Adding USB, FireWire

Q. I have a non-USB Power Mac, and I'm starting to get jealous of all of my friends who have newer Macs. They can use all of the new FireWire and USB components, but I can't. I don't want to buy a new computer; is there any way to upgrade my Mac to use USB and FireWire?

A. Yes, there is, as long as your Mac (or clone) has PCI slots. You can add USB or FireWire to as easily as you add RAM to it. Several companies make expansion cards that you can put into your Mac via a PCI slot. (Before anyone asks, there are no USB or FireWire cards for desktop Macs that don't have PCI slots.)

The PCI expansion cards that you can buy for your Mac that add USB capability usually come with two or four ports. You can get one from MacMall, Outpost.com, or just about anywhere else that sells Macintosh equipment. Belkin, PortGear, and many other manufactures make USB cards for your computer. You can usually pick one up for under US$110.

However, there are still some down sides to this upgrade. The first one is the fact that you need to have room inside your computer for it. Most PowerMac's have 2 or 3 free PCI slots, and not many people fill all of them - or even one of them. The other downside is that to put something inside your computer, you obviously need to open it up (duh!). And sometimes this takes a little more know-how than some people have, so you might need to take a trip to your local Mac repair place. This might add a little bit to the cost, but it's still cheaper then buying a new computer.

But for some people, just USB isn't enough to keep up with all of the other people who have cool new Graphite or Snow iMacs; these people need FireWire, too! But don't worry, you can add these cards to your computer just as easily as adding a USB card. You can pick one up for about US$125 and they usually come in either 2 or 4 port versions. MacAlly, Belkin and many others too make these add-ons as well.

If you want to add both USB and FireWire, companies such as Sonnet, Orange Micro, PowerLogix, and FireWire Direct make cards that support both for under US$170.

So, in the end, getting up to snuff with the people with new Macs isn't exactly as hard as you think, so get out there and start upgrading!

Evan Kleiman has been writing for Low End Mac since January 1999. He also runs his own site, Evansite. Evan uses an iMac, along with some vintage hardware. You can read more about his computing experience in The Many Macs of Evan Kleiman.