New PCs Don’t Have Firewire Yet Manufacturers Keep Making Firewire Interfaces – Why?

Simple

If the Main board has not got on board Fire wire then buy a Fire wire card :) there cheep

Norrie

I have usb3 on my board yet to find anything that needs it though lol

Because they can still be utilized. You can get a firewire express card for your laptop... but they're hit and miss for recording. Talk to JCSChild about that. As was pointed out USB 3 will probably put an end to them though.

I guess I am still confused about Firewire cards for PCs anyway.  I though they were relatively inexpensive (per Norrie), compared to buying a new USB audio interface.  But when I browse the Internet for Firewire cards, they seem to be about $400 plus I run the risk of it not working with my Firewire audio interface (Cakewalk Power Studio).   So it seems it would be simpler and safer just to buy a USB audio interface and get rid of my Power Studio.  Am I missing something?   Thanks.

I've never seen Firewire as being a concern for an end user as it is for a hardware developer.

It is on the way out and there will always be a market for legacy cards all the while people have hardware that relies on it.

The reason hardware vendors still market firewire devices is because they are already developed and the companies will try to recoup as much revenue from their previous developments as they can.

I'm sure there is very little if any interface hardware at the design stage currently being developed for Firewire.

All that should concern an end user is whether the performance specs. are the right fit, not what the device works on.

What should it matter to me whether something is Firewire (other than it now being a legacy format that isn't going to be supported in future), USB, PCI, PCIe or whatever provided the developer is getting the end results from the finished product?

The comparisons of format specifications, i.e whether USB or Firewire are the 'best', are meaningless on their own.  If a developer makes a device that smokes anything else on whatever format then who cares what it uses?

Does this interface device fit my requirements spec. for performance, flexibility, practicality and portability are far more important questions to anyone other than a hardware developer.

brooklynbowler


Firewire is on the way out. It is  FACT. Apple pushed it hard and now abandoned it. Anyone can correct me if i'm wrong, but I know a lot of people in the tech industry even outside of music that agree on this...

USB architecture is here to stay...USB3 (and ESATA) should be locking in as the new standards. Some devices are even retroactively now pushing "both firewire and USB2 options" in the advertising.

Firewire always was BS to me. Even the physical nature of the adapters, especially the smaller 4 pin version, seemed whack and not structurally sound...not to mention the inflated real-life specs they promoted.

 
 
Does eSATA have any use implications other that connecting an external drive. Can it possibly be used to connect an interface? My new laptop has three USB ports and an eSATA. I figured I would grab a 10,000 RPM drive to use with the eS port for data transfer and backup but it would be awesome if some companies started using it for a faster connection for a controller or interface... but I don't know what is possible.
 
Thanks,
 
JB

we aren't laptop makers so how can we enlighten you, is the blunt answer.

I suggest you go directly to them and ask.. but thing is, the wrong chipset can still cause issues.

errm pcmcia cards you could use perhaps , but my laptop hasn't got that slot where as my old one did.