Does Apple need a six-slot Mac?

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June 9, 2000
Web posted at: 11:13 a.m. EDT (1513 GMT)

by David Read

(IDG) -- Many professional Mac users, especially those working in video and audio production, have long complained about the limited number of PCI slots -- three -- in Apple's Power Mac G3 and G4 systems. Others have noticed that the PCI cards needed to support legacy SCSI- and serial-based peripherals have left them with only one or two free slots. These users are lamenting the demise of the six-slot Power Mac 9500-9600, and some have called on Apple to release a similarly configured Power Mac G4.

Queried on the subject at Apple's annual shareholders meeting in April, CEO Steve Jobs contended that the need for extra slots has "really gone down as an issue with our pro customers," given the availability of multifunction PCI cards and Power Macs with integrated FireWire and USB interfaces.

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But advocates for a six-slot Mac aren't buying his argument. While you can minimize your use of slots by purchasing a multifunction card or USB-to-serial or -SCSI adapter, in many situations you have no choice but to add extra cards. You may need a fast SCSI-3 hard drive or a RAID controller, or you may want to drive a second monitor. A DV producer could fill three PCI slots even before adding video or audio hardware.

Magma to the rescue

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In steps Magma, whose PCI expansion products allow Mac users to add either seven or 13 PCI slots to their Macs.

The PCI specification allows for extra slots to be added externally. Magma's expansion towers begin with a PCI card that fits into your Mac's last free PCI slot. The card, which has a PCI bridge controller chip similar to the one inside your Mac, connects to the external expansion tower through a wide cable. A second PCI controller chip manages the slots inside the tower.

The tower's 33MHz, 32-bit PCI slots conform to the PCI spec, and Magma claims they are not appreciably slower than the slots inside your Mac. There's no appreciable lag because PCI transfers data to the CPU in bursts; the controllers determine which PCI card is communicating with the CPU at any one time.

Ironically, Magma told MacWEEK that many of its customers are Power Mac 9500 users who need more than six slots.

Digidesign and Media 100 have authorized use of Magma's PCI expansion hardware with their professional products, the former for audio, the latter for video.

The main drawback to Magma's hardware is the $1,000-plus price tag. Professional users who really need the extra slots may find this reasonable. Users who cannot justify the expense don't have many options. You can plug along with a Power Mac 9500, perhaps with a CPU upgrade, or configure your Mac in a way that minimizes use of PCI cards.

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Magma
Digidesign
Media 100 Inc.

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