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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.questions:8092 comp.windows.x.i386unix:6663 Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.windows.x.i386unix Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!constellation!news.uoknor.edu!ns1.nodak.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!uw-beaver!uhog.mit.edu!news.mtholyoke.edu!news.smith.edu!jfieber From: jfieber@sophia.smith.edu (J Fieber) Subject: Re: IDE vs. SCSI (was Re: If you were to assemble a new machine...) Message-ID: <1994Jan19.205939.23515@sophia.smith.edu> Organization: Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA References: <2hg0ju$j7r@homer.cs.mcgill.ca> <1994Jan15.165808.10213@kf8nh.wariat.org> <HVFcgc2w165w@oasys.pc.my> <CJvrst.4BC@murdoch.acc.virginia.edu> Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 20:59:39 GMT Lines: 47 In article <CJvrst.4BC@murdoch.acc.virginia.edu>, Larry Doolittle <doolitt@cebaf4.cebaf.gov> wrote: >Would one of you SCSI advocates tell me this: would you rather >have a SCSI controller, or the extra RAM that the same money >would buy? (or, to keep it more apropos this group, an upgrade >to your video card :-) ) I guess it depends on the size of >machine you are starting with. I don't think performance is the entire issue either, long-term investment is also a factor. By starting off with SCSI equipment, I can be sure that I can take disk/tape/cd-rom/worm drives with me to whatever machine I may upgrade to. For example, one of my drives started life in an HP workstation, spent a year or so in an Amiga and is now whirring away in my peecee clown. Two other hard drives and a tape drive have similar life stories. SCSI devices are portable. > On a US$1x00 machine (I am typing on one now) > (4M RAM, 486SX/33 or less, one 250M drive, 14" maybe accel. SVGA, etc.) > chances are you would be better off buying the extra RAM. Sure, spend the money on ram. In this example it would be pointless to purchase a SCSI controller unless you were also buying something to connect to it. If you are getting another hard drive or some such, I would say yes, get the SCSI controller because SCSI devices tend to be better long term investemnts. It is a hard call though. > On a US$3x00 machine (and up and up) > (at least 16M RAM, 486DX2/66, two 500M drives, 17" VRAM accel. SVGA, > CD-ROM, Tape, etc.) > chances are you would be better off buying the SCSI controller. Chances are, you should have bought the SCSI controller *BEFORE* you got the extra hard drive, CD-ROM and tape... ;-) > On a US$2x00 machine (I think a lot of people are in this situation) > (8M RAM, 486DX-something, one or two 340M drives, 15" accel SVGA, > maybe CD-ROM and/or soundcard) > What do you say???????????????????????????????? Ditto. -john -- === jfieber@sophia.smith.edu ================================================ ======================================= Come up and be a kite! --K. Bush ===