What do I need to go SCSI??

[FalseLogic]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of going a bit overboard and buying a SCSI system. Since I can't find a decent P4 board with onboard SCSI, and I think I'd like to use my old CD Drives (IDE), I was going to buy an Asus P4B266 board and then buy an Adaptek SCSI controller.

Other than the SCSI controller, is there anything else I need to buy or be aware of? I suppose make sure I get cables if I buy OEM , but other than that, I should be able to just plug in the adapter and hookup a SCSI HD, and I am assuming I can still use the IDE ports for my CD ROM R/W and DVD drive?

Do I need to make sure that the adatper I buy us say an "Ultra Wide", and that the HD I buy matches or is below the bandwidth specs on the SCSI adapter?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Mavrick007]

Yes you should make sure to know the pin numbers of the devices you want to buy and check to make sure that your card supports that or you might have to have an adaptor. Also cables can end up costing alot for scsi. Scsi cards can cost alot as well so I would check to find what devices you will use and then match up a scsi card that will support those devices. I would also look around for other scsi cards, although Adaptec is very good, it costs alot more than some of the other cards out there.

Look around, read up and you shouldn't have any problem finding a card that will suit your needs.

 

[Richard98]

You'd probably want to at least get an ultra2 controller; I use an Adaptec 2940u2w card and it works nicely. The Adaptec 29160 (an Ultra 160) which, I belive replaced the 2940u2w, is also a good choice. Both cards have the standard 50 pin internal connector in addition to the 68 pin hard drive connector, if you decide to switch the CD-ROM and CDRW to SCSI at a later date. I'm not really familiar with the other brands of scsi cards.

No matter what scsi card you choose, I'd stick with a drive with a standard 68 pin interface. You may save a few $$ by buying a drive with a SCA80 connector, but the cost of the adapter and the extra hassle is not worth it, IMO.