Power Mac G5 & Digidesign PCI Cards

[D. Weeb]

Digi's only going to give you something like $500 to $900 for your Digi 001, compared to...

I forget. Tell us again how much Apple is going to give you for your old computer in exchange for a G5?

[Doc]

Originally posted by ProdInfo:
.....Because the G5 only supports 3.3 V-capable cards (the Digi 001 PCI card is 5.0 V), there is a barrier in its' PCI slots that prevent you from even attempting to install a card that is keyed (by a notch in the card) for a different voltage.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That's exactly what I was hoping for [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] . Possibly just a matter of making a notch in the 001 card and modding the PCI supply to it.
Sounds like my mod may be feasible after all [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] .

[Targon]

Originally posted by D. Weeb:
Digi's only going to give you something like $500 to $900 for your Digi 001, compared to...

I forget. Tell us again how much Apple is going to give you for your old computer in exchange for a G5?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Didn't Apple recently replace MDD Logic boards when they were found to be incompatible with the 001? Didn't Apple also offer a Power Supply noise reduction upgrade kit?

Im still not sure, but i think i smell a rat. Why has this only JUST been recently discovered? Apple have apparently been working on the G5 CPU for 2 years they say. PCI-X has been around for that long as well. It is extremely likely Apple have had prototype hardware based on PCI-X and G5 CPU's for at least 8 months. Digidesign are CLOSE dev partners with Apple or so the marketing has us to believe, thus im convinced Digi have been provided with Apple G5 proto's for testing at least 6 months ago. Wouldn't Digi have told Apple their Cards don't work in the G5's?? I bet they did and Apple is trying to to force ppl into Firewire at the same time Digi benefits from more revenue from the exchange program. Im sure the 002 costs Digi very little, its made in China afterall.

I think there are some dodgy games going on between these 2 companies.

We are getting forced into broken, incomplete OS X Digi software by means of disabling hardware functionality with Apple's new machines. Im really not sure what to make of all these thoughts. But im beginning to have some serious feelings of distrust for Digi. The Core Audio driver fiasco has prompted this (oh yeah i have had several posts deleted regarding that matter).

I have my reservations about Firewire also, in my experience it has been quite flakey and i haven't even a FW audio interface. The extra latency is a concern :-(

Maybe Emagic are going to announce an new killer hardware interface...who knows.

Although its very possible the entire situation here is completely genuine an Digi feel they have been forced between a rock and a hard place.

Either way the only way they can get blood out of a stone is by putting a leach on my balls [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[guitates]

Dannii...

There is No way that the PCI SIZE will be any different Physically, because the Radeon 9800 is the Video card, and it fits in ALL Mac PCI slots.

Someone tell me if I am wrong, but Radeon is not Modifying the size of their cards. They are all the same size.

Digi said that the main issue is the Keying of the cards for 3.3 volts, NOT that the size will be any different.

This would be Suiside for Apple, to modify the size of the PCI slots.

Think about all the existing cards that would Not be available for the G5's, Like the Video cards, if Apple cahnged the actual PCI slot size. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[s2n]

Originally posted by Doc:
That's exactly what I was hoping for [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] . Possibly just a matter of making a notch in the 001 card and modding the PCI supply to it.
Sounds like my mod may be feasible after all [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] .

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Yeah...risk frying your $1000 G5 motherboard to get a $100 PCI card working. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Lucky]

Radeon 9800 is an AGP card. It is not a PCI card. Go search ATI's and Nvidia's site. Their old PCI video cards (if you can find them) will not work in a PCIX slot. There is a huge difference between PCI and AGP. There is no way the two could ever be confused. AGP cards will never fit in any PCI slot and PCI cards will never fit in an AGP slot. Even PCIX is incredibly slow compared to AGP, especially the 8X AGP slot that the Radeon 9800 Pro needs.

[Lucky]

The PCI slots ARE different. Old cards WILL NOT fit into the new slots!!!! Why is that so hard to understand? It is a necessary move by Apple and, trust me, PC's will be switching over very soon. It is called progress. If you are worried, don't get a G5. There are still people out there with Pro Tools III Nubus systems that work fine. You are not required to dump the 001 until YOU decide to get a new computer. They are not forcing this on you. Stick with your system until you need to dump it. No problem. The 001 cards will still keep working even after the G5s, and probably G6s get released.

And yes, I need to upgrade my video (Aurora Igniter) my PCI chassis (Magma) and my SCSI cards (Adaptec) because they won't work in the new G5s. I already sold my 001 on eBay and got my 002R. I've decided to be an early adopter (read beta tester) on these new systems because they have a lot to offer and I happen to have some extra cash (rare occurance). If I didn't have the cash I would be very happy with my 001 on my 733.

[Thresholdproductions]

Why doens't Digi make some kind of MOD that goes between the 001 and the new G5 PCI X slot instead of trying to get another 800$ out of us. I need a new computer badly..but its not only for audio and not only for protools. I do video editing as well so the speed of the G5 is a godsend compared to trying to edit on a G4 350. To me, it's preaty lame that something they just released 2 yrs ago is no longer viable for the new computer line. Fire wire was around when the 001 came out. I was wondering myself why it didn't have fire wire on it. So now it becomes clear. Money and marketing. If dig really cared about customer satisfaction they would devlope something to go inbetween the 001 and the PCI X slot...not create an obsolete sound card that is not more than 2 yrs old. And if you don't like the sound of that...then they should have made a sound card that has a longer shelf life than two yrs. I'm not going to fall for this marketing trap. I'm sick of the way Digi and Avid work.

And here's why it's going down like this. They are pissed off that now, people can create the same results with out an avid/digi propriatary systems that controled the whole market. You can make the same music easier with any sound card of your choice with logic, cubase, nuendo etc. You can make the same videos using final cut and premiere instead of some silly $50 000 avid work station. Who really needs to spend $15 000 on an HD system...really. They are losing their market share big time, PT 6 for osx sucks..the core audio sucks..people are getting pissed off. Os9 is dead..so what options do we have as cunsumers of their product? Not much..thus they are losing out even more. The giant has stumbled and is beginning it's long crash down.

Now you are telling me after only 2 yrs of owning one of their products..that if i Want to get a new comouter to run the same crappy program I'm running right now I have to fork out 800$ U.S. Forget it. That's It. I've been using logic for the past 4 months ( mind you, w/ the flakey core audio driver) and it rocks over PT and at least they aren't screwing me!!! So forget it. I'm not gonna fork out $800 to keep playing the digi game.

If PT 6 rocked and was stable and didn't quite every two hours for no reason..then maybe..but hell...they aren't giving you much reason to desire to keep on going with protools.

Sorry for the rant..but us consumers need to voice our dissant about these blasted corporations screwing us at every corner..apple included.

[Henry Lee]

"but us consumers need to voice our dissant about these blasted corporations screwing us at every corner..apple included."

um. there's quite a bit of irony in that statement. yes, you're right - you're a consumer. it is your duty as a consumer to consume. that is the objective of capitalism. to produce and consume, a repetitive cycle that will never end until we all burn out and die.

close your eyes, breathe deeply and create. that's what you're here for. they are only tools. relax, enjoy what you have. something that many, many other people in the world will never be able to experience.

henry lee

[froyo]

Hello. Thresholdproductions in your frustration you have misinterpreted or misunderstood some of the facts. The Digi 001 was unveiled in fall '99. So it is close to 4 years old now. At the time they developed and brought it to market, there was virtually nobody with Firewire on any hardware. None at all. That would show up a year or two later.

If dig really cared about customer satisfaction they would devlope something to go inbetween the 001 and the PCI X slot...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">So you are saying they should support the 001 forever? Or just for the next two years or so? At what point do you just say goodbye to old technology and embrace new? Remember Nubus?

They are pissed off that now, people can create the same results with out an avid/digi propriatary systems that controled the whole market...They are losing their market share big time, PT 6 for osx sucks..the core audio sucks..people are getting pissed off... The giant has stumbled and is beginning it's long crash down.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Well people have been complaining about this to Digidesign since day one. Specially in the native market, but in their products overall. Their proprietary policy has frustrated just about everybody at one time or another. I don't know what world you live in or work in, but Digidesign is by far the industry leader in Post, almost to the point of being exclusive. In music major studios it is just as ubiquitous as a 2" machine. In short, Digidesign today is as strong as it has ever been. Maybe the strongest it has ever been or ever will be. So I don't know where you get this idea that it is suffering. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Computer based technology has a built in obsolesence. That's a fact you will have to learn to deal with better. If I buy a G5 tomorrow I know that at the most I will get two years out of it, if that much. Same with software. Sure you could theoretically stay with OS 9.2, PT 5.3.3 which is extremely stable and solid. But what happens when you are the only one running that? On the one side, your business image may suffer drastically. People may see you as out of it. Also, you may come across OS or software compatibility issues, like Rewire, etc.

The bottom line is when anyone makes the decision to use computer based technology, they will ALWAYS have to upgrade. Always. Deal with it. It's just a question of how often. Every other month. Every year. Every other year, etc.

As for Digidesign being threatened by native offerings that has also been predicted and discussed since day one. It hasn't happened yet. It will not happen in the next two years. It may come to pass if and when G5's get rolling AND most importantly an application challenges Pro Tools established client base. I don't see the Skywalker Sound's and Todd AO's of the world switching to Logic or Nuendo anytime soon. Does anyone honestly? Same with the Ocean Way's, Hit Factory's and Record Plant's of the world. Until those clients begin to switch to other software, Digidesign has little to fear.

A day will come for a scenario like that. Maybe. Just not anytime soon. Besides, if ,or more to the point when, that happens, Digidesign can just simply implement different policies to keep up. Look at SMPTE, Rewire and ASIO. Those are things we would have never have seen just a year ago that are now available.