🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 5 Jan 1995, Matthew Lloyd wrote:

> Electronics, UK. I have four choices, all IDEs:
> 
> Make     Model number  Size   Access time  Price
> 
> IBM      DSA-3540      546Mb  11ms         149
> MAXTOR   7540AV        540Mb  12ms         159
> SEAGATE  ST3660A       540Mb  12ms         179
> WESTERN- AC2540        540Mb  12ms         179
> DIGITAL
> 
>     My question is this: which is the best make (both in terms of speed and
> reliability)? I have very little experience in these matters. I am not
> too concerned with the IBM's 1ms advantage, although it is cheaper.
> Which drive offers the greatest throughput? Why are the prices so varied
> (often against common sense?) Which would you buy? Would I need a VLB
> controller card (rather than ISA bus) to take advantage of any high speed,
> on my 486 DX2 66Mhz PC?

I have both seagate and Western Digital drives in my system.  I've never 
had any trouble with either, except that they don't work together quite 
right.  This could be due to their age difference (2 years) or due to the 
different manufacturers.  Both drives work, but the slave won't report 
it's activity back to the master, or to the controler card.

Maxtor has a good name in HD's, though I've never used one.

IBM tends to make sturdy equipment, though not necessarily the cheepest 
or fastest.  IBM does a lot of pioneering in HD technology, and I've 
heard good things about their drives.

Any of these drives should be ATA or E-IDE complient, so while not 
necessary, you probably would get a performance increase with an EIDE VL 
controler.

If you have an existing drive in your system, and it's brand matches one 
of the above, It would be a good idea to purchase the drive of the same 
brand.  Otherwise you should be safe with any of them.  OEM's tend to 
prefer WD and Seagate drives.
  
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Kenneth Fingerlos               |  Have you crashed your Windows today?
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