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From: dmoyer@oiscola.Columbia.NCR.COM (Dan Moyer)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: How much faster is a 16 bit SCSI Card than the ST02?
Message-ID: <396@oiscola.Columbia.NCR.COM>
Date: 29 May 91 04:09:34 GMT
Organization: NCR/OISD Columbia
Lines: 58


 
 
Hi,
 
A few questions for the collective network knowledge:
 
I currently have a 386sx with a Seagate ST-02 and ST296N SCSI disk.
 
With CORETEST and with Nortons SI benchmark, I get a reading of about
220-300 K bytes/sec transfer time, and a 28-31 ms access time.
 
These figures seem reasonable for a 8-bit, dumb scsi board and
this disk..
 
I am considering purchase of a 16 bit board.
 
I currently operate DOS and sometimes Windows 3.0 now.   Sometime
in the future (6-12 months), I'd like to be able to use OS/2 2.0 or
Unix.  
 
 
1)  What performance increase can I expect with a adapter card
    like the IN2000 or ADAPTEC 1542B, using the same ST296N disk.
    (I assume I'll need to do a low level format to get 1:1
     interleave).   If anyone outhere has done gone from a 8 bit
     card to a controller card like IN2000, WDFAST, or ADAPTEC, 
     how much better has your disk performance become?  I'd like to get
     an idea of this, before I purchase a new adapter card.
 
2)  Does anyone have recommendations of what board works, (or which
    ones don't work) with the ST296N disk?
 
3)  If I also upgrade with a new disk, 80-160 Mbyte range- any
    opinions, recommendations?   I understand that QUANTUM has on
    disk cache.  What affects have you seen with a disk with cache
    built in? 
 
4)  Any SCSI Cache controllers you'd recommend?  Again, what has been
    your experience in performance increase of a caching controller
    vs a non caching controller.  (And also a caching controller vs
    software caching like Hyperdisk or Smartdrive)
 
5)  In planning to goto OS/2 2.0 or Unix in the future, what should
    I avoid purchasing?   Should I change my idea of getting a SCSI
    adapter alltogether, and just get a faster IDE or ESDI drive, and
    keep the old card?
 
  I read this newsgroup frequently, so either post, or email any
  information, comments, or opinions.
 
  Thanks in advance,
  Dan Moyer
  dmoyer@oiscola.columbia.ncr.com
  803-739-7681