Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!udel!mmdf
From: mermelstein%tel.inrs.cdn@relay.ubc.ca (lois mermelstein)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: hard drive info - help
Message-ID: <8422@louie.udel.EDU>
Date: 10 Feb 89 03:17:06 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 33

I need the help of the Collective Net Mind on hard drives, mainly because
I suspect the local dealer isn't quite sure what he's talking about.

My two main choices seem to be between the 2090A with either a 45M Rodime
22-ms drive or a Miniscribe 40M, 25-ms drive, or else the GVP 40M 11-ms
access time hard card.  I'm leaning towards the GVP, but some of my info.
seems to be contradictory.  I hope someone out there knows what's really
cooking....

The guy at the dealer's said the Rodime and the Miniscribe are ST506 drives,
and that SCSI doesn't work particularly well on the 2090A.  This seems kind
of strange to me -- anyone know different?

No one seems to be sure if the GVP card does DMA -- does it?  What sort of
performance penalty exists if it doesn't?  Will this matter if I bankrupt
myself now and have to wait years more before getting something like 
the 68020 card?

Do prices of about $1000 (for the 2090A + drive) and $1300 (for the GVP)
sound about right (these are Canadian prices)?  How easy is these GVP to
sound about right (these are Canadian prices)?  How easy is these GVP to
install if I resort to mail order? 

And, oh yes, has anyone had any bad experiences with these that they'd
care to share?  I know about the problem some Seagate's have spinning up -
are there other similar traps like these out there?

If enough people e-mail, I'll summarize to the net.

Thanks much for the help,
Lois Mermelstein
mermelstein@tel.inrs.cdn
(the only path I know)