Quote:
Originally posted by NathanEldred
In the not distant future PCI Express might be the only thing available on a new motherboard. This presents a problem to current production models of PCI cards.
Yes PCI Express it's faster, that's a good thing. But if I'm going to build a new computer now (I'm running a PIV 1.9 and it's time to move up), I could go two ways. PCI X or regular PCI.
If I do PCI X, I've got nothing to use in the slots because none of the manufacturers are making anything for it (i.e. RME or Lynx).
If I do standard PCI, at what point does the cross over take place where manufacturers are forced to adhere to the new PCI X platform?
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There's some confusion, here.
PCI-X is *not* PCI Express. (I've seen PCI Express abbreviated PCIe). PCI-X, which is what Apple uses in its high-end PowerMacs, is both compatible and backwards compatible with PCI. In other words you can put PCI cards in a PCI-X slot, and PCI-X cards in a PCI slot. (With a few exceptions...some older PCI cards like early M-Audio Delta series audio cards don't work in PCI-X slots due to changes that occurred to the PCI spec over the years).
PCI Express, on the other hand, is not compatible with PCI (in either direction).
As long as Apple continues to use PCI-X, that should insure that audio products are available that use PCI or PCI-X in order to supply PowerMac customers. I would think it would be quite some time before PCI-compatible cards are obsolete for this reason alone.
Also as others have pointed out, even if everyone (including Apple) switches to PCIe, there will have to be some mechanism for using existing products (either motherboards with both PCI-X and PCIe or adapters), because audio manufacturers can't start producing PCIe devices until people have PCIe slots in their audio workstations, and people won't buy audio workstations with only PCIe slots until there are audio products available to replace all their PCI gear.