Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!thorin!clocs!davis
From: davis@clocs.cs.unc.edu (Mark Davis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: External 3.5" drive for XT
Summary: Yes You Can, Too!   Here are more details.
Keywords: floppy disk drive 3.5" 720K 1.44Meg
Message-ID: <9541@thorin.cs.unc.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 89 18:00:29 GMT
References: <42900049@uicsrd.csrd.uiuc.edu> <89258.220000MGREENE@AUVM.BITNET>
Sender: news@thorin.cs.unc.edu
Reply-To: davis@cs.unc.edu (Mark Davis)
Organization: University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lines: 45

In article <89258.220000MGREENE@AUVM.BITNET> MGREENE@AUVM.BITNET (Michael A. Greene) writes:
>You can't run a 1.44 mb 3.5" from an XT.  The data xfer rate is too
>slow.  You can run a 720.
>
>Save your money.

Just to clarify a couple of issues:

1. An XT controller will not handle an 1.44 MB 3.5" drive.  Transfer
rate limitations do come into effect here.

2. Lots of people (including me) have these drives (1.44 MB) in XT's or
clones.  All that is involved is replacing the controller.  Since the
original poster wants an external drive, either Compaticard I or
WD-FOX-4 would work fine.  The cost of the controller (about $120)
would be much less than the cost of the drive in an external case ($150
to $200).

3. The XT bus/motherboard can handle the data transfer rate of
the 1.44 drives very well.  (Some people with AT's have poor
performance, though.  Isn't that interesting?)

4. It is true that most PC/XT's will take a 720K 3.5" as a second (B:)
drive without other hardware modifications.  There are lots of good
reasons to consider this route:
	a. You don't have to buy a new controller
	b. 720K drives are (a little, like $10) cheaper
	c. 720K disks are a lot cheaper ($1 vs $4)
	d. The 720K disks are more standard.  Software (like DOS, MS
	   Word, ...) is distributed on them. 1.44 drives can write
	   them without problems, etc, etc.
	e. Older DOS supports them (3.2) so drivers are less likely to
	   be needed.  (I have seen places charging $15 for a
	   driver!)

One of the big reasons, cost of HD disks, has recently diminished since
disks are now down to about $2.00 each in large quantities mail order.
Our campus book store sell 10 3M HD disks for 33.50.  Of course, the
DSDD disk are $13.50, so the price per megabyte is still lower for the
720K disks.

All prices refer to mail order (except where noted).  You local store
may be higher.  I hope this makes things more clear.

Thanks - Mark (davis@cs.unc.edu or uunet!mcnc!davis)