Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!convex!swarren
From: swarren@convex.com (Steve Warren)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Shopping For Hard Drives..
Message-ID: <105570@convex.convex.com>
Date: 29 Aug 90 16:55:40 GMT
References: <4128@crash.cts.com> <1990Aug27.040634.1293@ecn.purdue.edu> <90240.215220JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu>
Sender: usenet@convex.com
Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX
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In article <90240.215220JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu>JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (JKT) writes:
>> Well I have an A500 and about $500 to spend and I want info/suggestions
>>on the Low end Hard drives, (I'm just a full time student.)
>>so lets gat a conversation going.
>
>Ok.  Buy a Quantum.  It may cost a bit more, but you're paying for
>quality, and in the long run, it is DEFINITELY worth it.
>
>>What's this I hear about SEAGATES BEING JUNK?

I talked to a fellow who quals hard drives.

He did not have a high opinion of either manufacturer (Seagate or Quantum).

He said that the best drive he'd ever qual'ed was a Micropolis.  When
they ran the electron microscope on the media (they run the drive and
then they tear it down and punch out a square for the E-scope) they
couldn't believe it had been run because it was so clean.  He said
that clean==long life.

This is second-hand information, so take it with a grain of salt.

I own a 155 Meg Micropolis 1/2-height 5-1/4" hard-drive which I bought
used over comp.sys.amiga for $700 (thanks, Stan).  It works well
for me except that I haven't figured out how to format it so that I
can take advantage of its speed (16-msec, 64Kbyte cache).  If anyone
out there has experience formatting a Micropolis on a Supra 4X4 for
speed, let me know what numbers you used (email preferred).  My Dperf2
numbers seem unreasonably low, so I believe I must have picked bad numbers
for the format.  The Micropolis was not on the list of supported drives.

One feature of this drive that I think is cool is that it has a built-in
write-protect.  By hooking up a toggle-switch to the front-panel connector
on the back of the drive you can toggle this drive into write-protect
mode at will.

There *are* smaller Micropolis drives out there for less.  You will just
have to shop for them.

--
            _.
--Steve   ._||__      DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own.
  Warren   v\ *|     ----------------------------------------------
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