[Discuss] smallest board that can handle 32 GB RAM

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

32 GB is probably still overkill for a desktop, but after suffering with
a machine that's been on the low side, I'm pondering going to the other
extreme for my next build. I'm looking to build something that is small
form factor (SFF) and uses a motherboard that adheres to one of the
standard form factors[1] .

Intel's NUC[2] platform is definitely small (4" x 4"), but goes to more
of an extreme than I need. (It also maxes out at 16 GB and doesn't
support an i7. And NUC is far from being a standard. A Gigabyte BRIX is
similar, but incompatible.)

Mini-ITX would be a good form factor, but a quick browse didn't turn up
any boards that could handle more than two {SO}DIMMS or more than 16 GB.
Given this, it would seem pointless to look at Nano- or Pico-ITX.

It seems that MicroATX might be the smallest standard form factor that
has options supporting 4 DIMMs and 32 GB. (FlexATX is a bit smaller, but
I haven't checked to see if anyone still makes FlexATX boards.)

Has anyone seen a Mini-ITX board that handles 4 DIMMS?

 -Tom

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_form_factor
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Unit_of_Computing

-- 
Tom Metro
The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA
"Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting."
http://www.theperlshop.com/