Yanyuetech as a provider of Industrial PCs, I have found that ATX Motherboards and Single Board Computers (SBC) have some distinct differences that Industrial Computer System users should be aware of prior to making a purchase.  With variables such as peripherals, I/O, ease of access and form factor to keep in mind, it is important to be well-informed about which type of computer is best suited for your system requirements.

There are other times when a Single Board Computer is the go-to option. An SBC provides the user with access of up to 20Single Board Computer I/O slots, allowing them to configure their system with a predetermined amount of ISA, PCI, PCIe and PCI-X slots. Customers looking for ISA slots are also better off with an SBC since most ATX Motherboards containing ISA slots have been discontinued. When you are in a space crunch, SBCs are great with desktop, wall mount and “shoebox” chassis, allowing for a smaller form factor solution.

To summarize, ATX Motherboards and SBCs provide the following for Industrial PCs:

ATX Motherboards:

Economical

Contain fewer I/O slots

Ease of access

More room for air flow

Single Board Computers:

Larger amount of I/O slots

Access to Legacy ISA slots

Desktop, Wall Mount and “Shoebox” chassis

PICMG 1.0 and PICMG 1.3 compatibility