Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!eecae!conklin
From: conklin@eecae.UUCP (Terry Conklin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Hard Disk drives
Keywords: hard drives controllers
Message-ID: <12623@eecae.UUCP>
Date: 21 Oct 88 05:17:52 GMT
References: <153@dms3b1.UUCP>
Reply-To: conklin@eecae.UUCP (Terry Conklin)
Distribution: na
Organization: Michigan State University, ERDL
Lines: 71


 
We have just ordered a Miniscribe 3.5" 40 Meg SCSI drive (28 ms) 
and have been shopping hard for a controller. As I type this, I can
make the observation that, having just read 600 net messages, my 
"overview" of net traffic may be appropriate.
 
Observations on hard disk controllers:
 
A.) Under the FFS, with the right drive, etc. Amy can get moving VERY
    reasonably. in excess of 500,000 bps.
 
B.) The A2090(a)? is a sleeper, and is actually one of the faster(est?)
    controllers.
 
C.) Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has failed to mention the New Microbotics
    HardFrame/2000 (though someone asked about it.) In the October 
    "Amazing Computing", they make some hardware claims that, as a pseudo-
    hacker (I redesign sections of machines as needed,) do seem to add
    up to one hot drive.
 
    On the other hand, virtually every message in the whole lot did lots
    of Microbotics bashing, especially with regards to their 1000 product.
    Hardware changes, but people also bashed the drivers. A NOT encouraging
    sign. 
 
    If someone (say CATS crew?) could compare their shown specs (280 on,
    200 ns off the bus, etc.) with say the 2090A, it would be valuable.
 
D.) Just for the record, some of these benchmarks are _really_ fishy. 
    Especially the non-DMA vs DMA ones. Lets try to ONLY vary -ONE- thing 
    at a time, shall we?
 
E.) Speaking of not mentioning a hard disk controller, in the same October
    Amazing computing is an ad (pg. 71) for the "TrumpCard", an autobooting
    2000 half card that's a good $100 (that's 50%!) cheaper than most of the
    controllers. If it's even remotely decent, that's a real factor to a lot
    of "normal" 2000 owners.
 
F.) Another observation. We've been looking at everything for about 2 or 3
    weeks now, trying to figure out what hard disk to get. It seems no one
    has made either:
   
          A A2000 bus ST-506 controller card, a nice, cheap controller to 
          access all those nice, cheap IBM hard disks
 
          B an RLL version of the above. At the computer store I
          occasionally ran, we shipped an RLL drive with almost
          every system. They're fast, cheap storage, and reliable
          too. (The BBS has been running it around the clock for years now)

 
G.) I see I have been lettering my points, inherently implying they
    are worth keeping track of. My apologies.
 
    As it sits, (ans a few people have recently mentioned,) much of the net
bandwidth (not counting a certain 150 spurious messages!) concerning hard
disks, while informative, is hard to discern or boil into useful information.
The ever popular Computer Shopper still reigns supreme as a great, HUGE
single source to get the best possible hard disk, (both item and price,)
but the Amiga controller world is a great deal more complex.
 
    Our order for the new Microbotics will stand unless someone rescues our
_hard_ earned dollars with information. If nothing else, I guess WE will
make the comparison/benchmarks. Swell.
 
Terry Conklin                              "Admonish - of - Cruciform. 
conklin@egr.msu.edu                          Impalement, immortality scorned."
{msudoc|frith}!conklin                         -Slayer, At Dawn They Sleep
The Club    (517) 372-3131  3/12/2400 (call me here)
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