IBM, CardBus Slots, and PCIe

[AtmosMan]

I was reading an article from The Inquirer, and I came across this:

"Athlon 64 FX-53 at 2.4GHz scores 1623/1595 and a P4EE at 3.4GHz hits 1667/1578...Enter Alviso, the new PM chipset debuting in January. This offers dual channel DDR2-533 support and a 533MHz FSB, along with other goodies like PCI-Express. How well does it do? Try 1685/1304 at 2133MHz."

The full article is here:

http://theinquirer.net/?article=19495

This makes me want the Alviso and Sonoma even more. One thing though is PCIe. Do you think that when IBM comes out with new TP's using this new technology they will totally rid of the CardBus slots and replace it with PCIe? I ask because I am really looking into some Type II CardBus products, but I don't know if they will be able to run in a PCIe slot. Another way of asking is, if IBM trashes the CardBus and replaces it with PCIe, will it be backwards compatible with the Type II CardBus products?

Thanks for any input.

[JHEM]

I would think that Cardbus support would be continued, especially as the PCI Express implementation in laptops is primarily for video chips, no?

http://www.pcisig.com/home

AMD is already shipping PCIe MBs: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041011-4297.html

Regards,

James

[monty cantsin]

I would think that Cardbus support would be continued, especially as the PCI Express implementation in laptops is primarily for video chips, no?

No, not exactly. A successor of the PC-Card standard that utilizes PCI Express is already in the making. It was first called "NewCard", but has been renamed "ExpressCard" since.

Here's the official homepage:

http://www.expresscard.org/

Best regards,
Monty

[monty cantsin]

Do you think that when IBM comes out with new TP's using this new technology they will totally rid of the CardBus slots and replace it with PCIe?

I think there is a misunderstanding here: PCI Express means a way that hardware components communicate with each other, it is no specific slot. That said, PCI Express isn't really a 'replacement' for CardBus, it's rather related to the technology behind it. One could rather say that CardBus has been the PCI slot for mobile computers until now, while ExpressCard will be the PCI Express slot for future notebook PCs.

"ExpressCard Standard Delivered to Industry
New Form Factor Standard Supports PCI Express Architecture"

http://www.pcisig.com/news_room/news/pr ... 003_09_16/

"PCI Express® Architecture
Frequently Asked Questions
Architectures Related to PCI Express Technology
Q14. What is ExpressCard* technology?
Q15. Who developed the ExpressCard standard?
Q16: How can PCI Express developers build components that can be integrated into ExpressCard products?
Q17: What is the compliance program for ExpressCard products?"

http://www.pcisig.com/news_room/faqs/faq_express/

Another way of asking is, if IBM trashes the CardBus and replaces it with PCIe,

Yes, you can be sure, IBM helped to develop the new ExpressCard standard (see Q15 from the FAQ posted above), so they will introduce it. It will be a matter of time, however, and we'll have to see how quickly it goes, and if there will be machines that offer both, a CardBus and an ExpressCard slot.

will it be backwards compatible with the Type II CardBus products?

No, the ExpressCard has a totally different form factor.

[AtmosMan]

Thanks for the info guys. Helps my decision a lot.

-Brian