An IEEE 1394 card, also called a FireWire card, is a computer hardware device that allows a computer to use IEEE 1394 technology. IEEE 1394 is data transfer technology similar to universal serial bus (USB) technology.
History
IEEE 1394 technology was developed by Apple in the 1980s, and as a result the technology tends to be most common on Macintosh computers.
Benefits
IEEE 1394 cards can allow a computer to connect to certain devices, such as external hard drives and camcorders, and may offer faster transfer speeds than USB.
Significance
USB is a much more prevalent technology than IEEE 1394, to the extent that many computers come with three or more USB ports and no IEEE 1394 card.
Speed
FireWire can transfer data at rates between 400 and 800 megabits per second.
Considerations
IEEE 1394 cards typically connect to the motherboard using a PCI (peripheral component interconnect) expansion slot; if you do not use your IEEE 1394 card, removing it will free up a card slot that you can use for a different device.
Tags: IEEE 1394, 1394 card, 1394 cards, 1394 technology, IEEE 1394