SCSI Controller Card Suggestion

[bigdoggy]

I came by a SCSI CD Rom 32X and IBM Ultrastar 18 gig SCSI Harddrive, but do not have a clue what kind of controller card to use with these. I am trying to get out as economically as possible, but do not want to give up dependability. Your input is appreciated.

 

[HaVoC]

Your nice Ultrastar HD is going to need a fairly pricey controller card. I would suggest going with a Tekram card for performance and great value. Adaptec's higher end cards are way overpriced. I think your drive is Ultra2 so you will need at least that type of controller card to get the best speed. If it supports a faster transfer rate, I would not waste the money on Ultra 160 (a.k.a SCSI-3) since you will never reach the maximum bus speed even on Ultra2 unless you are running an expen$ive RAID array which I doubt you are.

You will place your SCSI CD-ROM on the second SCSI channel which is usually narrow (50-pin) versus 68-pin for the wide HD channel.

I have SCSI burner, CD-drive (both Plextors), ZIP drive and scanner and I love it! It's so compatible with all sorts of operating systems.

 

[Pariah]

Get a Tekram DC-395UW. They're cheaper than Adaptec and work just as well. Mwave has it for about $70.

 

[Pariah]

The card I recommended is an UW card, which is all you will need with that setup. If the drive you got is LVD, it is backwards compatible and by running it on an SE connector, which is what the Tekram card has, you won't have to worry about termination. You can get an U2W card if you want, but it will cost you twice as much and you won't see any performance improvement.

 

[Tseng]

Tekram DC-390U2W is a pretty good choice. Cheaper than Adaptec 2940U2W and performs slightly better. The core chip is made by LSI so you have all the drivers you could possibly need for the OSs on the market.