[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]1) Yes, some mobo makers will be killed off, but for reasons other than SoC style integration: we all saw this coming as PCs last longer and longer, and the role of a traditional 'home PC' is being taken over by game consoles, and dock able tablets. SoC style integration will just hasten this progression.2) Want to make your mobo stand out? How about some more interesting UEFI setups! UEFI was promised to have capabilities well beyond normal system control, including the ability to run a stripped down linux, complete with widgets and web browsing capabilities. But instead of this we still have UEFIs being designed that are set up for 4:3 monitors and a limited color pallet. At the very least we should be able to select (or auto-detect) the aspect ratio of a monitor, and have a bit of color other than black and blue.3) How about some integration on the UEFI end of things? When I turn my computer on it must POST, then run the Intel RAID Rom, and then must POST a 2nd time before finally entering the boot cycle. What if we could run/control the Intel RAID Rom within UEFI? That way it just has to POST, and boot. My boot time on my machine is only 5-6sec, but the POST/RAID/POST time is an additional 7-8 seconds. I am not going to give up my RAID, but I will pay a premium for a faster POST time.4) Focus on extra features. I am not just talking about a feature chip that has a few extra USB or SATA ports on it (those those are a plus), but much simpler stuff. How about more fan headers? My system has 7 fans (2 CPU, 5 case), and I would love to see a board that could control them accurately and easily on a system level and remove the need for a separate fan controller. Built in 5GHz Wireless n/ac would be a step in the right direction as well.5) Better audio packages are always a plus, and not just the onboard audio chip; add things like xFi MB2 software which lets users have a premium audio feature experience without the need for a dedicated card. Really push digital output. Better support for 192KHz is a plus as well.6) Make boards that make sense! There is a market for motherboards that have limited, but modern connectivity. We do not need 2-3 video connectors, 6 audio connectors, and a mess of USB ports on everything. Pair it down and give us some options that simply have HDMI, optical, integrated wireless, 4-8 USB ports, and perhaps an eSATA. It would make for a beautiful and clean HTPC layout with everything that you need, and nothing that you don't.We do not need line and mic inputs anymore, as most products are USB, and most software requiring an input requires digital microphones now. We do not need 2 digital options, plus VGA; a single digital connector would fill most people's needs, and while occasionally useful I think it is safe to start dropping VGA now. We also do not need PS/2 connectors on everything anymore, and they make USB adapters for those who still use a PS/2 keyboard or mouse.Sure, there are some people who would appreciate these legacy ports so please continue offering them on some boards, but they are in the minority these days and should not really be on every mainstream board made.[/citation]
VGA can be dropped so long as we still have DVI-I, but I see no reason to drop microphone and line in. I don't use line in much anymore, but I stilll use microphones often and even if most people don't these days, a lot of people do and it's not like one or two additional audio jacks are really in the way of anything. Besides, audio jacks could be made to be dual-purpose. For example, one of my older computers had the line in and the second set of speaker channels sharing a port. Most people using surround sound wouldn't care about a microphone nor line in and most people who use microphone/line in probably don't use surround sound, so this could make sense.
Besides, not every mainstream board has legacy ports such as PS/2, floppy, IDE/PATA, and serial/parallel port connectivity.
[citation][nom]ricardok[/nom]I do believe that this is the next step (if those companies are really reading this) specially cuz I only have:1 wireless keyboard/mouse combo (usb)1 monitor (hdmi)1 headset (usb)and... that's all.. Internally: 4 sata being used.externally: 2 usbs being used on the back, 2/3 on the front being used randomly.So, I agree with CaedenV, I'm one of those that would enjoy having a smaller (and quieter) setup.Btw, it's by no means a workstation, it's a gamer desktop (32" tv, radeon 6850, ....) but it's an old system that plays everything (core2duo E8400)..What's great about it? WiFi "on board".. So it's kinda of a "mobile" desktop. Ok, ok, it's an OLD setup, but it works as good as I can afford. And it runs almost everything maxed out (except for 8xAA and up) in full hd.What it has that's a waste of space on the mobo?- 7.1 sound that's so noisy that's impossible to use.- 2 gigabit ethernet ports (I fail to see why 2)- 6 USB ports on the back (4 to me would be ok, + 4 on the front)- 6 SATA ports (4 of those are Intel/JMicron ones that slow down the post for about 7 seconds)- 2 eSATA on the back (would make more sense on the front).- Floppy connector. Why, oh why?- Optical audio out (I can see this working on an HTPC but on a fully fledge desktop?)I guess that's all I can remember this late at night.[/citation]
Two Ethernet ports can be very useful for anyone who wants to do LAN teaming or have two LAN connections or simply having a spare should the primary fail. I've used machines that had two Ethernet ports on the board and I've throw in two additional Ethernet adapters to get even more for some networking solutions. It's an especially helpful feature for home servers, many of which use small boards.
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