Firewire or PCI better performance?

[wndrdub]

Hi,

I've just swapped my laptop for a desktop, and now have the freedom to move to a proper PCI card.

I currently have a Focusrite Saffire firewire interface, and am now playing with the idea of trading it in for a PCI interface. My assumption is that the PCI interface will be 'quicker' since it's taking out one link in the chain.

Any thoughts? Thinking of the E-Mu 1212M since I already have a mixer with mic inputs, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

[scadh]

Hi,

I've just swapped my laptop for a desktop, and now have the freedom to move to a proper PCI card.

I currently have a Focusrite Saffire firewire interface, and am now playing with the idea of trading it in for a PCI interface. My assumption is that the PCI interface will be 'quicker' since it's taking out one link in the chain.

Any thoughts? Thinking of the E-Mu 1212M since I already have a mixer with mic inputs, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

Firewire uses the PCI bus so a difference in performance is more likely related to the quality of the soundcard/interface driver. Your Saffire is fine (and portable, obviously, if that's of any use to you).

[Tweak]

I would not expect any noticeable improvement with PCI, until you have compositions with hundreds of tracks, and that is assuming that the emu driver is better than the saffire.

The desktop itself will probably give you better performance due to the faster drives, better video bus, more robust way of shuttling data from CPU to memory no matter what you use.

But its the driver that will be most important in terms of getting performance out of your desktop.