Firewire capability

K

kirsty

New member
I'm considering either a 14.1 Xenon or a 15.6 Enigma 540 laptop. I know I can configure either with specs that I'd be really happy with, but I do have one question. Is it possible to add Firewire capability to either of these laptops, either built-in or through compatibility with a Firewire express card or something along those lines?

I know the Vortex comes with Firewire built in but considering I'd be perfectly happy with the specs on the other laptops an extra 400 pound just isn't worth it when the only real difference I want is Firewire. However, if I can't get Firewire on the Xenon or Enigma then I'd have to replace a perfectly fine piece of kit which would cost at least another 300, which again isn't really an option I can justify. I'd be happy to buy something like a Firewire card, but I'd need to know if either of these laptops have a slot which would make that possible.

Any ideas of a workaround on this or will I basically have to rule out anything except a Vortex if I'm looking for Firewire? If so I would suggest you look into a solution for this as I'm sure lack of Firewire would put off many customers who work with audio or video and want more than just the highest end options.

Thanks for your help,
Kirsty
 
P

pr1s0ner

Well-known member
I tried (and failed) at adding firewire to the enigma :(
The only viable solution I could find was to add a mini pci-express card, but the slot in the enigma only supports a half sized card.
If you can find one then let me know, other than that the laptop was great, I'd definitely buy another if I could get firewire working on it.
 
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pr1s0ner

Well-known member
hmmmm I did try other hubs, but not that one.
I'm still a bit dubious about converting firewire to USB 2.0, maybe if it was USB 3
 
K

kirsty

New member
pr1s0ner said:
I tried (and failed) at adding firewire to the enigma :(
The only viable solution I could find was to add a mini pci-express card, but the slot in the enigma only supports a half sized card.
If you can find one then let me know, other than that the laptop was great, I'd definitely buy another if I could get firewire working on it.
Click to expand...
Yeah I use an express card on my current laptop. It didn't come with Firewire but at least there was a workaround. I'd even be willing to try an internal card sort of configuration but I can't see anywhere it could be fitted into the laptop enclosure itself.

PCS said:
Consider an external firewire hub. We've not tested this solution before but it's priced in the £25 - £49 range and appears to give firewire/USB connectivity to any notebook:

http://www.iogear.com/product/GUH420/
Click to expand...
Yeah I'll look into that. I don't know how it would work for audio though, I'd share the same concerns as pr1s0ner on that as using USB 2.0 would kind of ruin the aadvantages of using Firewire anyway. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any USB 3.0 versions of that though as I'm sure they'll come along eventually too.
 
K

kirsty

New member
Also pr1s0ner I don't know if you meant something like this as a mini pci-express card? If that was what you meant again I'm not sure how you could integrate that into the laptop although if there is a way of doing it I'd also be interested.
 
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pr1s0ner

Well-known member
Yeah thats what I meant. There is a slot on the laptop, it had a wireless card in but that a lot easier to move to one of the usb's. The problem is that it will only take half sized cards. I think if you didn't mind modifying the chassis then it could be made to fit, I just wasn't too keen on cutting up a brand new machine :)
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Either way, the slot for the half size (or even full size) express cards are somewhere in the centre of the laptop. There's no wiring running to a firewire port on the side/rear of the laptop, so unless you had the laptop open with the bottom panels removed the mini-PCIe card solution wouldn't work I'm afraid.
 
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