Customer Reviews

Adaptec FireConnect Kit AFW-4300

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this card after trying another Adaptec card - the DuoConnect 3121 - which has Firewire and USB2.0 connectors.

My advise: if you run Windows 2000 - stick with the simpler 4300 Firewire card (this card). It is simple and easy to install. No drivers, and the extra software is only needed for cameras/DVDs (I use my card for my new scanner). I have had troublefree service from it so far.

The Adaptec DuoConnect 3121, on the other hand, looks very tempting on paper - but trying to install it on Windows 2000 is an absolute nightmare (if you already have other adapter cards). I had severe hardware conflicts - which caused operating system driver corruptions in the end - and lots of wasted hours.

This is where Adaptec support came in. They gave me really good support, and refunded my money when we couldn't get the DuoConnect 3121 working under Windows 2000. And I bought their AFW-4300 instead.

In summary: The 4300 is a good card. Adapter cards from other companies are cheaper than Adaptec brand down here, but the Adaptec support is worth the extra money.

Installation was a snap. Installed the card, fired up my Windows 2000 machine, and there it was. No drivers to install, Windows took care of it. No drivers to install for my video camera (Sharp Digital Viewcam). Once I plugged in my camera, Windows 2000 loaded the default Microsoft DV driver, and that worked great. MGI VideoWave 4 SE software that comes with product could be a little better; (more effects, more video formats, etc) but overall, very good product. Total time to install product/software: 10 minutes. I run a Pentium II 350, with 196 MB RAM. It took about 45 minutes for the software to convert a 9 minute AVI file to MPEG. I recommend having as much memory and processor speed as you can have.

Installed the Adaptec AFW-4300 card into a XP machine. XP recognized the card and installed the default drivers. Plugged in a Sharp Vl-NZ50 camcorder, started up the video editing software and in came the movies. No problems, no hassles. I'm not overly impressed with the MGI VideoWave 4 software, but I'm very happy with the hardware. I'm sure when I find the ideal video editing package, the hardware will still work fine.

Bought this so i could attach an iPod to my Dell PC. Worked like a charm. Have Windows XP so i never even had to use the enclosed driver CD, XP recognized it with no problem. So I give it 5 stars, does exactly what it's supposed to without any problems.

BTW, if you've never installed a card into your computer, I hadn't either. I was a little nervous but it's the easiest thing to do. Finished in 5 minutes.

I was able to install the card with minimal effort or difficulty. The whole process was actually easier than I thought it would be. Within about 30 minutes of opening the package I had read the installation paperwork, installed the card, and had begun capturing video from my DV camcorder. The accompanying video editing software was also easily installed and useful as an application for novice editors. I installed it into a Dell Dimension 4600 running Windows XP Pro and my camcorder is a Canon Optura 20 if that makes any difference.

I received my Adaptec AFW 1394/Firewire Card at 1:00 PM by 1:30
I had it installed and was producing my first home video... it was that easy.
The Software that is included, MGI Video
Wave 4SE mad it as simple as pie to set everything up.

I bought this card because it came with a cable. Giving the card only a 5 rating. Not super impressed by the editing software, MyDVD. It only burns VCD's with basic functions. In order to burn DVD's you have to purchase the upgrade. I will probably end up purchasing more sophisticated software for editing. I installed it on my Dell Dimension 8200 running Win XP. Plug and play just like the instuctions say. Easy to install, Win XP recognized the new hardware, couldn't be easier! Economical card, gets the job done.

I bought this for my PC so I could use my new iPod--which is also awesome. This card installs quick and easy on XP and there are no drivers to install. Buy it and you won't get disappointed.

this is a great card. true plug and play capability. i would get it along with the ipod. highly recommended!

The card worked fine with plug-and-play on XP Home. One concern is that it showed up with a different name in the Hardware Manager than the instructions said it would. However, it seems to work fine.

One slightly annoying problem is that it didn't come as the MGI software that the description claims. I received Sonic MyDVD (misnamed since the demo version you get only creates VCDs, not DVDs) along with Arcsoft Showbiz. Sonic MyDVD wasn't able to burn a VCD on my computer. (It gave me "unknown error"), but the software that came with my camcorder didn't have a problem. Over-all I'm unimpressed with this replacement software, particularly since the bundled software was one of the reasons I bought this card. However, between Windows Movie Maker (that came with my machine) and the software that came with my Sony camcorder, I think I can do everything I need for now.