Metspitzer said:
I have no need for a Firewire connection.
I guess all PCI cards are not created equal. I wonder why the first
card listed cost almost 3 times as much as the second card listed?
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=usb+2+pci&x=0&y=0
They use common chips. So if you have some preference in
which chip you want in your PC, there is that consideration.
The size of the PCB should not matter. The card needs enough room
to house the components, and offer sufficient conduction on
the power planes. One of the "L" shaped cards, may make room for
more airflow in the case, if no other cards are present.
A full card may have better mechanical strength, important
if the card is resisting efforts to insert it.
Some chip brands are NEC and VIA. VIA is probably on the
cheapest of the cards. NEC has the reputation, of being
the chip vendor the original USB2 driver was tested
against. NEC is also known to blow out ports due to
static discharge, and may lose ports one at a time.
The best way to pick them, is probably to check the
reviews.
There are some PCI card makers, who have too high a
dropout rate in the products they make. It should
not be hard to spot them, if you look at add-in
cards long enough.
In some cases, add-in cards are poorly designed, and
the outline of the card is wrong. In the reviews, if
there are complaints the "card does not fit in the slot",
and you see a lot of complaints, then stay away. While
some users, have not adjusted the position of the motherboard
for best fit, when a lot of people report problems, it
means the card is at fault. I have a couple PCI sound
cards here, which have incorrect dimensions, and I had
to "adjust" them to get my money's worth.
For some cards, you're paying for a brand name.
Siig cards use the same chips as everyone else,
but they like to cover the chip part number with
a big sticker. I don't see any reason the cards
deserve a higher purchase price, as it is not like
they're designing custom chips.
Paul
