What Is an X99 ITX Motherboard?
An X99 ITX motherboard is a Mini-ITX board built on the Intel X99 chipset. It uses an LGA 2011-3 socket and supports Intel Core i7 and Xeon processors. Mini-ITX boards are 170 mm x 170 mm, so they fit small form factor cases where a full ATX board does not.
Key Specifications
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Socket: LGA 2011-3
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Chipset: Intel X99
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Form factor: Mini-ITX (ASRock X99E-ITX/ac, for example, has 6 power phases)
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Memory: dual channel DDR4-3200 or faster
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Expansion: PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 Ultra M.2 Gen3
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Storage: 6 SATA3 ports and 1 SATA Express port
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Networking: Intel dual gigabit LAN with teaming, and 802.11ac WiFi with Bluetooth 4.0 on the ASRock model
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Audio: 7.1 HD audio
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USB: 2 USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports
Form factor is not always the same across X99 boards. Some boards sold as X99 are larger than standard ATX-size boards, such as a 290 mm x 280 mm board that sits between ATX, eATX and SSI EEB. Check board dimensions and mounting holes against the case before you buy.
Use Cases
X99 ITX boards suit compact workstations, small-footprint content creation systems and space-limited builds that need a high-core-count Intel processor. The single PCIe x16 slot leaves little room for multiple add-in cards, so these boards fit systems with one graphics card or a dedicated accelerator.
Comparison with Thinvent Systems
The Thinvent range does not include X99 motherboards or LGA 2011-3 processors. Its Intel-based systems use 11th, 12th and 14th generation Core processors, and its AMD-based system uses a Ryzen 5 7430U. For compact Intel systems with a different platform, the range includes:
| Product | Processor | Memory | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thinvent Industrial PC IPC5 | Intel Core i5-1240P, 12 cores | 16 GB to 32 GB DDR4 | 512 GB to 1 TB SSD |
| Thinvent Aero Mini PC | Intel Core i3-1215U, 6 cores | 8 GB DDR4 | 256 GB SSD |
| Thinvent Aero Mini PC | Intel Core 5 120U, 10 cores | 16 GB DDR4 | 512 GB SSD |
| Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3 | Intel Core i3-1215U, 6 cores | 8 GB DDR4 | 256 GB SSD |
| Thinvent Treo Mini PC | Intel N5095A, 4 cores | 4 GB DDR4 | 128 GB SSD |
Thinvent Products for Compact Computing
Thinvent Mini PCs and Industrial PCs
Thinvent has compact systems in the Industrial PC, Aero Mini PC and Treo Mini PC lines. The Thinvent Industrial PC IPC5 is available with an Intel Core i5-1240P or Core i7-1255U and up to 32 GB DDR4 RAM. The Thinvent Aero Mini PC with Intel Core 5 120U has 10 cores, up to 5.0 GHz, and 16 GB DDR4 RAM. These systems are options for buyers who need compact, high-performance computing without an X99 platform.