Keep the 1.6 G5s!

[snooziums]

Hiya

I am looking for a new computer to replace my aging Power Computing Macintosh clone. Yes, this machine has been through several upgrades, however, I can only upgrade it so far. It is currently running Mac OS 10.1.

I need to be able to use my SCSI and standard ATA drives, which use PCI cards to access them. Having standard PCI cards is very important, as I have yet to see any PCI-X cards on the market. In addition to having PCI cards for standard ATA and SCSI (both internal and for external drives), I also have a PCI card that allows for five USB ports including one internal port (inside of the computer), as well as both firewire 400 and 800.

Since the new PowerMacs do not seem to have any internal drive bays, the Zip, Jaz, PCMCIA card readers, and Tape drives mush be placed externally, however that requires having an external SCSI port, which no new Macintosh comes with, thus I have to keep the SCSI PCI card.

The 1.6 GHz PowerMac G5 appears to be the only new Macintosh that will run standard PCI cards. The 1.8 and 2.0 have PCI-X expansion slots, which are incompatible with any normal PCI cards, and there does not appear to be any PCI-X cards on the market right now.

If Apple cuts the PowerMac G5 1.6 tower, they will be cutting out the use of PCI cards when there are no PCI-X cards yet on the market. So, basically, the 1.6 G5 tower needs to stay, or Apple needs to find a way to use older PCI cards, or they need to come out with some PCI-X ATA and SCSI, controllers.

 

[applemacdude]

Isn't PCI-X backward compatible with PCI?

Anyways only one of the 3 Pci slots in the latter models have PCI-X

 

[Veldek]

Isn't PCI-X backward compatible with PCI?

Anyways only one of the 3 Pci slots in the latter models have PCI-X

AFAIK, only 3.3 volts PCI cards, not 5 volts, will work in the PCI-X slots. And all slots in the G5 are PCI-X, though two are 100MHz and only one is 133MHz.

 

[osprey76]

From what I've read the key thing is the voltage that the card supports. Some support 5v and 3.3v and others only support one or the other. The PCI-X ports only work with 3.3v. I'm not sure what the spec is for the 1.6 GHz machine.

Somewhere (maybe xlr8yourmac.com or Apple's website) there is a compatibility list with various PCI cards. If the ones you have now aren't compatible (likely they are 5v only) then you could at least find a card to connect your drives to that is compatible.

Don't forget there isn't much room in the G5 case (at this point.) Also, unless you are running fast drives now the SATA drive in the G5 might have the capacity and speed greater than your whole setup.

 

[Sun Baked]

Note: All PowerMac G5s have the 3.3V card limitation. Whether you are running PCI and/or PCI-X.

This was a limitation that was introduced with the PCI-slots on the XServe G4.

So it does not matter which G5 you get, chances are you'll need to buy a new SCSI card.