Why is this PCMCIA slot so slow?
Discussion
I'm the proud owner of a wizzy new 12" notebook with decent CPU, 3 x USB2 ports and 2Gb RAM.
Recently I wanted to transfer 4Gb of image files from a CF card to the notebook. I'd been given a PCMCIA > CF card and this semed the perfect way to get the data straight in without fuss. I was therefore alarmed to see that it wanted 80 minutes to do it - which is puny USB1 speed.
By plugging a USB2 cardreader into one of the USB2 slots, it only took 7 minutes.
How come PCMCIA is so slow, and can I speed it up?
Recently I wanted to transfer 4Gb of image files from a CF card to the notebook. I'd been given a PCMCIA > CF card and this semed the perfect way to get the data straight in without fuss. I was therefore alarmed to see that it wanted 80 minutes to do it - which is puny USB1 speed.
By plugging a USB2 cardreader into one of the USB2 slots, it only took 7 minutes.
How come PCMCIA is so slow, and can I speed it up?
Check the manual & the card. Is it PCMCIA, PC Card or the new standard erm... PC Express is it?
All are the same form factor unfortunately but vastly different speeds/CPU usage and plugging the wrong thing in to the wrong hole can cause interesting results.
You're better off using a USB device and ignoring the PC Card slot to be honest, less overheads and more speed
By way of comparison I've had two Dell XPS's over the last two years; never once had to use it's PC Card slot, don't think the blanking plate's even been removed... everything bar wireless cards tends to be USB these days
All are the same form factor unfortunately but vastly different speeds/CPU usage and plugging the wrong thing in to the wrong hole can cause interesting results.
You're better off using a USB device and ignoring the PC Card slot to be honest, less overheads and more speed
By way of comparison I've had two Dell XPS's over the last two years; never once had to use it's PC Card slot, don't think the blanking plate's even been removed... everything bar wireless cards tends to be USB these days
ThePassenger said:
Check the manual & the card. Is it PCMCIA, PC Card or the new standard erm... PC Express is it?
Defo PCMCIA. The nearest equivalent is Express 54 but that's what the other model had.
As a major reason for getting the notebook was for transferring images from a CF card, making a handy 'CF slot' seemed the perfect answer, rather than carrying a card reader and lead around as well. Seems odd, as you'd think it would be blasting files straight into the mobo. Ah well.
simpo two said:
ThePassenger said:
Check the manual & the card. Is it PCMCIA, PC Card or the new standard erm... PC Express is it?
Defo PCMCIA. The nearest equivalent is Express 54 but that's what the other model had.
As a major reason for getting the notebook was for transferring images from a CF card, making a handy 'CF slot' seemed the perfect answer, rather than carrying a card reader and lead around as well. Seems odd, as you'd think it would be blasting files straight into the mobo. Ah well.
On Linux you can 'lspci' (not sure if Windows has something like that) and usually you'll spot "ISA-PCMCIA interface bridge" (or PCI-PCMCIA) they're not the fastest things in the world unfortunatley. I take it your stills camera doesn't have a USB or Firewire jack on it? If it does you'd only need to lug a USB or Firewire + adapter around and XP'll just recognise it as a generic mass storage device.
tank slapper said:
You'll probably find it is a crap card reader, especially if it is an old one or a £1 ebay special.
Most laptops have CardBus slots or now ExpressBus, which are effectively PCI or PCI express slots in a card format, so the speed of the slot shouldn't be an issue.
Most laptops have CardBus slots or now ExpressBus, which are effectively PCI or PCI express slots in a card format, so the speed of the slot shouldn't be an issue.
It will become an issue if you slap a PCMCIA (ISA) card in to a CardBus (PCI) hole though. I see manu's dropping compatibility for something that old quite easily. And to be honest looking in my ExpressBus hole on the XPS and the PCMCIA CF reader from the other halfs ancient palmtop... the two will fit, looks to be the same socket (need to get a torch to double check that one though).
Type 1 PCMCIA cards are 16 bit. Type 2 and 3 (different thicknesses) can be either. There should be a notch on 32bit CardBus cards that prevents them being inserted into 16 bit slots. Given that the laptop is new enough to have USB2, it should also have CardBus.
It is possible that a quirky implementation might not properly support a 16 bit card, but I suspect a crap chipset on the card is more likely.
It is possible that a quirky implementation might not properly support a 16 bit card, but I suspect a crap chipset on the card is more likely.
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