Ok, time to get off our butts and make the mobo manufacturers hear us. 

Gamers have had their way for so long in dictating what features get offered on PC mobo's, it's about time that musicians and producers and studio folk using PC DAWs got a say too.  

All it might take is for one mobo maker to see a profit potential in catering to the DAW user, get some input and feedback on a DAW-oriented design, and come out with a DAW-oriented mobo endorsed or recommended by some famous names, like a Grammy winner or two, and we might finally see mobo's being offered by several makers which are more suited to our specific  requirements. And maybe the laptop/notebook makers (many of whom, in OEM/OED guise are also the very same mobo makers anyway) will catch on as well and start offering portable models catering to DAW usage too.

So, this post is to start a discussion on what those "specific requirements" of a DAW-oriented motherboard are. 

For example, just to get things started, these are some features I would like to see in a DAW mobo:

a low-noise amenable design (no noisy chipset fans!) with a layout suitable for low noise cooling when in both a vertical tower orientation and a horizontal rackmount/desktop orientation;

onboard Toslink optical (ADAT-S/PDIF) I/O (not just an S/PDIF output)

onboard Firewire 800 (preferably on TI PCIe controller)

onboard MIDI I/O (remember the Atari 1040ST?)

the ability to disable any onboard audio features easily and effectively.

the ability to tweak/adjust/disable any features which can affect DAW performance.


Alright then, what say you?

Goddard

the ability to disable any onboard audio features easily and effectively.

...or better still no onboard audio at all.  Leave it off to make room for other stuff.

Obviously T.I. F/W chipset.  Otherwise, just marketing the motherboard as a "DAW" system.  The high end motherboards are really pretty good for a DAW system even though they are not marketed at the recording industry.   My new system is quiet and except for not having a T.I. F/W chipset that is the only knock on it (and its not a problem with me as I've abandoned the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 I was using in favor of a USB connected unit (a Roland Octa-Capture)).

Vendors have to design and market their products for what gets them the most sales.  Its the same way with Pedal Steel Guitar products.  There is a small number of vendors that market products aimed at Pedal Steel Guitar players (e.g. the Hilton Volume Pedals or the Goodrich line of products) but mainstream vendors only market their products for 6 string guitar players.  e.g. The  POD XT/X3/HD is popular with Pedal Steel Guitar players, although we have to design our own "Tones", but nothing in their web site or marketing ads even mention Pedal Steel Guitar.  Peavey is the only major amp manufacturer that currently has a Pedal Steel Guitar amplifier (the Nashville 112). 

No blocked PCIe slots! I've got a motherboard with one PCIe slot that is blocked by a chipset cooler so I can't actually put a card in it. And I've got another PCIe slot that is blocked by my "passive" video card cooler. I suppose it's my own fault for buying those items, but what kind of boneheaded design is that?

I kinda like onboard audio, but it needs to have much better driver support than I've seen for onboard. Onboard MIDI would be useful. TI Firewire would be great, I've still got Firewire devices that I'd like to use.

SCorey

No blocked PCIe slots! I've got a motherboard with one PCIe slot that is blocked by a chipset cooler so I can't actually put a card in it. And I've got another PCIe slot that is blocked by my "passive" video card cooler. I suppose it's my own fault for buying those items, but what kind of boneheaded design is that?

Gigabyte's design presumably.  They also assume that you won't be using the slot immediately below a "video" slot, so they make it share bandwidth.

You don't need to wish for it...ASUS like "Deluxe socket 2011" are already available for sale.
 
 
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Intel_X79
 

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_DELUXE/
 
P9X79 DELUXE

All-New Digital Power Control for both CPU and DRAM: Absolute Performance on Intel X79 Platform

 

• Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with New DIGI+ Power Control
• Support for up to 64GB of system memory with an 8-DIMM design
• ASUS SSD Caching - 3X faster performance at a click
• UEFI BIOS - Full-scale performance tuning with easy BIOS Interface
• BT GO 3.0! (Bluetooth) - Diverse Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Enjoyment, a New Technology Lifestyle
• 3-Way SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support!
• USB BIOS Flashback - Easy, worry-free USB BIOS Flashback
• Windows 8 Ready – Assured Compatibility

 
 
 
Check the Specifications CPU Intel® Socket 2011 for 2^nd Generation Core™ i7 Processors
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2
* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list Chipset Intel® X79 Memory 8 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR3 2400(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Quad Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
* Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists). Multi-GPU Support Supports NVIDIA® 3-Way SLI™ Technology
Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology Expansion Slots 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16, x8, x8) *¹
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x8 mode) *¹
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 Storage Intel® X79 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), white
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), blue
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Marvell® PCIe 9128 controller :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), white
ASMedia® ASM1061 controller :
2 x Power eSATA 6Gb/s port(s), green LAN Realtek® 8111E , 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
Intel® 82579V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
Dual Gigabit LAN controllers- 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) appliance Wireless Data Network Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth Bluetooth V3.0+HS
ASUS BT GO! Utility Audio Realtek® ALC898 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
Audio Feature :
- Absolute Pitch 192kHz/ 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound
- Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection
- DTS Ultra PC II
- DTS Connect
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel USB Ports ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : *²
8 x USB 3.0 port(s) (6 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)
Intel® X79 chipset :
12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black+white, 8 at mid-board) Special Features ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with New DIGI+ Power Control :
ASUS TPU :
- Auto Tuning
- TurboV
- TPU switch
ASUS EPU :
- EPU
- EPU switch
ASUS Digital Power Design :
- Industry leading Digital 16 + 4 Phase CPU Power Design
- Industry leading Digital 2 + 2 Phase DRAM Power Design
- CPU Power Utility
- DRAM Power Utility
ASUS BT GO! :
- Folder Sync
- BT Transfer
- Shot & Send
- BT to Net
- Music Player
- Personal Manager
ASUS BT Turbo Remote :
- Exclusive Smartphone Interface supporting iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, and Symbian systems
ASUS Exclusive Features :
- MemOK!
- AI Suite II
- Ai Charger
- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
- ASUS SSD Caching
- USB 3.0 Boost
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
- Stylish Fanless Design Heat-pipe solution
- ASUS Fan Xpert+
ASUS EZ DIY :
- USB BIOS Flashback
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
- ASUS MyLogo 2
- Multi-language BIOS
ASUS Q-Design :
- ASUS Q-Code
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMM
- ASUS Q-Connector Back I/O Ports 1 x Bluetooth module(s)
2 x Power eSATA 6Gb/s
2 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
6 x USB 3.0
4 x USB 2.0 (one port can be switched to USB BIOS Flashback)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
6 x Audio jack(s)
1 x Wi-Fi antenna port(s)
1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s) Internal I/O Ports 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
4 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 8 USB 2.0 port(s)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
4 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s)
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
1 x Optional Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector)
1 x MemOK! button(s)
1 x TPU switch(es)
1 x EPU switch(es)
1 x Power-on button(s)
1 x Reset button(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
1 x Bluetooth v3.0 + HS header(s) Accessories User's manual
I/O Shield
4 x SATA 3Gb/s cable(s)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
1 x 3-Way SLI bridge(s)
1 x SLI bridge(s)
1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)
1 x Wi-Fi Ring Moving Antenna(s)
1 x Bluetooth v3.0 + HS module(s) BIOS 64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 Manageability WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE Support Disc Drivers
ASUS Utilities
ASUS Update
Anti-virus software (OEM version) Form Factor ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) Note *1: This motherboard is ready to support PCIe 3.0 SPEC. Functions will be available when using PCIe 3.0-compliant devices. Please refer to www.asus.com for updated details.
*2: 6 x USB 3.0 ports at back panel with 1 additional VIA SuperSpeed USB hub controller.

i say its a complete waste of time as it will never happen. 250,000 boards have to be sold just to cover costs of tooling/design
not a single manufacturer will listen.

frankly i find nothing wrong with existing boards at all. (assuming you have the right ones)

firewire 800 is dead (not properly supported on win7) please do not link to a MS white page.. this is a benchmarked fact
not to mention completely pointless no  interface needs it and fw drives are also dead.

onboard Adat? no thanks i will leave adat to pro cards.
midi? same thing..

already have all the tweak-ability we need..

and vertical vs horizontal?  lol that has never mattered.

someone mentioned shared PCIe.. sorry no getting around that
there is only so many lanes per chipset. nor does it generally matter for audio.
i can poke 3 UADs and 2 RME cards in 1 system, if thats not enough get an expansion chassis

"Freddie H"
3-Way SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support!

This is a waste of space and completely useless for a dedicated DAW. Even when using multiple monitors. Give me more SATA 3 (6GBs) ports so I can install at least 6 SSDs (OS x 1, Audio x 1, Samples x 4). 

Current hardware already exceeds the demands I place on it currently doing audio work.

That makes me happy enough for now.

Sure, I could improve some theoretical performance figures but it would make little real difference to me in working practice.

I'd really like to see Software quality improve exponentially though so stuff works more like it is intended to, to a far greater degree than it does nowadays.  Software is where the shortfall is now IMO.

Funnily enough I think the limitations of mobile devices will improve code more than brute force hardware will.  It encourages the compact, concise and complete approach to Software that was more evident when hardware was more limited in it's capability.

Ok, time to get off our butts and make the mobo manufacturers hear us.  Gamers have had their way for so long in dictating what features get offered on PC mobo's, it's about time that musicians and producers and studio folk using PC DAWs got a say too.  

Love the spirit of this post... but the (cold/hard) reality is that we are a *super* small niche market.  We don't have enough pull (market-share) to drive the manufacturing industry.


The best you're going to do:
A quality motherboard that exposes all parameters that we need to tweak for maximum audio performance.  Ironically, this is typically NOT an Intel brand motherboard (Intel chipset, yes... Intel Brand, no... as they tend to restrict/hide parameters)