wayne@teemc.UUCP (//ichael R. //ayne) (03/09/89)
In article <1120@pilchuck.Data-IO.COM> del@Data-IO.COM (Erik Lindberg) writes: > >In my search for a new HD of large-ish size, I ran into a question >that I have not been able to have answered locally. The Maxtor/Newbury >drive 2190, rated 190 Meg storage, is available locally for $1795. The >4380 model, rated 380 Meg storage, can be had for $1695. The salesman >doesn't know *why*, he *thinks* it must be a slower drive. How much >slower? Uh... > >Of course he doesn't have SPECs on the drives, and won't open a box >to see if there is anything inside (besides the drive, I mean :-) >Can anyone clue me as to the factual explanation why twice the rated >storage can be had for $100 less? Having been through the process of purchasing several Maxtor 4380 drives, I can give you a little info on this. It has been a while though so some of the details are fuzzy. 1) There are 3 models of the 4380. The 4380-S is a SCSI drive that has a reasonable access tme (~16-18 msec, I think). The other two are ESDI. One is slow (~30 msec) the other is the same speed as the SCSI version. The SCSI version is priced between the other two. 2) We never got any manuals for the drives. There were none in the box and the distributor was not too helpful after the sale (I suppose the fact that we drove him down $500 per drive might have had something to do with it :-) 3) I have been told that there are two revisions of the 4380-S. The difference is a new ROM and a minor H/W change. Old drives can be upgraded but must be reformatted. The difference is supposed to be a marked improvement in overall speed. I do not have enough info to be able to know which version I have. 4) The drives we got are SCSI and cost ~ $2000 about a year ago. 5) The prices in this market are very competitive. Maxtor owns another company (the name escapes me now) that takes Maxtor drives (purchased at a SIGNIFICANT discount) and bundles them with controllers, rails, cables for those miserable AT-class machines. Some enterprising vendors have realized that they can purchase these kits and sell them for parts, undercutting the prices that Maxtor distributors _pay_for_the_drives_ and still making a tidy profit. The VP at Maxtor I spoke to was EXTREMELY displeased to find out that this was happening. Of course, there was very little that he was able to do about it. The 4380 (380 Meg) was much cheaper than the 3280 (280 Meg) that I have. 6) Methinx the Maxtor drives are pretty much throw-away drives. Apparently, they are not easily repaired. Also, if you purchase a drive that is part of a "kit" described above, it is warranted by the kit builder, not Maxtor. 7) Remember: If you have questions about a product, never rely upon the salesman. Contact the company directly and they will help you out. I have had no problems (other than the lack of manuals :-) with my Maxtor drives. The 4380-S is quiet and reliable and I would consider purchasing more. /\/\ \/\/ -- Michael R. Wayne --- TMC & Associates --- wayne@teemc.uucp INTERNET: wayne%teemc.uucp@mailgw.cc.umich.edu uunet!edsews!teemc!wayne Operator of the only 240 Horsepower UNIX machine in Michigan