14 DAY TRIAL // In trying to achieve the highest performance when working with files stored on external hard drives, the Firewire Interface was invented. The first version was the FireWire 400, also known as 1394a. This was the first step in reaching data-transfer speeds suitable for working with multimedia applications. This feature was later reincarnated as the FireWire 800, or the 1394b, which boasted double transfer speeds and bandwidth compared with the 400. Nowadays, many drive enclosures have a built-in FireWire 800 interface. In order to take advantage of this feature, Sonnet introduced the Allegro FireWire 800 PCIe.
High-speed data transfer was achieved using the Texas Instruments XIO2213A, which is the fastest PCI Express to FireWire 800 controller currently available. By combining these high-speed capabilities with three independently powered 9-pin FireWire 800 full-bandwidth ports, the high-bandwidth requirements of any pro video and audio applications are easily met. This actually increases the usability of external hard drives in general because many media-related applications will be easier to run off them.
Featuring automatic device configuration, the adapter is designed for plug and play simplicity. It works with any PCIe port (1.1 as well as 2.0) and supports all kinds of peripherals that employ the FireWire 800 and FireWire 400. The product also features hot-pluggable and hot-swappable device connection with automatic device configuration and eliminates the need for additional external power bricks through handling bus-powered external drives and audio interfaces by itself.
All in all, the device is capable of writing speeds of up to 70 MB/s and can function on Mac Pro, Power Mac G5 and Xserve platforms, along with PCI Express-equipped Windows systems.
The retail price of the Allegro FireWire 800 PCIe is estimated at around $100.