Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic From: logic@wet.UUCP (Henry Kwan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Hard Drive Speeds Message-ID: <399@wet.UUCP> Date: 11 Aug 89 02:48:40 GMT References: <1275@blackbird.afit.af.mil> <29194@pbhya.PacBell.COM> Reply-To: logic@wet.UUCP (Henry Kwan) Organization: Wetware Diversions, San Francisco Lines: 48 In article <29194@pbhya.PacBell.COM> dbsuther@PacBell.COM (Daniel B. Suthers) writes: > >The faster drives are noticeably faster. If you are useing file based >based utilities such as arc, a compiler, MTC (a multi tasking shell), or >Minix you will notice a VAST improvement ( about 4 times faster ). Many >graphics programs also write to the disk often. > I would have to say that a drive's transfer rate make more of a difference than the average access time. Unless you are doing intensive database work which requires a lot of seeks or you have a badly fragged hard disk, the transfer rate will make more of a difference. Compare a ST506/412's 5Mbit/sec to something like an Imprimis 94181-702M's 15-24Mbit/sec (ain't sure on this one but it's somewhere in that neighborhood). The Imprimis will just blow your socks off. > >The FROG drive appears to be based on the Syquest drives. I have used their >10 meg disks, and find them to be usable, but pretty fragile. You can lose >a disk by dropping it 2 feet onto a desk. The ones I used were also VERY >susceptible to power hits. A 1 second outage was guaranteed to cause data >corruption. A suprising feature was that the drives also are sensitive >about their orientation. They don't work well on their sides. > I have not used the SyQuest 10MB cartridge drives but I have used the 44MB cartridge drives and find them to be quite reliable. Sure, you wouldn't want to risk a cartridge by dropping it two feet but then again, would you do the same to your fixed hard disk? The SyQuest 44MB drives are auto-parking so power failures have little effect. They also work well on their sides. Look at PLI's 44MB drive. They are suppose to work on their sides! > > [stuff deleted] > >Dan Suthers >uucp: ... ihnp4!pacbell!pbeos!dbsuther I am putting together a 44MB drive for a friend this weekend. Will report on how it runs on the ST. Should be fairly decent in any event. -- Henry Kwan - FWB, Inc. | "Experience varies directly claris!wet!logic@ames.arc.nasa.gov | with equipment ruined." cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic@cgl.ucsf.edu | {claris,ucsfcca,hoptoad,lamc}!wet!logic | -- Tech Support