SCOPE professional with apple's G5

for_music · Post by **for_music** » Sun May 09, 2004 12:34 pm

Hi,
can some one tell me whether I could use the DSP card which comes with SCOPE pro. inside an apple G5? (the G5 uses PCI-X, NOT PCI)is the scope card available as a PCI-X card?
can I use the software which comes with scope pro along with Logic Pro 6?

thank you

Post by **garyb** » Sun May 09, 2004 1:38 pm

the osx soft should be available in a few months(maybe less....).

as to the pc-x slot, it is not compatible with pci slot. it's very confusing as to why apple chose that slot when they could have used pc express, a 64bit slot that would have been compatible with pci, and it's not certain what the industry as a whole will do. this has something to do with why there are so few cards that work with the g5. smaller companies are taking a wait and see approach. sorry...

for_music · Post by **for_music** » Sun May 09, 2004 1:41 pm

thanks garyb.......and hmm i have not heard of "pc express..." is there any tech site where i could get more info regarding that...

arela · Post by **arela** » Sun May 09, 2004 2:19 pm

hi - try this
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1087

for_music · Post by **for_music** » Sun May 09, 2004 2:37 pm

thanks arela

valis · Post by **valis** » Mon May 10, 2004 2:37 am

The G5 is (or was for a time) available in a PCI version (the low end G5's only I believe.)

However, the problem with the new G5-class Apple machines is not PCI-X itself. PCI-X allows you to use existing PCI cards as long as they support 3.3v. If you do use a 3.3v PCI card it will reduce the operating speed of the ENTIRE PCI-X bus and all attached devices to match the PCI card (which would be 33mhz/32bit).

Since PCI-X is a 3.3v bus so both the PCI and PCI-X variations of the Mac G5 have only 3.3v signalling supported. The Creamware cards require 5v from the PCI bus currently and hence won't work.

At least this is my understanding, feel free to correct me.

Also I might add since CW seems to be supportive of efforts to port to osx(&linux) its possible they may support 3.3v eventually. Don't take that as gospel please.

Post by **garyb** » Mon May 10, 2004 2:39 am

no,i think that is true. thanks for clarifying.

bassdude · Post by **bassdude** » Sat May 15, 2004 5:17 am

I know there are PCI-X slots in servers (like there was the eisa slot) but if PCI-X survives for the consumer market it will be because of apples choice for the G5. I think the Express is where it's at. I don't know why apple went this route also?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: bassdude on 2004-05-15 06:17 ]</font>

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Sat May 15, 2004 8:06 pm

well, what exactly would you consider to be implemented on a PCI card and selling in really big numbers

For practical (consumer compliant apps)there's USB2, FireWire, SATA - and even Scope cards mostly suffer from missing memory on board (but run fine on only 33 MHZ slots).

Apple rarely does something unreflected - imho they want to have a speedy thing to brag on, which is compatible with existing technology (thus keeping it cheap), but don't really expect new high bandwidth PCI apps.

my 2 cent, Tom

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Mon May 17, 2004 2:56 am

I've heard of something like a PCI-X to PCI 5V converter but have no idea of the developer or where to find info about it.