[geeks] Say you wanted to...

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

On Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:52:17 -0500 (CDT)
Lionel Peterson <lionel4287 at verizon.net> wrote:

> ...build up a system with 4 hot-swap SCSI drives (1" 80 pin SCA) for not a
> lot of money - what would you get? I came across this in a recent email,
> and if they are at all decent they are probably worth what they cost
> ($19.99 + S/H):
> 
> http://www.surpluscomputers.com/store/main.aspx?p=ItemDetail&item=DRV10984

Interesting.

If it were not so hard to find decent SCSI drives, I'd probably get one and
build a little PC server.  For that matter, I could use this for a Sun
externally.  

A lot of the cost difference with ATA versus SCSI now is capability.

If you compare drives of similar speed and capacity, the price difference
isn't that huge, for example:

	- 10K rpm 36GB Western Digital Raptor, ~$120
	- 10K rpm 36GB Fujitsu Enterprise, ~$120

The prices for those two fluctuates quite a bit, but they usually remain
fairly close.

The problem is they stopped making all of the low end SCSI drives, and I
think that is a real shame.

So far I've gotten my drives just by being patient and bidding low on decent
finds until I get one.  That's the only way I've found so far to get SCSI
drives in good condition, for a good price.

As someone else here said once, I find more stuff when I'm not really looking.
I automate very limited searches, and get a surprise now and then.

For example, I got a fairly new 9GB Fujitsu Enterprise for my Ultra 1 as a
surprise one day when a search fired off for one with under an hour to go,
buy-it-now, and under $20.  No one had wanted it, so I snapped it up for
about $10.

But, this is no way to buy drives when you need them some time soon.

Still, if you guys need a drive some time down the road, you might try
automating a really restrictive search and then just forget about it.

> Looks like it takes a 68 pin cable connection and requires 3x 5 1/4" drive
> bays.
> 
> Thought some here would be interested...

Yeah, it's making me think of converting my old external drive cage to wide
SCSI, and put one of these in it.

I should probably leave it alone...

-- 
shannon           | The object of war is not to die for your country but to 
                  | make the other bastard die for his. 
                  |         -- General George S. Patton