Friday, August 3, 2007

ExpressCard capability for desktop Macs?

PCIe to ExpressCardIf the idea of sharing ExpressCards between a MacBook Pro and a Mac desktop is appealing, then check to see if your Mac features open PCI Express (PCIe) slots. Several desktop Macintosh models (Power Mac G5 (Late 2005), Mac Pro, and several Xserve models) featuring PCIe slots are able to take full advantage of Synchrotech's PCI Express to ExpressCard Drives. Installing the PCIe to ExpressCard reader enables use of the entire range of ExpressCard devices, including high performance FireWire 800 and SATA host adapters. Being able to swap ExpressCards between MacBook Pro and a Mac desktop is also economical, preventing additional purchases of PCIe host adapters to duplicate the same functionality of an ExpressCard.

For Desktop Macs without PCIe, or any USB 2.0 capable Macintosh without PCIe slots, the MicroU2E USB to ExpressCard adapter is a viable solution, so long as the ExpressCards are based on the USB 2.0 portion of the ExpressCard standard.

No comments: