Mini-STX: A new form factor

[iFreilicht]

It is going to be dependent how well it sells vs. the NUC devices already out. If it gains steam fast, I could definitely see possible big leaps in RnD for MxM Desktop cards. If PCI-E is implemented on the backside as Aircookie stated, this could be the future for the desktop market. Of course, there will still be a market for DIY PC builders that want to OC and water-cool. I am still not quite sold on M.2 PCI-E SSDs as the temps they run at makes me wary of their long-term use/reliability.

I think MXM will be most successful for cards with power at around 75W, maybe a bit higher, especially because of the cooling challenges, but with that, mSTX could become an awesome form factor. What you can currently only do in an L2 with ITX and an LP 750Ti would be possible in 2/3rds if not half the size with mSTX and an MXM card on the back.

We'll see about the longevity of M.2 PCIe SSDs, but I feel like they will become more efficient in the future. Right now, you just have to put small VRM heatsinks on them to solve that problem.