Product Reviews

Despite having one of the most cumbersome names of any product we've seen, the Evergreen IEEE 1394/USB fireLINE Combo Card is a neat device. It performs the same function as the OrangeLink FireWire/USB PCI Board (see Reviews, Vol 16 No 6, p37) in that it provides two USB ports and, in this case, three external FireWire ports on a single PCI card. But the Evergreen has an additional FireWire port for connecting internal devices.

The card itself is half-length, meaning it will fit in any Mac that has a spare PCI slot. The ease with which it can be fitted depends entirely on your Mac. If your spare slot can be accessed easily, fitting the card will be simple; if not, you may have more problems. Unfortunately, you won't be helped by the supplied installation instructions. They are printed on a double-sided A4 sheet and are hard to read.

Unlike other cards, the Evergreen device comes with a power socket, so it can be connected directly to the Mac's power supply. However, this isn't necessary for many peripherals, and using it would mean disconnecting power from an internal drive.

Included

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in the box are a standard FireWire cable and an adaptor for connecting a digital video camera (DV cameras use a smaller connector which doesn't carry power). Windows users also get a bonus software CD, which contains a cut-down version of Ulead's VideoStudio 4.0. There is no such software for Mac users, but with iMovie 1.0 available as a free download from Apple and iMovie 2.0 available soon at a nominal charge, it hardly matters.

Evergreen states that Mac OS 8.6 is a minimum requirement for the Combo Card. But if you're running Mac OS 8.6, rather than Mac OS 9.0, you'll have to download the latest version of the FireWire drivers from Apple's Web site.

We tried connecting a number of devices, including scanners, hard disks and CD writers, and they all worked without any problems on the machines we tested. But it's worth checking with Evergreen that the card will definitely work in your Mac before buying.

FireWire is rapidly becoming the interface of choice for many peripherals. Its fast throughput (400Mbits/sec) and ability to power devices make it preferable to USB for devices such as scanners and hard disks. But there are hundreds of USB devices on the market, so having USB connectivity on an old Mac is very attractive. Having both USB and FireWire on one card is more convenient than installing separate cards, particularly if you have only three PCI slots. This makes the Evergreen extremely attractive and, at £118, it is excellent value for money.

If you want the extra software bundled with the Orange Micro card then it'll suit you better. Otherwise, the ability of the Evergreen card to connect directly to the Mac's power supply makes it a winner.