Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!well!knez
From: knez@well.sf.ca.us (John P. Knezovich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Can IDE eventually beat ESDI in performance?
Keywords: IDE,ESDI,disk,interface
Message-ID: <23518@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 10 Mar 91 08:43:07 GMT
Distribution: comp
Lines: 8

I'm interested in buying a 25-MHz 486 PC for software development (C under
DOS, OS/2, and Unix) and want to pick the 'right' disk interface type.
I assume that IDE is an 8-bit parallel interface.  I know ESDI is a
bit-serial interface defined for up to 24Mbits/sec.  Could future IDE
drives have an internal transfer rate >24Mbits/sec and can this interface
handle external transfer rates in excess of 3 Mbytes/sec?  If ESDI is
still best, which controller is best: the Adaptec 2322D, Ultrastor 12F
or other?  Caching disk controllers are considered too expensive.