Firewire interface users..PCI Firewire card question

[Zombietakeover]

My head starts to spin with all these options.......All you guys using firewire interfaces....What PCI firewire cards are you guy's using that's good and stable ?

I know I should look for one with the T1 chip i think it's called.....And i have read that you don't want to use the onboard fireport....

I'm looking to purchase either RME 400 or a Mackie Oynx 400F if that helps any......So yeah if anyone could throw me some links that would be awesome...thanks for any info

 

[Torniojaws]

Personally I use a PCI Express firewire controller card (Belkin, with Texas Instruments chip). All that matters is that the chip is by Texas Instruments, so just get one that has it and you're fine.

 

[Zombietakeover]

sorry i'm ignorant
this is what i found at http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001450&Description=fire%20wire%20card&name=Belkin

those seem a little high for a firewire card or is that the norm.
Also i couldn't see where it said anything about Texas Instruments chip?

also i dont know that i have aN extra pci express slot
would it be bad to go to just PCI? what's the disadvantages if any?

thanks again

 

[Unavailable]

SIIG has a good reputation. However, I bought this card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815103103 and it has been great.

 

[Torniojaws]

those seem a little high for a firewire card or is that the norm.
Also i couldn't see where it said anything about Texas Instruments chip?

All Belkins have a TI chip.

also i dont know that i have aN extra pci express slot
would it be bad to go to just PCI? what's the disadvantages if any?

They use a x1 PCI Express slot (the really short one), not x8/x16 that graphics cards use.

The disadvantage of PCI is much lower bandwidth, which can be an issue if you use a lot of channels, though with FF400 mostly just if you use an ADAT expansion with the interface.

 

[Skaldir]

I have the RME Fireface 800 and just bought a cheap 9 Euro card and never had any problems with it.
Too bad I don't know which chip it has.

 

[Torniojaws]

I have the RME Fireface 800 and just bought a cheap 9 Euro card and never had any problems with it.
Too bad I don't know which chip it has.

If you're on Windows, you can check it through: Win + R | devmgmt.msc | IEEE1394 Bus host controllers

Open it and see what it says. If your chipset is Texas Instruments, it says "Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller"

 

[Metaltastic]

WOW, I was about to ask why PCIe was better than PCI when the max speed of Firewire 400 is 400 mbps (obviously), but then I looked and saw that the PCI bus speed is only 133 mbps!?!?!? Good god, that seems pathetic for a motherboard-mounted bus...

 

[Torniojaws]

Good god, that seems pathetic for a motherboard-mounted bus...

Which is why it is being retired after 16 years of active service It is an ancient memory, only topped by mechanical hard drives at the venerable age of 53 years

 

[Metaltastic]

Oy, and I guess that means PCMCIA is as slow if not slower - FUCK, I have a FW expresscard for my laptop, but it comes loose so easily, I was really hoping to replace it with a PCMCIA! Oh well...

 

[Torniojaws]

Oy, and I guess that means PCMCIA is as slow if not slower - FUCK, I have a FW expresscard for my laptop, but it comes loose so easily, I was really hoping to replace it with a PCMCIA! Oh well...

Actually Express Card has a much higher bandwidth: 480 Mbit minimum, 2 Gbit maximum (PCI Express mode), and PC Card (aka PCMCIA) also is capable of very high bandwidth: up to 1066 Mbit (~1 Gbit), in 32-bit DWORD mode. At minimum, Card Bus has a 267 Mbit bandwidth. The sustained transfer speed of FW400 is actually 256 Mbit, the 400 Mbit is for burst transfers. You should be fine with a FW400 device, in theory - I haven't tested the limits personally.

Here's a Grand Big List-o™ of device bandwidths of all kinds of computer buses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_device_bandwidths
And here's your point of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_device_bandwidths#Portable_Computer_buses

 

[Metaltastic]

Oh wow, so you think using a PCMCIA FW card would be fine with a FW400 interface? SWEET, thanks man! (but don't worry, I won't come crying to you if it doesn't work )

Ah, but wait - I clicked on the second link, and it says the "bytes" count for a PC card using DWORD is the exact same as PCI, 133 mbps; what's the difference between "bytes" and "net bitrate?"

 

[Zombietakeover]

Alright this card looks good ...what do you guy's thunk
http://www.siig.com/ViewProduct.aspx?pn=NN-E20012-S2

Whats up with the huge price range?
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G6U8VY"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G6U8VY[/ame]
and
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FWCardPCIe



Is Amazon safe to order PC parts from???

 

[CatharsisStudios]

all firewire cards are the same. thanks to macs strict design patents or whatever. they all work exactly the same and are of same quality

 

[AeternusEternus]

Don't buy PC parts from Amazon, bro.

www.newegg.com
www.zipzoomfly.com

 

[Unavailable]

all firewire cards are the same. thanks to macs strict design patents or whatever. they all work exactly the same and are of same quality

Lol no. Haven't you been reading the discussion going on here?

 

[GuitarHack]

I have a cheap (all I could get in a hurry) PCI FW card with VIA chipset. It works/syncs fine with my Firepod. What benefit would I get out of a more expensive PCI card with a TI Chipset? Will it make my Firepod sound like a Fireface or even a 512C?
Yes, I have read the posts but all I am getting out of them is the different speeds between PCI to PCIe or PMCIA, etc... and not actually the benefit of the TI Chipset on a PCI card over XXX chipset on a PCI card.

Thanks for any clarification.

 

[Torniojaws]

Ah, but wait - I clicked on the second link, and it says the "bytes" count for a PC card using DWORD is the exact same as PCI, 133 mbps; what's the difference between "bytes" and "net bitrate?"

8 bits = 1 byte

100 Mbit = 12.5 MB/s (100/8)

It's just two different ways to tell speed. Computers handle things in bits (binary digit, 0 or 1).

and not actually the benefit of the TI Chipset on a PCI card over XXX chipset on a PCI card.

If you remember the big FW issue a year ago. Certain firewire chips did not work with audio interfaces due to a cheap-o FW chipset (Agere/Lucent/LCI), not just in Apple/Mac but anything that used them. This was industry-wide incompatibility, almost nothing worked with those chips. Texas Instruments is the audio industry standard for compatibility, and everything will work it. That's why the TI favouring.

Of course other chipsets can and usually do work, but with TI you don't have to think about whether your shining new interface will actually even work or not. And TI chipset devices aren't any more expensive than others either, so..

 

[GuitarHack]

Thanks for the clarification. So basically, as long as it works with the interface, it's all good. I didn't know if the TI gave better performance (in some way). Also, I must correct my earlier post, my chipset is Agere. I was after a TI chipset after reading the Presonus forums, but local availability was not good at the time.

Thanks again.

 

[scorpio01169]

When i got my M-Audio firewire 410 i when out and got a cheap 5 dollar firewire card from Best-Buy never had any problems with it. but then again i'm not doing high count tracking