SCSI disk upgrade

[arogge]

I'm interested in adding a Seagate Cheetah hard disk along with an ATTO UL4S interface card to a new PowerMac, and I'm wondering if my thinking is correct on this procedure:

Remove the existing IDE disk, change its jumper configuration to secondary, and reinstall;
Install the SCSI card into an open PCI slot;
Install the SCSI disk with the default jumper settings;
Connect the SCSI disk to the interface card;
Power up and install OS X onto the new SCSI disk;
Reformat the original IDE disk so that it is blank.

I'm also assuming that the necessary 68-pin cable and terminator for the drive are included with the ATTO card. Is this all right, or have I missed something?

 

[timbloom]

There is no need to change the jumper on the IDE drive, that is just for that ide channel, and has nothing to do with scsi.

Your scsi drive, most likely, will be pre-set to a scsi ID #, and should not require anything be changed with its jumpers.

 

[arogge]

Originally posted by timbloom
There is no need to change the jumper on the IDE drive, that is just for that ide channel, and has nothing to do with scsi.

Will the PowerMac automatically recognize the SCSI disk as the primary boot disk?

 

[mc68k]

Originally posted by arogge
Will the PowerMac automatically recognize the SCSI disk as the primary boot disk?

if it's the only one with an OS, then yes. SCSI setup should be pretty straightforward for one non-RAID device. as long as the X setup CD recognizes it, you should be able to boot from it.

SCSI card
SCSI cable with terminator
Drive
power (molex)

Cheetah drives have millions of settings on them since they're made for professional use. if you leave it default, you should be fine. you can put the drive on any connector on the cable too.

 

[steeleclipse]

how much is a card and cheetah drive??? I want to do that too

 

[steeleclipse]

also, is it worth getting a 10k drive? is it that much faster than 7200??? How big a jump is it to 15k (speed and price)

 

[arogge]

Originally posted by mc68k
if it's the only one with an OS, then yes. SCSI setup should be pretty straightforward for one non-RAID device. as long as the X setup CD recognizes it, you should be able to boot from it.

The original IDE disk will still have OS X installed on it. Will this affect the detection of the SCSI disk as being the boot disk?

 

[arogge]

Originally posted by steeleclipse
how much is a card and cheetah drive??? I want to do that too

I'm looking at a $550 USD upgrade price. Here's a link to Seagate's disk catalog:

http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/guide/

It really depends on the capacity of the drive you want. I only need the "small" 18 GB drive because I'll still have the original 80 GB Seagate Barracuda V disk. If you start looking at the 36 GB and 73 GB disks, the prices are significantly higher. The ATTO UL4S card has a retail price of $350 USD. SCSI is expensive, but it's a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[arogge]

Originally posted by steeleclipse
also, is it worth getting a 10k drive? is it that much faster than 7200??? How big a jump is it to 15k (speed and price)

Here's some links to reviews:

http://www.linuxhardware.org/features/01/09/10/065209.shtml
http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200107/20010719ST336752LW_1.html

Some of the 10000 RPM Cheetah disks only have a 4 MB cache, while the 15000 RPM disks have an 8 MB cache. I notice a significant difference with the larger cache and faster rotational velocities. Also, the 15000 RPM Cheetahs have been found to be quieter than the 10000 RPM generation of Cheetahs. Check the Seagate Web site (http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/guide/) for more information about disk specifications and prices.

 

[steeleclipse]

a little too rich for my blood...

Thanks for the info though

 

[mc68k]

Originally posted by steeleclipse
how much is a card and cheetah drive??? I want to do that too

it depends on the card and drive you buy.

the 2 best SCSI card makers for mac are ATTO and Adaptec. there are ultra 160 and ultra 320 cards. the number refers to the max bandwith that the card can handle in MB/s. most of these cards are backwards compatible all the way down to 32bit/33MHz PCI, but most are made for 64bit/33MHz PCI. the 320 cards have 2 160 busses on them for the overall bandiwth. an individual drive prob won't top 60MB/s transfer. only in a RAID array will you max out the bandwith of these cards (or a narrow PCI bus).

the best SCSI drives for desktop use IMO are the Cheetahs, of which there are many generations. the 15K drives have the fastest access times, but are loud and run hot. the higher the generation you go, the better the specs on the drive are. not all drives are pin compatible, so look for drives ending in LW-- these are 68 pin LVD.

eBay is the cheapest place to go. you could score a 36GB 36LP 15K cheetah for <200. and the PCI controllers are cheap there too. if you go retail SCSI, you'll break your wallet.

for more info on SCSI go here.