Question About Expansion Slots

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 27 Nov 2019 9:14 am

What is the exact name of the type of expansion slot that would be needed in order to accept the sound card below so that it can be inserted into a USB device like the one in the second image? It doesn't fit into the device in the second image.

The sound card fits properly into a slot on a standard sized PC. I may just need to know the name given to that sized expansion slot.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 27 Nov 2019 8:24 pm

I believe that card has a PCI connector array and requires a PCI slot. These slots go way back to Windows XP motherboards of the early 2000s and are probably non-existent in modern motherboards. Furthermore, even if you find an old XP computer that still works and has this type of slot, old M-Audio drivers may be unobtainable.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 27 Nov 2019 8:47 pm

Here is a PCI Express to PCI adapter card that plugs into your modern motherboard to accept old PCI cards like the M-Audio in your photo.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 27 Nov 2019 9:16 pm

I did some digging for you and found the last legacy drivers for the Delta cards, issued by M-Audio in 2012. They are Windows 7 drivers.

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 28 Nov 2019 5:43 pm

Wiz Feinberg wrote:I believe that card has a PCI connector array and requires a PCI slot. These slots go way back to Windows XP motherboards of the early 2000s and are probably non-existent in modern motherboards. Furthermore, even if you find an old XP computer that still works and has this type of slot, old M-Audio drivers may be unobtainable.

I have had this same basic sound card plugged into a pci slot before. It fits just fine in a regular motherboard.

Would a PCI express slot be any different?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Nov 2019 2:50 am

Some (many) PCI sound cards require true PCI slots. Modern motherboards that have a PCI slot are not a "true" PCI slot but just a bridge to the PCIe bus.

Using these old PCI cards, such as this one, in modern motherboards and current Windows (e.g. Win 10) is iffy at best from comments on some recording forums.

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 29 Nov 2019 7:08 am

Jack Stoner wrote:Some (many) PCI sound cards require true PCI slots. Modern motherboards that have a PCI slot are not a "true" PCI slot but just a bridge to the PCIe bus.

Using these old PCI cards, such as this one, in modern motherboards and current Windows (e.g. Win 10) is iffy at best from comments on some recording forums.

I bought a computer like the one below as a backup but it is much more powerful than the one I use for recording now. I am running Windows 7. So, I am trying to find a way to use and M Audio sound card in it and switch it with the recording computer. The case is slim, so I don't see a way to run a cable out the back into a breakout box. I haven't opened the case.

I was hoping to find some kind of USB based expansion slot that it would fit into but that doesn't seem to be all that easy to do.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-i5-QUAD-C ... 2749.l2649

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Nov 2019 7:25 am

That is a Dell OptiPlex 7010. Its listed by Dell as a "Legacy System" since its over 5 years old. But still a workable system. The OptiPlex line is sold by Dell as a "business" system. Hopefully you got a good one. I work the Dell support forums and we see a lot of problem posts from users that have bought used systems.

Here is the link to the Dell service manual:
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all- ... _en-us.pdf

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 29 Nov 2019 7:41 am

Jack Stoner wrote:That is a Dell OptiPlex 7010. Its listed by Dell as a "Legacy System" since its over 5 years old. But still a workable system. The OptiPlex line is sold by Dell as a "business" system. Hopefully you got a good one. I work the Dell support forums and we see a lot of problem posts from users that have bought used systems.

Here is the link to the Dell service manual:
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all- ... _en-us.pdf

I get good use out of old Dells I use them as the workhorses they were intended to to be.

For recording they seem to work just fine. I am sure "business computers" have some limitations but I can't say I know what what those limitations are. This particular one works very well so far for what I use it for. Thanks for the reply.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 29 Nov 2019 8:57 am

I have a home recording studio using Cakewalk Sonar and Presonus Studio 1 4.5 Pro. Most new DAW versions are 64 bit. Plug-ins are also either 64 bit (e.g. Izotope Ozone 9) or moving to 64 bit. That limits Win 7 support.

Business systems are fine for audio production, just the built in audio is limited in most. Dell's higher business line (Workstations) "Precision" is also a good DAW PC.

However I would suggest the full size desktops, since they will accept full size expansion cards.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 29 Nov 2019 9:08 am

I dug up an old SoundBlaster Forte 7.1 card and breakout box from my Windows XP computer days. I did a little research and found the biggest problem was the lack of drivers for Windows 7 or 10. Unsupported devices are bad investments and can cause BSODs in Windows if a system updated renders it incompatible. I saw a few reports of this happening to people running custom drivers from a particular coder.