windows 7 - Does old pci devices harm my new computer?

08
2014-07
  • Fabián

    I have an old device that can be used also as a recorder (pci device with an output of 480p) called "KWorld Plus TV Analog Lite PCI" and has these requirements:

    • Intel Pentium IV 2.0 GHz or equivalent AMD CPU or higher
      • 256MB RAM of system memory or above
      • PCI 2.2 Compliant Slot
      • Graphics Card with 64 MB memory or above (must support DirectX 9.0c)
      • Sound Card (AC97 compatible sound card)
      • 2GB free HD space for recording
      • Microsoft Windows (r) XP SP2 / Windows XP MCE 2005

    For Microsoft Media Center, Time-shifting

    • Intel Pentium IV 3.0GHz or equivalent AMD CPU or higher
      • DDR400 1024MB RAM of system memory or above
      • Graphics Card
      • Sound Card must be compatible with Windows Vista
      • Windows XP MCE 2005 / Windows Vista Premium above

    I'm using Windows 7 64 bits in my computer which has: processor Intel i5, 8GB RAM, on-board graphics card.

    My brother suspects it can do harm to the computer because the TV display wasn't ok at all (there was a thin line of image imperfection), but I don't want to use it to watch tv, all I want to do is to record the monitor display (like any game capture device), and I never tried that feature before.

    What are exactly the posibilities? Is there actually a risk?

    • Answers
  • txtechhelp

    If the PCI board is physically OK (i.e. it's not doing any weirdness electrically) and you can find the Windows 7 64 bit drivers for it, then there shouldn't be any "problems". At most your computer won't boot with the card in it (removing the card would allow it to boot), but chances are the "thin line of image imperfection" you saw was due to a some output issue (i.e. the image pushed to the display, not the images traversing the PCI bus) and shouldn't cause any issues in regards to recording or using the device on the machine you have.

    Just test the card out; plug it in, turn on the machine and make sure Windows recognizes the device. If the machine boots with the card in it and nothing pops or sizzles, then you're biggest hurdle will be finding the right drivers for it.

    Hope that helps.


    • Related Question

    pci express - Can i turn a PCI-e x1 slot into an old PCI slot?
  • Faken

    Is it possible to convert a PCI-e x1 slot into an old PCI slot? If so, how?


    • Related Answers
  • Troggy

    No, this is not possible. I have never seen a product for that purpose and I am not sure how they could do it. Pci-e slots(not even the full size 16x versions, let alone a 1x) are not backwards compatible with pci.

    Edit: People are finding solutions for this. I do however agree they are not that cheap, add complexity (drivers, overhead, etc), and some of these adapters I am seeing will only work with low profile cards. I know some of these adapters will not work with all cases. You might have to remove the case mount plate on the PCI card to be able to use. If it is a full height PCI card, you might be stuck in many cases, unless you do not mind the side of your case being off.

  • Faken

    Well after a little digging around (which I guess i should have done first) the truth of the matter is, yes, there actually are. There are little cards that you can slip into the PCI-e x1 slot to convert it to a PCI slot. Why would anyone want to do this you ask? well, many companies still make products intended for PCI slots, not PCI-e. It was the graphics card companies that lead the rush twords PCI-e (and for some very valid reasons).

    However, new interfaces take time to get accepted, besides, if an old standard works perfectly fine, development of the product to switch to a new standard would be extra costs.

    Unfortunately most computer motherboard manufacturers seem to want to follow the rush twords new technology even when older technology still works fine. What i don't understand is why do computer motherboard manufactures even put PCI-e x1 card slots in their systems. At the moment, the only technology that uses PCI-e slots is either graphics cards, raid controllers, or USB2.0. As far as graphics cards go, the PCI-e x16 slot is a necessary advancement. However, no one buys raid controllers because most people who use it have raid chips inside their motherboards anyways, this goes the same with USB2.0.

    So whats the point of having PCI-e x1, x4, and x8 slots if they are rarely used? Insted of a useless PCI-e x1 slot, why not put in a useful PCI slot insted?

    PCI-e x1 to PCI converters:

    http://www.virtuavia.eu/shop/index.php?target=categories&category%5Fid=227&sl=EN

  • Ben S

    PCIe-to-PCI converters exist, but they are rather expensive and add another layer of complexity to a computer's setup.

    It's generally cheaper to purchase a new expansion card that is PCIe rather than attempting to fiddle with a converter.

  • calyth

    Assuming that you're actually trying to plug a PCIe card to your desktop...

    Double check your motherboard's manual. Sometimes you can plug a PCIe x1 board to a slot that is PCIe but more lanes than x1.

    If you're trying to plug a PCI card on to a PCIe slot, that's quite different. You can probably still find a PCI to PCIe bridge somewhere, but it's not worth your while.