whatis the best ultra SCSI 320 controller out there right now?

[dexvx]

I have the exact same motherboard (although I'm going to replace it soon), running an Adaptec 29160 with a U320 Maxtor Atlas 10K IV.

 

[krunk7]

I was interested in purchasing scsi. Thank those for clearing up the differences between U160 and U320. I'm glad I didn't waste money on the 320 yet.

 

[Jincuteguy]

so what's the best controller for my Asus P4T533-C board???

 

[Zepper]

They make U320 HAs for high end servers/workstations that have 64-bit PCI-2 or PCI-X slots. which will usually have multiple drives. And they make U320 drives because it's relatively easy to do in the electronic interface with the adapter and looks good on a press release (not to mention you can get away with charging a LOT more for basically the same drive) - the mechanicals (heads/platters) have a long way to go to catch up with the electronics - there's only so much that a large read-ahead buffer can do...
. As I said, there is NO U320 15k drive that has a continuous data transfer rate higher than about 78MB/sec. So a U160 HA will be perfectly suited for one 15k HD on a normal mobo. SCSI drives are fantastically backward compatible - even most 15k U320 drives will still run on an old single-ended 2940UW HA or similar.
. This is probably rubbing it in, but newegg had the brand new Tekram U320 HA kit with cables and all for about $100. as a pre-introduction special (at the time, there was not even any info about it on Tekram's US web site). The offer is long dead... BTW, Tekram makes great HAs and their retail kits are outtasight (really HQ cables/terminators/accys) mostly based on LSI/Symbios logic.
. As others have notes, the LSI U160 single channel HA is very good and inexpensive ($38. shipped from newegg). You can get very good LVD cables/terminators/SCA adapters on eBay for excellent BIN prices. Also try www.centrix-intl.com for LVD cables but their shipping will be high unless you have at least a 5 lb. order. Another great SCSI source is www.hypermicro.com . Check www.storagereview.com for good reviews on the top SCSI drives/HAs and for specials from Hypermicro. Check www.scsifaq.org for lots of good info and links.
.bh.

.bh.

 

[helpme]

Just go to http://www.hypermicro.com and buy a LSI U160 HBA. Comes with the card and cable and terminator for 79$ It's 64-bit/33mhz and backwards compat with 32bit pci slots which you have. You'll get everything you need, and if you mention Storagereview.com you'll get free ground shipping.

[For Intel PC or equivalent]
LSI Logic U160, Ultra160 LVD SCSI-3, Symbios/LSI 53c1010 chipset, 64-bit PCI PnP, busmastering transfer protocol, up to 15 targets, Internal connector: Mini DB68(F) SE/LVD U160, external connector: Mini DB68(F) SE/LVD U160, whitebox kit includes: 5-position Mini DB68(M) TPE insulated twisted to flat ribbon cable, internal LVD Mini DB68(F) terminator, 3-year warranty.

Item: LSIU160-WB

 

[Jincuteguy]

Is this the fastest controller for my comp? (as in the max perform i can get from my ASus P4T533-C board)

 

[RanDum72]

In order to make it nice and concise for you, ANY of the controllers are the best and fastest for your mobo. Just take your pick, don't make it complicated as its not. If you are tight on the budget, go for the LSI. If you want future expandability (as in use the controller in future mobos) grab a 64-bit, 33mhz card. Any 15k drive would perform identically with ANY of the controllers in YOUR motherboard.

 

[Jincuteguy]

so which one would u pick?

 

[Trashman]

get the LSI controller Helpme suggested @ 79.00 w/ cables ......and match it with the Cheetah 15K.3 U320 68-Pin.

 

[Jincuteguy]

what is LSI homepage? thx. Can I get a Maxtor ATlas 15k u320 instead of the Cheetah?

 

[Zepper]

I think Trash mentioned the Cheetah because hypermicro has some factory recertified 15k3 models at a good price - unfortunately the only ones left seem to be 80-pin (SCA) and you will need to get a standard 68-pin (not adapted) drive if it will be the only drive on the cable.
I would get:
- LSI single channel HA from newegg.com for $38. shipped.
- LVD cable w/ terminator off eBay for less than $20. shipped.
- Whichever 15k drive you want from your favorite vendor - a single user on a normal PC won't see any real-world performance difference between any 15k U160 or U320 drives. Only in benchmarks and dreams... But if you simply must have the fastest, storagereview.com has given their overall crown to the latest Fujitsu 15k drive. The latest Maxtor/Quantum Atlas 15k does slightly better for workstation use while the Fujitsu does better on server benchmarks and the Atlas 15k is second place on the storagereview Leaderboard.
LSI Link . You should probably use active cooling (fan) for 15k (even 10k) drives as they have tended to get a bit warm - good for longevity in any case.
.bh.

And BTW, your questions have been answered multiple times with generally the same answers from the various responders (and the LSI link is easily googled). So what are we supposed to think?

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: Jincuteguy
what is LSI homepage? thx. Can I get a Maxtor ATlas 15k u320 instead of the Cheetah?

The Fujitsu MAS 15K is the fastest 15K drive, and for some reason also the cheapest.

 

[Trashman]

I wasn't suggestting refurb's on that Cheetah....they have 68-pins in stock... get whatever drive ya want.

 

[Jincuteguy]

I heard Fujitsu has some problem with their drives, is that true?

 

[Jincuteguy]

I heard Fujitsu has some problem with their drives, is that true?

 

[helpme]

All of the new SCSI drives from the manufactures are all backed by 5 year warranties, so you should feel confident when buying one. I have not heard anything about any particular manufacture of SCSI drives have any particular problems reciently.

 

[ProviaFan]

To explain this again, since I don't think you've understood it yet, PCI-X is backward compatible with PCI. 64 bit/133MHz (or sometimes 100, or 66) PCI means PCI-X (or PCI-64 in its older form). PCI-X is an expensive, workstation or server technology, while PCI is a desktop technology for the rest of us.

The meaning of "backward compatible" is that you can by a PCI-X SCSI Host Adapter and plug it into your motherboard with PCI slots, and it will work fine (but no faster than a regular PCI SCSI HA). If you upgrade to an Opteron system someday, and if you plan to get more drives (with three or four drives you might have a rare chance of saturating the regular PCI bus), then it would be wise to get a PCI-X SCSI HA for your current system. Otherwise, just get a regular PCI SCSI HA, or better yet, get whatever the fine folks with extensive SCSI experience have told you to get.

Oh, it also helps if you attempt to read and comprehend the replies you get. I've noticed the same questions being asked and answered several times over.

 

[Jincuteguy]

So you're saying if I get a PCI-X controller and hook it in my regular PCI slot, then it's faster than if I get a regular PCI controller and hooks it in the regular PCI slot right?

 

[helpme]

Please Re-Read the last post.

Honestly, if you can't understand all the advice that has been posted here, perhaps you shouldn't use SCSI. It CAN be trickier to setup than IDE or SATA, and if you don't understand what people have been offering you, save yourself a headache and steer clear of SCSI.

Originally posted by: jliechty
To explain this again, since I don't think you've understood it yet, PCI-X is backward compatible with PCI. 64 bit/133MHz (or sometimes 100, or 66) PCI means PCI-X (or PCI-64 in its older form). PCI-X is an expensive, workstation or server technology, while PCI is a desktop technology for the rest of us.

The meaning of "backward compatible" is that you can by a PCI-X SCSI Host Adapter and plug it into your motherboard with PCI slots, and it will work fine (but no faster than a regular PCI SCSI HA). If you upgrade to an Opteron system someday, and if you plan to get more drives (with three or four drives you might have a rare chance of saturating the regular PCI bus), then it would be wise to get a PCI-X SCSI HA for your current system. Otherwise, just get a regular PCI SCSI HA, or better yet, get whatever the fine folks with extensive SCSI experience have told you to get.

Oh, it also helps if you attempt to read and comprehend the replies you get. I've noticed the same questions being asked and answered several times over.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: Jincuteguy
I heard Fujitsu has some problem with their drives, is that true?

In the world of SCSI, there is no such thing as "problems". SCSI is targetted for maximum stability and has much more Q&A than IDE drives. They typically go into servers with 24/7 uptime at full load.

 

[Jincuteguy]

so buying a more expensive SCSI controller doesn't give me any performance boost right unless I have more than two drives and PCI-X slot?

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: Jincuteguy
so buying a more expensive SCSI controller doesn't give me any performance boost right unless I have more than two drives and PCI-X slot?

Yes, PCI can't transfer more that 120+ mbps, so your already breaking the bandwidth limit with a U160 card.

I bought an LSI Logic U160 controller and 2 Fujitsu 10,000rpm 74gig U320 drives(best bang for the buck off the fs/ft forum). They run at U160 of course, but you simply have to look at your usage to bandwidth ratio. Your not going to be transferring 120mbs+ of info for an prolonged period of time are you?, I doubt it. Your looking for burst rate performance and low CPU usage when you go SCSI, you'll get both using a simple U160 LSI logic controller.

Go to: www.hypermicro.com

Click Host Adapters and scroll down to LSI Logic, they also have some good deals on SCSI Hard Drives.

 

[Jincuteguy]

about how much (in percent) performance will I get more from a 36Gb 15k Ultra 320 SCSI drive over an 80Gb ATA 100 7200rpm 8mb cache drive (the one im currently using) ????

 

[helpme]

This many percent

 

[Jincuteguy]

that didnt' show me aything,