, and IoT gateways, where installation space and integration requirements are more constrained.

Key characteristics of industrial motherboards include:

Compact Integration

Smaller board formats enable computing, storage, networking, display, and I/O capabilities to be integrated into space-constrained systems.

Lifecycle Support

Industrial platforms are often designed around longer product availability and controlled component changes to support long-term deployments.

Application-Specific I/O

Interfaces such as serial ports, GPIO, CAN, multiple Ethernet ports, M.2, and other embedded connectivity options can support direct integration with industrial equipment.

Environmental Reliability

Selected industrial boards may support extended temperature ranges, shock and vibration resistance, or other rugged features depending on the target environment.

Power and Thermal Optimization

Many embedded platforms are designed to balance compute performance with power consumption and thermal requirements, including fanless system integration where appropriate.

Premio’s Line of Industrial PCs, Motherboards, and SBCs 

From ATX to 1.8-inch Femto-ITX, Premio offers a diverse portfolio of reliable industrial motherboards and SBCs designed to meet a wide range of embedded system requirements. With flexible processor options, industrial I/O, scalable expansion, and customization support, Premio helps system integrators and OEMs select the right platform for performance, connectivity, and deployment needs.

From board-level computing to fully integrated systems, Premio supports embedded deployments across a wide range of performance and environmental requirements. Our portfolio of industrial and rugged edge computers includes compact fanless systems, IoT gateways, and high-performance edge platforms engineered for reliable operation in demanding environments.

Explore Our Industrial Motherboards and Single Board Computers>>

Why Premio? 

Premio is focused on providing reliability and flexibility to our embedded systems, industrial motherboards, and SBCs that OEM designers can integrate into their overall system. Our products are built rugged and built ready through thorough testing and validation in their performance and reliability against harsh environments.  

Premio has positioned itself to provide scalable manufacturing with our state-of-the-art facility in Los Angeles, CA and strategic locations in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Germany. Our goal is to provide localized support, rapid time-to-market, and complete manufacturing transparency for our core products in Embedded IoT Computers, Rugged Edge Computers, HMI Displays and HPC Storage Servers.