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trying to get some hands-on with SCSI devices

S

Skrewologist

Junior Member
Pardon me for this being my first post, but my 120gig WD hd suddenly crapped out on me last night and it wasn't even 2 years old. I tried the 'put it in the freezer trick' to recover some data but didnt work so I'm pretty upset.

Anyhow I've been wanting to learn and get more hands-on with SCSI devices. Here is the oppurtunity.... Is it just me or is this 73gig 15k fujitsu scsi drive a steal?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...tem=5165370476&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
Does anyone have this drive; is there anything else worth considering? Thanks.

kthx
 
That seems to be a good price for that drive. Do already have a controller and cable? It's a U320 drive so if you should get a Ultra320 controller.
 
Originally posted by: Skrewologist
No I have to purchase the controller as well. Does the cable come with that controller or no?
Click to expand...

If it's a retail card it should come with the cable, you may need a terminator as well.
 
He doesn't need a U320 card for a single drive, this LSI
at newegg should be more than sufficient and pretty cheap too. cable is extra though, since it is an OEM card. i can't view the e-bay link since i'm at work and our firewall block e-bay, but is it a 68-pin drive and not an SCA drive?
hope this helps, cheers.
 
You have to do your homework when setting up SCSI and visit the manufacturer web sites and look up each product by part number. All my machines are SCSI, the latest are 320, so I'll tell you what I bought and give you the part numbers and walk you thru it.

Adaptec Adapter 29320A-R controller comes with 1 cable that will support two drives. This is an OEM product, card comes in a bag with a manual, and 1 cable. You have to visit the Adaptec site and get the latest driver and make a floppy.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=16-103-159&depa=0
Seagate 72 gig 15k drive
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-111-138&depa=0

When you install XP, it will ask if you have any 3rd party drivers, press F6, then S to install the SCSI driver, and XP will install ok. What's so great about this setup, is the low level formatter and diagnostics are right on the Adaptec card. This card also has a 50 pin connector so you can hook up tape drives.

It looks like that's the correct drive, just wondering how the guy has 37 of them and is selling for $299, when the drive normally goes for $482 on Newegg.
 
Originally posted by: windraider
He doesn't need a U320 card for a single drive, this LSI
at newegg should be more than sufficient and pretty cheap too. cable is extra though, since it is an OEM card. i can't view the e-bay link since i'm at work and our firewall block e-bay, but is it a 68-pin drive and not an SCA drive?
hope this helps, cheers.
Click to expand...

I was going to get that for my scsi. The only problem is his is an Ultra 320 so his drive would be handcuffed by that card.
 
Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
Originally posted by: windraider
He doesn't need a U320 card for a single drive, this LSI
at newegg should be more than sufficient and pretty cheap too. cable is extra though, since it is an OEM card. i can't view the e-bay link since i'm at work and our firewall block e-bay, but is it a 68-pin drive and not an SCA drive?
hope this helps, cheers.
Click to expand...

I was going to get that for my scsi. The only problem is his is an Ultra 320 so his drive would be handcuffed by that card.
Click to expand...

No it won't. Not in the slightest.

That's a good price for that drive, but if all you're looking for is hands on SCSI experience, you can get it for a lot less money than that.
 
If you are just looking to get your feet wet, that 15k drive is a pretty expensive way to do it. Be aware that those are significantly noisier and hotter than most IDE drives - may require active cooling depending on how you mount it. An equal sized 10k drive of a recent generation would probably do you equally well and save you at least a third in price. And I've seen new Quantum 15k (SCA version) of the same generation for less than $200. Do some more shopping... Fujitsu drives are some of the best, of course. But there is nothing wrong with Maxtor/Quantum or Seagate scsi drives either. That one is 2 generations old - current is the MAU series.
. The LSI adapter as mentioned above (~$35. at Newegg) will easily handle any current single drive. You will need to get an LVD cable with terminator to complete your set and to DL the drivers from LSILogic.com . But if you are seriously considering getting into SCSI including other devices than just HDs (older single-ended stuff, etc.), You might consider an adapter with one connector for LVD and another branch for SE stuff. These are not two-channel but use a logic chip to isolate the SE from the LVD. Not as expensive as two-channel. Here's an example from Adaptec (LSILogic, Tekram, Iwill, Acard are other brands to look at for similar adapters) Adaptec U160 with isolated SE branch I also located an Acard full 2-cannel adapter (AEC-67162) for about the same price as the Adaptec 1-channel plus stub card.

www.scsifaq.org is a good site to start with for info and more links.

Here are some good SCSI vendors:

hypermicro.com (may offer free ground shipping if you mention www.storagereview.com - check the SR site for the latest offer)
centrix-intl.com
pc-pitstop.com (offers PayPal as a payment option)
scsi4me.com (ditto)
etech4sale.com
and I can usually find stuff (like drives cables and adapters) for low bucks on eBay. I often find stuff listed in the wrong category and am able to snap it up w/o competition 😀 . Use search (try several different wordings) instead of browse to locate such opportunities.

.bh.
 
Here are the specs for the guy who can't click the ebay link; it is 68pin:
MAS3735NP / MAS3735NC OEM
Storage Capacity (Formatted)*3 73 GB
Cylinders 27,100
Rotational speed 15,000 RPM
Average seek time Read 3.3 ms (typical) / Write 3.8 ms (typical)
Recording code 32/34 MATCHED NPV 2
Dimensions (W x D x H) 101.6 mm x 146.0 mm x 25.4 mm
Weight 0.85 kg
Interface U320
68pin
Buffer size 8MB


Originally posted by: NoGodForMe
You have to do your homework when setting up SCSI and visit the manufacturer web sites and look up each product by part number. All my machines are SCSI, the latest are 320, so I'll tell you what I bought and give you the part numbers and walk you thru it.

Adaptec Adapter 29320A-R controller comes with 1 cable that will support two drives. This is an OEM product, card comes in a bag with a manual, and 1 cable. You have to visit the Adaptec site and get the latest driver and make a floppy.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=16-103-159&depa=0
Seagate 72 gig 15k drive
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-111-138&depa=0

When you install XP, it will ask if you have any 3rd party drivers, press F6, then S to install the SCSI driver, and XP will install ok. What's so great about this setup, is the low level formatter and diagnostics are right on the Adaptec card. This card also has a 50 pin connector so you can hook up tape drives.

It looks like that's the correct drive, just wondering how the guy has 37 of them and is selling for $299, when the drive normally goes for $482 on Newegg.
Click to expand...

That helped a lot thanks. So I need only to get a U160 card correct? It is possible I may add another scsi hard drive in the future but for now I will be using that Fujitsu drive along with my older 40gig maxtor ide hd.

I don't know why he is only selling them for $299. But he has a 99.6% positive feedback. The warranty is only 30 days though. I found the same fujitsu hard drive on pricewatch for only $329 and free shipping. I may opt to get that one instead because it comes with a 1 year warranty. --> http://www.basoncomputer.com/FJMAS3735NP/item.aspx
 
Originally posted by: Zepper
If you are just looking to get your feet wet, that 15k drive is a pretty expensive way to do it. Be aware that those are significantly noisier and hotter than most IDE drives - may require active cooling depending on how you mount it. An equal sized 10k drive of a recent generation would probably do you equally well and save you at least a third in price. And I've seen new Quantum 15k (SCA version) of the same generation for less than $200. Do some more shopping... Fujitsu drives are some of the best, of course. But there is nothing wrong with Maxtor/Quantum or Seagate scsi drives either. That one is 2 generations old - current is the MAU series.
. The LSI adapter as mentioned above (~$35. at Newegg) will easily handle any current single drive. You will need to get an LVD cable with terminator to complete your set and to DL the drivers from LSILogic.com . But if you are seriously considering getting into SCSI including other devices than just HDs (older single-ended stuff, etc.), You might consider an adapter with one connector for LVD and another branch for SE stuff. These are not two-channel but use a logic chip to isolate the SE from the LVD. Not as expensive as two-channel. Here's an example from Adaptec (LSILogic, Tekram, Iwill, Acard are other brands to look at for similar adapters) Adaptec U160 with isolated SE branch

www.scsifaq.org is a good site to start with for info and more links.

Here are some good SCSI vendors:

hypermicro.com (may offer free ground shipping if you mention www.storagereview.com - check the SR site for the latest offer)
centrix-intl.com
pc-pitstop.com (offers PayPal as a payment option)
scsi4me.com (ditto)
etech4sale.com
and I can usually find stuff (like drives cables and adapters) for low bucks on eBay. I often find stuff listed in the wrong category and am able to snap it up w/o competition 😀 . Use search (try several different wordings) instead of browse to locate such opportunities.

.bh.
Click to expand...

I do plan to concentrate a lot more on cooling. I'm assuming heat played a big factor in killing my 120 WD hd in less than 2 years. That WD hard drive was only used for data and such as well. It's amazing that my 3~4 year old 40gig Maxtor HD is still grinding away just fine as it has my operating system files on it.

I'm looking at the MAU series scsi drives right now. No less than $500 which is a bit oout of the ballpark here. I just figured that 15k Fujitsu hd was a good deal to steal for $299 because new egg has it for about $430. Thanks for the links and info.

 
Originally posted by: Blain
Originally posted by: Skrewologist
Originally posted by: Blain
You must check out This member's SCSI setup... it will make your mouth water! :laugh:
Click to expand...

That sounds like a really good setup if I only had $500+ on me. That's a good deal though.
Click to expand...
It's only $185 more than you were thinking about spending on a single drive alone. 😉
Click to expand...


haha well if i do become interested in that setup it won't be for another 2 weeks to a month. I'm still looking around.
 
Be aware that those are significantly noisier and hotter than most IDE drives - may require active cooling depending on how you mount it.
Click to expand...

1- No they are actually quieter than most IDE drives outside of spinpoints and seagates.

2- ANY 15k drive needs airflow at all times or it will run critical. Mounting in a cage in the front of the system relying on the incoming air MAY NOT be sufficient. Ancilliary cooling in the form of a pair of low flow 80mm fans (25 cfm each) will suffice nicely and keep the drive happy.

This is a very fast hard drive. It will outperform any IDE/SATA drive on the market by a large margin. The reliability is also superb. First class choice.
 
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