For a while now, mobo makers have included the smaller PCI Express X1 slots on mobo and I was thinking of getting a Firewire card for my new rig but when I went to check on several sites, the lowest price I could find was about $26. Most places were in the 30's and Newegg was in the 50's!!! By comparison a PCI card was as low as $5 at Newegg. What on earth is the justification for this kind of gouging?
Why are PCI Express cards so expensive?
- Thread starter perdomot
- Start date
"New" technology (the cards I mean, slots have been around for years now). Not too many companies making cards for the x1 or x4 slots. Its the same with all new technology.
RebateMonger
Elite Member
- Dec 24, 2005
- 11,586
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Like someone just said, newer technology and not many ppl using it yet. I happen to be selling a PCI fire 800 card if you're interested
eplebnista
Lifer
- Dec 3, 2001
- 24,123
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Wait, you think $50 is gouging? You oughta look at some of the other cards on there before you complain about $50....
I'd say charging 10 times the price is DEFINATELY gouging. I already have a pci firewire card and the price at Newegg is as low as $5. Five bucks versus fifty is way too much, nevermind that another card was $80 and not even FW 800. If you want FW 800, the lowest price is $93. Tell me something isn't wrong with this picture.
There's nothing wrong with this picture. It costs money to develop new products. Someone (the customer) needs to pay for that R&D. PCI firewire cards have been out for years, the R&D has long since been recouped. PCI-E cards are new, and very few companies are selling them. That equals much higher prices.
How is $26 10x times $5? What kind of new math is that?
How is $26 10x times $5? What kind of new math is that?
...and it's not gouging either.
As long as you're free to solicit other vendors and alternatives, I don't think it's gouging.
As long as you're free to solicit other vendors and alternatives, I don't think it's gouging.
You're implying that he has absolutely no choice but to get a PCI-e card - that's not true. But - I questions this analogy (the alternative to gasoline is walking, biking, diesel, electric cars, or public transportation).
If it's gouging - what's to stop them from charging $1,000 per card? Your ability to buy an alternative is the answer.
I thought this thread would've ended with my reply.
Anyway, another reason is convenience. Say you have your sound/tv tuner/whatever else cards in your pci slots and you want to add firewire or something to your pc. You have the option of either buying a new mobo with fw OR get a pci-e card instead and save some money.
Thats just how things work man. I don't understand how people can live in a capitalist society and not get the point.
Anyway, another reason is convenience. Say you have your sound/tv tuner/whatever else cards in your pci slots and you want to add firewire or something to your pc. You have the option of either buying a new mobo with fw OR get a pci-e card instead and save some money.
Thats just how things work man. I don't understand how people can live in a capitalist society and not get the point.
Lets clear up a few points:
The new mobo I bought for my new rig has no Firewire but I do have a PCI card for Firewire. The new mobo DOES have 2 PCI-Express 1 slots and only 3 PCI slots. Between my sound card, video capture card and FW card, all 3 PCI slots get filled up while the two PCI-E slots remain unused. I was thinking of getting a FW card for one of the PCI-E slots until I saw the prices.(5 to 10 times the PCI equivelent) Now I understand that new tech costs more but 5 times the price for FW tech that has been around for decades seems wrong to me. Sure the interface with the mobo is new but does it provide any kind of significant benefit? Not to my knowledge. It also should be pointed out that mobo makers are putting these PCI-E slots on the mobo instead of the old PCI ones, in effect forcing the buyer to get the more expensive PCI-E cards if they have more than 2-3 PCI cards in the system. Personally, I would prefer to have only the PCI-E slot for the vid card and everything else would be PCI slots. Unfortunately, the mobo makers aren't doing that.
One last point: Seems some folks take issue with the word "gouging". While I suppose different people have differing views of what constitutes gouging, my personal view is that charging a minimum of 5 times the price for tech that has been around a long time simply because the interface is different constitutes gouging. I checked several sites for price comparison and around $26 plus shipping was the lowest I could find. My initial trip was to Newegg where I saw this page:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...87117619&name=PCI+Express+to+1394+Card
Now compare that with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...10073%201187112432&bop=And&Order=PRICE
As someone else pointed out, I am free to check competitors(I did) but considering Newegg is the big boy on the block and usually offer excellent prices, I had to say I was floored by what I saw. That's my two cents on this issue.
The new mobo I bought for my new rig has no Firewire but I do have a PCI card for Firewire. The new mobo DOES have 2 PCI-Express 1 slots and only 3 PCI slots. Between my sound card, video capture card and FW card, all 3 PCI slots get filled up while the two PCI-E slots remain unused. I was thinking of getting a FW card for one of the PCI-E slots until I saw the prices.(5 to 10 times the PCI equivelent) Now I understand that new tech costs more but 5 times the price for FW tech that has been around for decades seems wrong to me. Sure the interface with the mobo is new but does it provide any kind of significant benefit? Not to my knowledge. It also should be pointed out that mobo makers are putting these PCI-E slots on the mobo instead of the old PCI ones, in effect forcing the buyer to get the more expensive PCI-E cards if they have more than 2-3 PCI cards in the system. Personally, I would prefer to have only the PCI-E slot for the vid card and everything else would be PCI slots. Unfortunately, the mobo makers aren't doing that.
One last point: Seems some folks take issue with the word "gouging". While I suppose different people have differing views of what constitutes gouging, my personal view is that charging a minimum of 5 times the price for tech that has been around a long time simply because the interface is different constitutes gouging. I checked several sites for price comparison and around $26 plus shipping was the lowest I could find. My initial trip was to Newegg where I saw this page:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...87117619&name=PCI+Express+to+1394+Card
Now compare that with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...10073%201187112432&bop=And&Order=PRICE
As someone else pointed out, I am free to check competitors(I did) but considering Newegg is the big boy on the block and usually offer excellent prices, I had to say I was floored by what I saw. That's my two cents on this issue.
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