Questions on USB/Firewire speeds on computer W/ No firewire port

[rockguitarist1255]

Originally Posted by joesackic

You got it man, that's how it works, Good Luck!

Hey man, I have a question. I just installed the PCIe card you told me you have. I got it new from Amazon. Anyway, installation was smooth and painless. I then turned on my computer, and it said that it found the new firewire port. The only question I have though, is that it came with a SATA to 4-pin power adapter, yet I didn't use it. I have no clue if it is optional or not, because my computer recognized the port, so I assumed that it is being powered by the computer. Do I have to use this cable with the firewire card? I found the port on the firewire card to where the cord inserts, but I didn't find the port on my computer to where the other end of the cord goes, although I didn't look very hard. I just thought that since the card was recognized that maybe the cord was an optional thing. So do I still need to use the cord then?

[CME]

Originally Posted by rockguitarist1255

Hey man, I have a question. I just installed the PCIe card you told me you have. I got it new from Amazon. Anyway, installation was smooth and painless. I then turned on my computer, and it said that it found the new firewire port. The only question I have though, is that it came with a SATA to 4-pin power adapter, yet I didn't use it. I have no clue if it is optional or not, because my computer recognized the port, so I assumed that it is being powered by the computer. Do I have to use this cable with the firewire card? I found the port on the firewire card to where the cord inserts, but I didn't find the port on my computer to where the other end of the cord goes, although I didn't look very hard. I just thought that since the card was recognized that maybe the cord was an optional thing. So do I still need to use the cord then?

Sounds to me like the cord would add power to the FireWire ports. Like USB, FireWire can also supply power to devices hooked to it. Actually quite a bit more power than USB. My metric halo boxes can run off buss power. However most interfaces require more power than FireWire can provide, or they're simply not designed to use buss power. Some hard drives run fine off buss power, like my owc mercury elite mini. It just depends in whether you need to use the buss power or not.

And personally I prefer not to use buss power. There is the potential to short the plug and blow the port. I had that happen once with my MacBook Pro. Not fun. So these days everything I use via FireWire, I use external power supplies with.

[rockguitarist1255]

Originally Posted by CME

Sounds to me like the cord would add power to the FireWire ports. Like USB, FireWire can also supply power to devices hooked to it. Actually quite a bit more power than USB. My metric halo boxes can run off buss power. However most interfaces require more power than FireWire can provide, or they're simply not designed to use buss power. Some hard drives run fine off buss power, like my owc mercury elite mini. It just depends in whether you need to use the buss power or not.

And personally I prefer not to use buss power. There is the potential to short the plug and blow the port. I had that happen once with my MacBook Pro. Not fun. So these days everything I use via FireWire, I use external power supplies with.

All right I'm just wondering because the new interface I'm getting requires firewire, (Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56) but as I looked at the product, I noticed it has an on/off power switch, so I'm assuming it has it's own power supply, which in that case, I can just do without the cord that came with the card right?

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by rockguitarist1255

All right I'm just wondering because the new interface I'm getting requires firewire, (Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56) but as I looked at the product, I noticed it has an on/off power switch, so I'm assuming it has it's own power supply, which in that case, I can just do without the cord that came with the card right?

The Saffire should not require bus power. Odds are good that you are all set.

[rockguitarist1255]

Originally Posted by albee1952

The Saffire should not require bus power. Odds are good that you are all set.

Okay thank you :)