How Do Firewire PCI Cards Work on a Mac?
On Macintosh computers with a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface, Firewire PCI cards provide a way to add Firewire functionality or extra Firewire ports to your computer. The Firewire PCI card is installed by plugging into an available PCI card slot.
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History of PCI and the Mac
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The PCI was introduced in 1993 as a high speed bus to connect components and peripherals to the computer's motherboard. It quickly became the standard expansion bus on both the PC and the Mac. Apple adopted PCI for its Power Macintosh line in 1995 and all G3, G4 and G5 Power Macintoshes include PCI expansion slots.
History of Firewire
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FireWire is Apple Corporation's branded name for the IEEE 1394 external bus standard. Apple initiated work on FireWire in 1986 and the final specification was released in 1995. The first specification IEEE 1394a (FireWire 400) supports data transfer rates of up to 400 Mbps. IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) supports transfer rates up to 800 Mbps.
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High Speed Data Transfer
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FireWire provides very fast data transfer speed and has the ability to provide guaranteed delivery of data at different speeds, This makes FireWire ideally suited for demanding audio and visual applications. Many digital video cameras, scanners, and external hard drives are equipped with FireWire connections.
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References
- Photo Credit firewire image by MATTHIEU FABISIAK from Fotolia.com
