An internal Firewire Port Card is a device that connects to a computer’s internal bus and provides Firewire ports for external devices. Firewire is a serial bus protocol that is mainly used for connecting external storage devices, such as hard drives and DVD burners. It is also used for connecting digital video cameras, audio interfaces, and other peripherals. Some of the renowned brands are Apple, Sonnet, and OWC.
Choosing the right internal firewire port card is difficult as there are many factors to consider, such as the type of ports, the speed of the ports, and compatibility with your computer. To make it easier to find the exact internal firewire port card you’re looking for, we rounded up the best internal firewire port cards on Amazon, according to thousands of customer reviews.
Check out our favorite internal firewire port cards in the list below, and keep reading for our buying guide.
Our Editor’s Best Internal Firewire Port Cards Reviews
- 3 external, 1 shared internal FireWire400 port, with supported data transfer rates up to 400 Mbps
- Compliant with IEEE 1394a
- 2000 as well as 1394-1995 standards
- Includes Low Profile installation bracket
- Plug-and-Play and hot-swap compatible
- 1. PCIE-1394A will allow users add 4X 1394A (3X 6Pin and 1X 4Pin) interface on Windows desktop PCs and industrial devices for 1394A devices data transfer. Help users light up old type 1394A devices on new PCs and import data from old device such and DV camcorders.
- 2. Supports IEEE 1394A FireWire 400 datalink protocol, each 1394A interface will get 400Mbps (50MB/S) max data transfer rate. Auto detect 1394A firewire devices and negotiates the connection speed to 100Mbps, 200Mbps, 400Mbps.
- 3. Compatible with IEEE 1394-1995, 1394a-2000, 1394A OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) 1.1 standard interface devices, such as Digital Cameras, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM Drive, DV Camcorders, Hard Drives, Media Equipment, 1394A Video Devices, 1394A Audio Devices and Printers.
- 4. Plug and Play on Windows 98, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 (32/64bit) and Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012R2, 2012, 2008R2, 2008, 2003R2, 2003 (32/64bit). Please NOTE: Due to setting issue, some PCs need to install Windows Legacy Driver.
- 5. PCIE 1.1 standard, PCIE X1 interface, will provide 2.5Gbps bandwidth for all 4-Ports 1394A card. PCIE 1.1 standard, will work on PCIE 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 standard. PCIE X1 interface, will works on PCIE X1, X2, X4, X8, X16 slot.
- Ports: 2x 1394B firewire ports, 1x 1394A firewire port, 1x 1394A firewire internal header (Shared Port)
- 1-Lane (x1) PCI-Express with transfer rate 2.5Gbps Full Duplex channel
- Compliant with PCI-Express Revision 1.0a
- Support provisions of IEEE Standard P1394b-2002
- Compliant with 1394 Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) specification Revision 1.1 and 1.2 draft
- 【Easy to install】PCI-E 1X to 1394a card is plug-and-play, no need to install drivers, the card can be used immediately after installation, very easy to install.
- 【Widely compatible】PCIe IEEE 1394 firewire adapter is compatible with CD-ROM, DVD-ROM Drive, DV camcorders,disk recorders, digital cameras, camcorders, audio capture cards and audio devices, printers, scanners, digital video recorders, video editing cards, and devices with 1394A/B interfaces (such as data acquisition cards).
- 【Supported systems】Win Me,Win 2000,Windows 7 8 10 11,XP,Windows 98se,server 2003,xp 64-bit, Vista
- 【High-speed transmission】PCIE-1394A supports 100/200/400/800mbps data transfer rate & PCI Express systems，Compatible with IEEE 1394 OpenHCI specification version 1.0 and v1.1.
- 【NOTE】Product Includes: 1x VT6308P 1394a PCIe capture card, 1x Low Profile Bracket, 1x FireWire 400 cable.PCIe Firewire 400 Card just provides a channel from the camera to the computer only, the image captured by the camera does not make any modification, if the captured video is not satisfactory, please check the pixel settings of your camera.This model is VIA chip, so it does not support the firewire sound card.Please contact us if you have any questions!
- 【Firewire Card】PCIE-1394A will allow users add 4X 1394A (3X 6Pin and 1X 4Pin) interface on Windows desktop PCs and industrial devices for 1394A devices data transfer. Help users light up old type 1394A devices on new PCs and import data from old device such and DV camcorders.
- Plug and Play 】Windows 98, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 (32/64bit) and Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012R2, 2012, 2008R2, 2008, 2003R2, 2003 (32/64bit). Please NOTE: Due to setting issue, some PCs need to install Windows Legacy Driver.
- 【Widely compatible】IEEE 1394-1995, 1394a-2000, 1394A OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) 1.1 standard interface devices, such as Digital Cameras, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM Drive, DV Camcorders, Hard Drives, Media Equipment, 1394A Video Devices, 1394A Audio Devices and Printers.
- 【Supported systems】 each 1394A interface will get 400Mbps (50MB/S) max data transfer rate. Auto detect 1394A firewire devices and negotiates the connection speed to 100Mbps, 200Mbps, 400Mbps.
- 【ATTENTION】 PCIE-1394A using PCIE X1 interface, users must check if PC have at least one empty PCIE slot before purchase.
- [SIMULTANEOUS OF MULTIPLE DEVICES] - Connect and use multiple high-performance devices simultaneously with this PCI-E FireWire 1394a Controller Card.
- [PLUG-AND-PLAY CONNECTION] - Supports hot-swapping and plug-and-play connection of peripheral devices.
- [WIDE DEVICE COMPATIBILITY] - Works with various types of FireWire 800 (1394b) and 1394a devices including portable hard disks, DV camcorders, digital cameras, and more.
- [FAST TRANSFER RATE] - 1-Lane (x1) PCI-Express with a transfer rate of 2.5Gb/s full duplex channel.
- [COMPLIANT WITH INDUSTRY STANDARDS] - Compliant with PCI-Express Revision 1.0a, IEEE 1394 OpenHCI Specifications V1.1 and V1.2, and IEEE 1394-1995 for a high-performance serial bus.
- Add two 1394b FireWire 800 ports and one 1394a port to your Mac Pro or Windows system.
- Built with TI XIO2213 chipset. Fast and reliable FireWire expansion.
- Low Profile PCIe Form Factor. Include both Low Profile and Regular Size PCIe brackets
- Compliant with Provisions of IEEE P1394b-2002, IEEE 1394a-2000 and 1394-1995 Standard
- High quality. Fully RoHS compliant. Made in Taiwan.
- Compliant with PCI Express Base Specification 1.0a
- Compliant with IEEE 1394-1995, 1394a-2000 and OHCI 1.1 Standards
- PCI Express 1-lane(x1) FireWire adapters works with PCI Express slots with different lane width
- Installs in any available PCI Express slot and supports data transfer rates up to 400Mbps
- Three external and One internal 6-pin FireWire(1394a) ports to support DV camcorders, hard disk, removable drives, scanner, digital cameras and other FireWire audio/video devices
- Two 9-pin FireWire 800 ports, each with transfer rates up to 800Mbps
- One 6-pin FireWire 400 port, each with transfer rates up to 400Mbps
- Includes full/standard profile installation bracket
- Built with a native PCI Express chipset, no bridge chip
- Internal power connector for high-powered FireWire devices
- 1-Lane (x1) PCI-Express with transfer rate 2.5Gb/s full duplex channel
- 3x External Ports (2 * 6 Pin + 1 * 4 Pin)
- Compliant with PCI-Express Revision 1.0a. Support 400/200/100Mbps data transfer rate
- Compliant with IEEE 1394 OpenHCI Specifications V1.0 and V1.1
- Attention: Don't Support hot-plugging. Before installation, Turn off the power and then plug in the power cord.
Best Internal Firewire Port Cards Buying Guide
Before choosing the best internal FireWire port cards you should consider following options:
1. Types of Cards Available: FireWire cards come in three different types: internal port card, external port card, and PCIe card.
Internal port cards are the most common, plugging into one of the computer’s existing internal PCI slots. The computer will then have FireWire support even if the operating system doesn’t have support built-in.
External port cards are a good option if you want to connect FireWire devices to a computer that doesn’t have FireWire built-in. External port cards can be daisy-chained together to allow for the connection of multiple FireWire devices.
PCIe cards are the newest, most powerful cards available. They can support the newest generation of FireWire and Thunderbolt devices, including hard drives and high-resolution video.
2. Speed: The speed of the card you purchase will depend on the devices you intend to connect.
If you’re connecting external drives, video cameras, or other peripherals, you don’t need a high-speed card. Standard FireWire cards will work fine.
If you want to connect high-resolution video cameras and some high-end digital video editing equipment, you’ll want an internal PCIe card.
3. Supported Standards: When choosing a FireWire card, you should make sure it supports the standards you need. The most common standards supported by FireWire cards are FireWire 800 (also known as IEEE 1394b), FireWire 400, and FireWire 800+USB2.
FireWire 800 supports data transfer speeds up to 800Mbps. It’s the fastest standard, but not as commonly supported.
FireWire 400 supports data transfer speeds up to 400Mbps. It’s the most common supported standard.
FireWire 800+USB2 supports data transfer speeds up to 800Mbps. It’s the newest standard, which supports both FireWire and USB 2.0.
The FireWire 800+USB2 standard is the most versatile, supporting the highest speeds and connecting to both FireWire and USB devices.
4. Port Configuration: You should make sure the card supports the port configuration you need. FireWire cards can come with one or two ports.
You can purchase single-port cards and daisy-chain them together if you need multiple ports.
5. Power Requirement: Not all FireWire cards require power, but most do. If you want to connect a FireWire device that will require power, such as an external hard drive, you’ll need an internal port card.
If you want to connect a FireWire device without a power requirement, such as a FireWire camera, you can purchase an external port card.
6. Portability: If you’re planning to use the FireWire card in different computers, you’ll want to purchase an internal or external port card.
Internal FireWire cards can easily be swapped in and out of different computers, so long as they support the same standards as the card. External FireWire cards can be connected to a computer that doesn’t have FireWire support.
What else you should know about internal firewire port cards
1. What are the best internal firewire port cards for expanding my computer’s capabilities?
There are a few different firewire port cards that are available on the market, but the best ones are typically the ones that come with a high quality chipset and have a good reputation for being reliable. Some of the best firewire port cards include the Belkin Firewire Card, the SIIG Firewire Card, and the StarTech Firewire Card.
2. What are the different types of internal firewire port cards available?
There are three different types of internal firewire port cards available:
1. PCI Firewire Port Cards: These cards plug into a PCI slot on the motherboard and provide Firewire ports that can be used to connect Firewire devices.
2. PCIe Firewire Port Cards: These cards plug into a PCIe slot on the motherboard and provide Firewire ports that can be used to connect Firewire devices.
3. USB Firewire Port Cards: These cards plug into a USB port on the motherboard and provide Firewire ports that can be used to connect Firewire devices.
3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each type of internal firewire port card?
The benefits of an internal firewire port card are that it can provide additional ports for connecting devices and can be used to connect devices that require high data transfer rates. The drawbacks of an internal firewire port card are that it can be difficult to install and may not be compatible with all motherboards.
4. Which internal firewire port card is best for my needs?
The best internal firewire port card for your needs depends on the specific requirements of your computer system. Some factors to consider include the number of ports needed, the data transfer speed required, and the compatibility of the card with your motherboard.
5. How do I install an internal firewire port card?
Most internal firewire port cards will come with installation instructions. However, if you don’t have the instructions or if they are not clear, the process is generally as follows:
1. Locate an available PCI slot on your computer’s motherboard.
2. Insert the firewire port card into the PCI slot.
3. Connect the firewire port card to the appropriate power source (usually the power supply).
4. Connect the firewire port card to the appropriate data source (usually the computer’s hard drive).
5. Install any drivers or software that came with the firewire port card.
6. Reboot your computer.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best internal firewire port cards. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best internal firewire port cards will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.