Motherboard - can't find spec I want

[Gibbo]

I would like the following spec of Mobo to upgrade my DAW but cannot find it......is there such a thing?

Chipset: Intel 965 or 975
to take at least E6600 Conroe
RAM speed from 533 (what I have now) to 1066 (what I plan to have....up to around 8GB (for when x64 becomes reliable)
Must be able to accomodate at least :-
2 x SATA II HDD
2 x IDE HDD + 1 x IDE Optical device
Floppy
at least 6 USB2
PCI-e 16x
4 x PCI - to accomodate Audiophile 2496 + 2 x UAD-1 + Firewire PCI card (all used simultaneously)
at least 3 fan headers......


I prefer ASUS but I cannot find a suitable spec anywhere by anyone.....

[acrobat]

What is "Audiophile 2496 + 2 x UAD-1"?

[Gibbo]

What is "Audiophile 2496 + 2 x UAD-1"?

Audiophile 2496 is a low latency stereo soundcard
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/web/product...IL&context=WEB

2 x Uad-1 is a pair of professional DSP cards which use their own processor to run their own plug-ins
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/web/product...LT&context=WEB

[acrobat]

Audiophile 2496 is a low latency stereo soundcard
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/web/product...IL&context=WEB

2 x Uad-1 is a pair of professional DSP cards which use their own processor to run their own plug-ins
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/web/product...LT&context=WEB

Ahhhh.

Hmmm.

Thats all pretty specialist stuff. Most people just have a single sound card. What you have is using 3 slots, and then a forth slot for the firewire, so thats gunna be a toughy.

I think 3 IDE slots is going to be hard aswell, but I would suspect there is a way around that, or a motherboard which allows 3.

Finding one with 4 PCI slots, as well as a PCI-Express slot, must be a nightmare though. I personally don't know of any, but I would be surprised if there werent some in existance for specialist/professional use. There are backplanes and stuff, but I dont know any of those with PCI-Express slots in too.

Hopefully someone can help, if not, all I could do is suggest a compromise solution. For example, taking all the stuff off your 2 IDE disks, and putting them on a single SATA disk. Then you could have 3 SATA disks, and one IDE slot for your optical drive. Theres a million motherboards which offer that.

As for the PCI problem, finding one with 3 slots is a piece of cake. So if you could find a motherboard with FireWire built in, you would have to sacrifice your firewire card, but you could still use all your sound cards. You could also get an external firewire device.

But finding a motherboard with 3+ SATA drives, 1 IDE, 3 PCI, 1 PCI-Express, is a piece of cake.

There are maybe better ones than this, but just at first glance on scans website, I saw this one:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=434311

Its just an example, but that one has your conroe slot (C2D / 775), it has room for a PCI-Express card (two infact), it has 3 PCI slots to take all your sound cards, it has 5 SATA ports and 2 IDE's, and it has Firewire built in

The only thing it doesn't have, is memory support for up to 1066 RAM. But that shouldn't really matter. Low latency, DDR2 800, should be pretty much similar. (I dont know any motherboards that take 1066 RAM. I could keep looking and Im sure there are some, but there you go.)

[Gibbo]

Hmmm only 1 x Firewire is a bit restricting...I need one for Video (via front port) and 1 for yet another external audio processor.....

I suppose I could get away with just 1 UAD-1 card tbh and get a USB hub to expand on the USB front.

I don't need 3 x IDE ports as most can support 2 devices each so 2 IDE ports will suffice.....

That P5W Deluxe looks like it might work...

[chrisj]

How about this, its the only thing I could find with 4 PCI slots:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=526999

[Gibbo]

Gonna get the P5W deluxe and get UAD-1e cards instead (PCI-e slots)
http://www.dv247.com/invt/35127/

[Nox]

is using onboard firewire not an option?

Nox

[gabriel]

you may wish to check foxconn too a fast ex:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=476331

[chrestomanci]

Asus Commando i965?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=526999

Currently being discussed in another thread:
http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=95501

It does not have two IDE channels, but should fit your other requirements. It does have 4 PCI slots.