Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (
More info?)
In article <1127014282.390958.269070@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
mahadragon@gmail.com wrote:
> Here ya go:
>
>
http://www.digit-life.com/news.html?122267
>
> Bill
>
> That article is two days old. It's a good thing for you I didn't post
> my question 3 days ago or you wouldn't have any response!
>
> Why Belkin?? How come we can't get reputable companies like Audigy,
> Creative, or Linksys to make peripherals for PCI Express X 1?
The problem is, you don't have any appreciation for exactly how
high tech PCI-Express really is. Both it and SATA have taken
a big leap, compared to the technologies they replace.
The PCI Express signals work at 2.5 gigabits/sec. Up to a few years
ago, you would only find those signals inside fiber optic networking
equipment, where the circuit packs cost $100,000 a piece. Or
inside test instruments costing $50,000 and upwards.
The practical upper limit for signal transmission on an FR4 PCB
material, is about 3Gb/sec. I have not been keeping up on the
technology, but perhaps a signal can be pushed 18" at that speed,
without the use of more complicated I/O pad design (pre-emphasis ?).
FR4 PCB material is lossy, especially at high frequencies. No
motherboard, or add-in card manufacturer, wants to use exotic
dielectrics for the printed circuit material.
For a new technology to be successful, it must be easily applied
by humble ordinary engineers. If only a hundred specialists can
make the technology, it will never be wide spread.
At the silicon end, up until a few years ago, maybe you would
find LVDS I/O pads operating at 622Mb/sec or with a few companies,
perhaps twice that I/O rate (1.2Gb/sec). There really weren't a lot
of good reasons to make I/O pads that work faster than that (with
the exception of telecom and fiber optics customers and the like,
and the business they generate is minimal).
What does that mean to your average company ? First, you need
someone who knows how to route a cheap FR4 PCB with the 2.5Gb/sec
signals. Those guys don't grow on trees. Next, you have to use the
latest silicon technology (90nm perhaps), to get the 2.5Gb/sec
I/O pad to drive the signals. If you are doing analog signal
processing, perhaps the analog functions plus the digital functions
you need, are not available in the same cell library - this
stuff all has to live on the same chip, after all.
In other words, you need deep pockets, to fund the new lab equipment
(measure eye opening of PCI Express I/O signals), to find the
silicon tech that supports both your applications circuits and
also the PCI Express I/O.
And, not all add-in card areas seem to have continued interest
in hardware development. I don't expect to see cheap PCI Express
SCSI controllers for example. There is this RAID controller on
Newegg, but I wouldn't expect to find a non-RAID controller
any time soon, nor one at a decent price.
LSI Logic LSI00008 PCI Express x8 SCSI RAID ($620)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16816118027
SATA is the future, and there should be more SATA cards than SCSI.
Areca ARC-1220 PCI-Express x8 SATA Controller Card RAID ($695)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16816131004
With the old 32 bit PCI, the signals work at 33Mb/sec or 66Mb/sec,
versus PCI Express 2500Mb/sec. That is a factor of 38 faster
in the latter case. It will take time for the necessary tools
and information to spread, before any garage operation can
make PCI Express hardware.
Paul
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