FireWire Question.

[iXPhound]

Hi All:

I have a quick dumb question. I have never had much to do with firewire and I am not sure exactly how this works. Is there a special port that firewire plugs into or does it use a USB port? I know nothing about firewire so any assistance is helpful. Thank you in advance!!1

 

[cdogg]

Yes there is a different port that Firewire uses. You'll need to buy a PCI add-in card. If it helps, Firewire is also referred to as IEEE 1394.

~cdogg

 

[paparazi]

Firewire is itself A DIFFERANT PORT, another means of connecting fast devices to your PC.
Some motherboards are now coming through with firewire ports as standard, mounted just like USB on the backplate.
Note* USB2 is also making an appearance as standard on many of the latest Via KT333 chipset endowed boards, at around the same speed as Firewire but with the added benefit of being backward compatible (older USB1 devices will work on USB2) this will undoutably make it a more attractive propercision for those of us who have the older devices. Martin Just trying to help, sometimes falling short, I am only human after all.

 

[cdogg]

Just know that USB 2.0 and Firewire are 2 technologies that will coexist (so it really won't matter which one you go with). USB 2.0 is slightly faster than Firewire, coming in at 480Mbps and 400Mbps respectively.

The main reason they will coexist is because both have their advantages. Firewire devices will remain popular in digital multimedia devices. With Firewire, you can hook up more than one Firewire device together without a pc. Can't do it in USB 2.0, but it is faster than Firewire and will eventually be found on just about every motherboard manufactured within the next year.

The choice is yours...