USB 3.0 will be of little use to you. The camera also has to be able to meet the uSB 3.0 standard in order to transfer data at the highest speeds. Given that your post indicates that the camera is SD, therefore of an "older" vintage, it is very unlikely that the USB port in it will be USB 3.0.

You should be able to buy and fit an after-market Firewire card for the new PC. This is what I did when I built my second-to-last PC and it worked fine. My current PC is based on the mini ITX format and has just one peripheral slot (which is used by the graphics card), so I have had to resort to using the Wife's laptop, which has a firewire port in it. Sad to say, but when the laptop dies, I will probably pension off my HDR-HC3 cameras, although I will still have the option to use my Convergent Design nanoFlash with these cameras and record to solid-state media.

In short, fit an after-market card (which may have several ports fitted, not just one.)

Cheers

I can only add to what's already been said, install a good firewire card.
They're probably better than what's on a mobo anyway. I buy the ones with 6pin sockets. Having firewire 800 is also a good idea if you have clients with Macs.

Bob.

Hint: Get a Firewire card with a TI chipset.

I purchased this firewire card in December from Amazon for my Windows 8 64-bit PC. It has worked flawlessly capturing from my SD JVC camcorder.

Syba Low Profile PCI-Express 1394b/1394a (2B1A) Card, TI Chipset, Extra Regular Bracket SD-PEX30009

I recently ought a Firewire care here for my new PC:
http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-FireWire-PCIe-Combo-UGT-FW210/dp/B004QY7M3Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361986068&sr=8-2&keywords=firewire+800+card
It appears to work OK.

I would like to add this card to your choices.

Alternate plan. Build your own computer using a good motherboard that still does in fact have firewire. An example wold be the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H.

John

The 3-port SIIG 1394 Card (Model NN-440012-S8) that Craftech referenced in his post is absolutely bulletproof.

Yup, I agree -- build your own system is a good and surprisingly affordable way to go (my last two are like that) and I have a Gigabyte mobo that includes FW. However I also have my old PCI Firewire card in a drawer in case I need it some day for my old and for now only Canon HD cam is Firewire; and yes, if one gets a card, it should have TI (Texas Instruments not VIA) chips--at least for the consumer grades. They are also pretty cheap, or were.

Yup, I have an older 3-port SIIG on XP and it's as transparent as any I've had.

Right, but suppose you're using a laptop with only USB and no firewire connections. Then what?

Would appreciate reply to bill@smilestudio.com, too.

Thanks
bill domb
Xcentric Studios

just bought a brand new desktop for editing (coughGaming) and assumed it would not have firewire... and yet it did! Didn't even think to look for it in specs because of the push away from FW, but there is a functional jack right on the back on this system. YESSSS! ibuypower.com FTW

"Right, but suppose you're using a laptop with only USB and no firewire connections. Then what?"

Unless it has a PC Card or ExpressCard slot for an add-on Firewire card, then you're not going to be using that laptop for Firewire video transfers.

I've been noticing at work that everyone with a laptop still has a fire wire port. My company uses HP. It seems that HP business laptops still have fire wire ports.
An example.

I have a Dell Precision M4500 laptop workstation (i7 quad-core Extreme, nVidia Quadro graphics card, 8 GB RAM, 1920x1080 LED-backlit display) from a couple of years ago that has a Firewire port but it also has an ExpressCard slot and and PC Card slot. The newer M4700/M6700 ditches the outdated PC Card slot but still has Firewire and the 54mm ExpressCard slot plus USB 3.0. A little spendy but great machines.

... and seemingly none (that I've come across) of the latest generation currently have either !

geoff

I bought a new laptop to take to Europe summer before last and didn't check for firewire...boy was I surprised when I tried to offload my hard drive recorders after the first concert I shot! luckily the hotel had a computer in their business center that had a firewire port and I was able to off load my files to my external drive plugged into the hotel computer, although I tied it up for 30 minutes. The new laptop I bought did not have any solutions though, for connecting my FS3's or my cameras, so it was used mostly for email on that trip!

surprised (sort of anyway) that anyone still needs firewire on a laptop (that is, presuming their main editing rig has firewire).

i still shoot with a z5 (tape+cf) and canon (tape+cf). i moved away from tape as my main acquisition because of the convenience - however, i still need to shoot tape for a number of clients, otherwise i love the confidence having an 'instant' archive affords when shooting to cf even if i never look at the tape ever again. (it's on the shelf so i sleep well at night!)

for the relatively low cost of an external firewire recorder it would seem more practical to get a new generation laptop with usb3 along with an external usb3 card reader rather than bother with limiting your choice of laptop and having to put up with real time firewire transfers.

my new i7 laptop equals my desktop in most respects regarding sheer computing power, has quicksync, usb3, etc., etc., all for around $600au (refurbished asus). i see that you can now buy a cf recorder for $250 - http://www.wise-advanced.com.tw/Product_CFR.html - so for under a $1k.... you're ready to rock 'n' roll.

"external firewire recorder "

Was ist das? (Name, brand)

Transferring files while away, in possibly another country, can be a problem. One doesn't want to carry a whole lot of hardware around the world. In the old days of DV and HDV my solution was to have enough tapes and bag space to last for the duration.

Since moving to AVCHD, I use a little netbook computer to transfer from camera to portable 1GB disk (plus another for backup). I would like to move to a smaller tablet computer, but it would need to run the PMB software under Windows, and have at least two USB ports. (I don't want to have to copy from camera to local hard disk and then from local disk to USB disk.) I'd also like a 3rd USB port for a mouse.

hi peter,

on my z5 i'm using a sony cf card recorder (mrck1-i think). i gave a link in my last post to a cheap cf recorder from wise...

i understand the desire to travel 'light', hence my new umphy laptop with usb3... with a usb3 cf card reader and external usb3 hd i can capture card to both laptop and external at the same time, meaning i have backup on ex hd and the ability to rough cut on the laptop while on the road. i mean there's hardly any weight / space to this set up now.

i honestly don't see any tablet on the market, or even in the pipeline that would offer even a minor challenge to the usefulness of a laptop with multiple usb 3/2 ports, editing ability, or even the ability to run pmb.

of course technology races ahead in leaps and bounds, but i think i'm happier carrying an extra couple of kilos than being stressed trying to transfer / edit / backup any other way....

Ta! Very interesting, even though I don't expect to be trekking up Mt Everest.

I wonder why Wise still uses Compact Flash rather than Secure Digital cards.

I must look at the latest range of laptops to replace my aging netbook, but all I've seen are larger than the netbook, and I can't bring myself to buy a new netbook with its yesterday's technology.

@ peter - checkout greys http://www.graysoutlet.com.au/computers-electronics/computers/laptops they have some amazing deals on refurbished / end of line....

@philip - maybe he just got confused / lost with the various trains of thought in this thread ;-)

The bigger question may be, why are there people still using old tape-based SD camcorders in 2013?