[TriLUG] [OT] Difference b/t 16 and 32 bit PCMCIA cards?

[David A. Cafaro]

A 16bit card has a 16bit data-bus to the system bus (usually the PCI bus
but sometimes directly to the South or North bridge chip), 32 bit has a
32bit bus.  Basically this means that a 32bit bus has a significantly
greater bandwidth than a 16bit bus.  Think of it like the 16bit bus has
a max bandwidth around 8Mbs (not positive) and a 32bit has a max
bandwidth around 192Mbs (again, ruff estimates here).  This may seem
like a significant factor, but when you factor in that the wireless card
(and 10bT cards) won't be able to swamp even that small 16bit path, it's
not a concern.  The only time you need to 32bit bus is when you are
loading the bus down with a 100bT network card or digital video or
external harddrive and similar high data traffic.  Otherwise 16bit is
fine for 802.11b wireless cards, and allows the manufacturer to save
money, power, and be more compatible with older hardware that might not
have a 32 bit slot.

-David

On Wed, 2003-03-19 at 08:32, bp wrote:
> Since buying that Netgear 802.11b card (MA401) I noticed that it claims 
> to be a 16-bit PCMICA card.  What's the difference between 16 bit and 32 
> bit PCMCIA cards?  Noticed some other wireless makers use the 32bit form 
> factor...
> 
> Just curious,
> bp
> 
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