[Hwarang143]

Hi all,
I received my Ipod today, started to upload songs, and quickly realized that it's abnormally slow for what I thought was a USB2.0 connection.

I contacted four different Dell representatives and received four different responses to my questions about whether or not I have USB1.1 or USB2.0. I finally called Apple, and figured out definitively that I have USB1.1, not USB2.0. (Apparently some computer companies decided to call USB1.1 ports USB2.0 for marketing reasons, or so the Apple guy said).

Since I already have the dock connector to firewire/usb cable, I want to buy a USB2.0 PCI card. Are there hardware compatibility issues with UBS2.0 cards that my computer may have? I'm currently running Windows XP on a Dell Dimension 8100 (verging on 3 years old) and I know I have at least one PCI slot open. Are there system requirements for installing/using a USB2.0 card, e.g. motherboard compatability?

If there are complications, should I just get a Firewire card?

I'm not sure if this thread belongs in this particular forum, but I didn't know where else to post it. I just figured that Head-Fi members will give more informed answers than Apple "discussion board" members.

BTW, this forum is great =) Within the past month, I've bought etys because of threads I've read here... and the ipod... and am considering an amp. Oh, my poor wallet.

Well, thanks for helping me out =) Very much appreciated.

 

[blessingx]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet and USB problems.

I'd take Firewire over USB anyway, but USB2 is gaining support on the PC side and you may need it for other items. If that isn't a concern go Firewire. You're more likely to have higher continual transfer speeds. I'd make sure though you don't have USB 2 already. Haven't been on a Windows machine for about 10 months, but you can check the ports right (somewhere though the control panel/hardware list)?

Yes, relabeling USB 1.1, 2, is irritating. Others have run into similar problems.

I know of no extra special motherboard issues, though others may know better.

 

[e-r0ck]

i didn't know that. i heard that the first batch of usb2.0 cards didn't ahve the right drivers as they weren't fully developed. i really dont know the full story, but my point is to make sure you have the right drivers. just a thought.

 

[Hwarang143]

Thanx guys.. I think I'll go for the firewire. It seems like I'll have less complications with it.

 

[Dweebgal]

if you have windows xp it should work something like this:

open up case,
stick usb card in,
restart computer,
windows automatically installs the card for you.

lovely

 

[Gojira]

Due to the misinformation out there, I don't think it can be stated too often that firewire is significantly faster than USB 2.0.

 

[Uncledan]

If you are PC user, I suggest you to get firewire. why?

1. When you upgrade your computer, most of the current motherboard come with UPS 2.0, however, none of them come with firewire output. Therefore, if you get your UPS 2.0 card today, it become useless later.

2. I am not sure the speed of UPS 2.0, however, firewire is very fast!!! It is 8mb/sec. Which mean you can download 0.5G stuff within 1 min.

3. If you got firewire card, you don't need to buy UPS cable for iPod.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Brian Stevens]

Spend $40 and buy the Dlink card that has two usb 2 ports and 2 firewire ports. If you need more ports buy a seperate firewire and usb 2 card should be around $60 for both.

 

[Rumz]

You can get combo USB 2.0 / Firewire cards for just a tad more than getting just one or the other. It'll give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to buying other things to connect to your PC.

I've never compared the 2 or tried to, but my understanding is that theoretically USB 2.0 is faster than firewire, but not much-- so you probably wouldn't notice a difference. Again that's theory and not experience. Had I an iPod then I could tell you if one was really faster

I did just get a USB2.0/firewire external hard drive, perhaps i'll try that with my combo firewire/usb2 card to see if it makes a difference.

Also, what was said about mobos not coming with firewire... actually I think a lot of motherboards now come with both usb 2.0 and firewire on PC's... it's just the cheap ones that might not have both.

 

[Dweebgal]

IIRC, USB 2.0 is faster in bursts than firewire, but firewire can maintain more consistant speeds over time.

 

[Bionic Gecko]

Quote:

Originally posted by Uncledan If you are PC user, I suggest you to get firewire. why? 1. When you upgrade your computer, most of the current motherboard come with UPS 2.0, however, none of them come with firewire output. Therefore, if you get your UPS 2.0 card today, it become useless later. 2. I am not sure the speed of UPS 2.0, however, firewire is very fast!!! It is 8mb/sec. Which mean you can download 0.5G stuff within 1 min. 3. If you got firewire card, you don't need to buy UPS cable for iPod. Just my 2 cents.

Where did you get 8 megs a second from?

transfer rates for Firewire(1st gen) are 400 Megabits/s or 50 Megabytes/s.

USB 2.0(in theory) max transfer is 480 Megabits/s or 60 Megabytes/s.

However it is my understanding that no current OS FULLY supports USB 2.0(This is why it is often refered to by Techies as USB 1.6

) So while in theory FW is slower, practically it isnt. Though USB 2 should suit anyone fine cause you still get a good transfer rate, just generally not quite as much as FW!

 

[Gojira]

Firewire and USB 2.0 are not almost equal. Firewire is much faster. And, of course the next version of Firewire is going to be here long before a USB 3.0 arrives. If you want to transfer data, use firewire. That is what it was designed for. If you want to plug in a peripheral like a mouse, keyboard or scanner, USB is the way to go. That is what it was originally designed for. BTW, I don't have a horse in this race. I do not own a mac. I never have and I probably never will. The facts speak for themselves. Don't believe the hype.

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/s...393574,00.html

http://www.digit-life.com/articles/usb20vsfirewire/

http://barefeats.com/fire26.html