Cheapest solution to run "plain" PCI cards on a PCI-x only Mac G5?

Is it an expansion chassis, a riser card, an adapter, or ... ?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Logan on March 15, 2011 at 2:04pm

Depends on wht type of PCI card you're using.

Is it a 3.3v PCI 32bit or 3.3v PCI 64bit or 5v PCI 32bit or 5v PCI 64bit.

You need to find out what type of PCI Card you would use first.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by XpansionX on March 15, 2011 at 2:40pm

I agree, you have to identify what type of PCI card first before you can decide what solution to use either expansion or a riser card.

Riser card, plug into the slot of the motherboard, and then you plug-in your plain PCI card on it.

Using riser card adds more height on the PCI card, in which you won't be able to secure your PCI card on the card guide slot.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by George on March 15, 2011 at 6:51pm

The PCI card I'm trying to use is a MOTU 324.

For a riser card in a PCI-x slot, do you think something like this can work?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Magma on March 16, 2011 at 10:10am

George,

Based on the information posted on MOTU's site, MOTU PCI 324 is a 5v PCI card. This would not work in the Power PC G5. You can use the Magma chassis or find a riser card solution that would work or compatible with G5 computer.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by George on March 16, 2011 at 1:01pm

Hello Magma,

I just received an email from Magma's customer service saying that a plain PCI card will work in a PCI-x slot. Then again, I did not mention it's the MOTU PCI-324 in particular I'm inquiring about.

To add to the confusion, all the riser cards I looked at on eBay take the PCI card at a 90 degree angle. My G5's PCI bay (I just peeked in and snapped the picture a few moments ago) does not have enough space for that.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by George on March 17, 2011 at 10:55am

I decided to plug the PCI-324 in and try it in the G5. The card at first wouldn't fit due to its metal backplate. so I unscrewed its backplate and plugged the naked card into the middle of the PCI socket. So far so good. Then I discovered that I cannot plug the FireWire cable into the card, because the cable's molding won't fit through the hole in the G5's back. So I shaved the two ends of the plastic molding slightly til it fit. With everything properly connected I pressed the G5's power button.

The computer simply wouldn't turn on. Et voila, now we know. I restored the G5 back to its original state (I'm typing this post from it already), and I'm pondering what to try next.

I already have a physical chassis for this PCI card, it's called a Mac G4. G4's are cheap and plentiful... if there only existed a program that would turn the G4 into a logical expansion chassis for my G5... sort of "Magma by software".

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Magma on April 21, 2011 at 4:50pm

Any luck yet? Did it work?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by George on April 21, 2011 at 6:46pm

No success on the G5 side.

So I'm getting ready to solve the challenge. The whole MOTU audio interface + PCI-324 card was $100; it will be cheaper to just drop it and buy a $150 external Focusrite FireWire interface. That's still just $250 total cost vs. $399 for a MOTU replacement PCIx card, or $1099 for an expansion chassis.