The death of PCIe

This post was first published in May 2014 at projectstudiohandbook.com/PSHforum

As we plan our forthcoming DAW upgrades, those of us that have made significant investments in PCIe based DSP (eg UAD), audio 'sound-cards' (eg RME, Focusrite Rednet), and Pro Tools i/o cards (Digi-link), are waking up to the fact that Apple no longer makes a Mac with PCIe slots, and if past experience is anything to go by, that spells doom for the long term viability of the format. 

The new Mac Pro has 6 Thunderbolt ports each capable of supporting 6 devices running at 25x the speed of FireWire 800! Thunderbolt is THE new preferred hi-speed 'professional' interconnect format, and as manufactures rush to adapt existing and develop new products, you can bet they won't be wasting resources updating their old PCIe drivers for new OSs.

Interestingly, in addition to 4k video display interconnect formats (eg Apple's DisplayPort), Thunderbolt can transport PCIe 'format' data, but only within its entirely new interconnect protocol. 

As we write, the only viable intermediate solution is an external PCIe to Thunderbolt chassis enclosure, and at current eye watering prices of around 400-500 dollars for a single card device, many will be wondering if such expenditure is worthwhile in the long run. After all, PCIe card manufactures will already be planning their next gen hardware, which will presumably be externally enclosed and Thunderbolt connected. We wonder what upgrade paths there may be?

As has been the case with FireWire for some time, anyone considering buying a PCIe product should think very carefully before committing to an expensive purchase.

We've been here before and will do so again. Keep your powder dry. 

Thanks for reading.
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