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From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: ESDI or SCSI or RLL?
Message-ID: <1937@crash.cts.com>
Date: 24 Mar 90 05:56:07 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
Lines: 56

wallwey@boulder.Colorado.EDU (WALLWEY DEAN WILLIAM) writes:
>In article <90081.181305MHS108@psuvm.psu.edu> MHS108@psuvm.psu.edu (Mark Solsman) writes:
>>I am buying a new 386-25. Which disk sub-system should it have?
>>
>> 1 - EDSI  2 - SCSI  3 - RLL
>>
>>
>>  ...why do you say so?
>
>I say its not a simple choice!!!!
>You need to tell the net more about what you want to do and how much you
>want to spend--
>
>Here are some of my over-simplified generaliztions:
>
>1-EDSI
>	Fast-efficient somewhat expensive--most top quality computers
>	come with either this type of drive or the SCSI
>2-SCSI
>	Fast to Very Fast- expensive but getting better-seems to be wave
>of the future.  Incompatable problems sometimes- Not totaly
>standardized- Make sure Hard Drive works with controler before buying.
>One companies SCSI is not necessarily anothers (but usually is).
>Still seems to be lack of software drivers for some things (OS/2?).
>Usually top quality---Look for "SCSI-2" in future.  Not sure if you can
>use Utilities like Norton, etc. (COMMENTS???)
>3-RLL
>	is an upgrade from MFM, if you are getting a 386-25 and can
>afford it, go with the other two.  If you do get an RLL controller, make
>very sure you get an RLL drive not an MFM.(Some MFM drives will work
>with RLL, but tend to fail like a month later). 
>
>To find out more information check out one of the latest Computer
>Shopper Magazines  They just did a special edition for Hard Drives, and
>makes for good reading.
>
>Now I've probably started a drive interface war.....I hope not, but
>please make comments, corrections, and additions.

My peeve against SCSI is this, not one BIOS chip out there supports it and I
have yet to see a decent SCSI host adaptor for it.  I do grant that SCSI is
fast, but I have yet to see a good host adaptor.  I admit to not having seeing
the WD7000 or the data specs on it, but I do know that there are some problems
with using SCSI in some cases.  You have to make sure the OS you're using
supports the SCSI host adaptor in question.
 
     // JCA

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