v564huce@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Allen Hsu) (03/05/91)
Yo! Seems to be a whole lot questions 'bout hard disks now. Okay, here's another log posting...:-) There are a billion companies that make HDs, and yes, there some big differences. It is true that the mechanics of all these drives are the same, a Quantum is a Quantum is... However, it takes more than mere metal platters to make a drive. Every drive also need a driver. Simply, software that makes the drive work with a Mac. Not so simply, it can REALLY affect performace. Most of the cheaper drives skimp a little here. It might provoke about a 5% difference in speed, samll but there. Physically, you can run into other problems. PCPC has a great new 50 meg drive. It's REALLY fast (new Quantum LPS-50 mechs), but PCPC felt that most folks were too stupid to use SCSI cables, so they attached it permanently to the drive. This can be a real pain if you have more than one SCSI device. Also, should the cable break...(this doesn't happen much though). It's nice, but I think they can trust people to hook them up. Another company (the name escapes me) thoughtfully designed these cheap plastic SCSI connectors that not only could break, but allowed one to put the cable in upside down, thusly turning a Mac into a lovely charred paperweight! Not good for our side. Also, notoruously bad for support is MacProducts. Buying from them is not for the weak at heart. They have one of the highest complaint levels for tech support (or the lack it). Also, their drives have software set SCSI IDs. It sounds cute, but executes real poorly. On the software end, many companies try hard to justify your dollars. I have two drives, a Jasmine 20meg (hey, I like it okay :-) and an Apple/Quantum 80 meg. Both were reformatted with LaCie's SilverLining. Let me say this much first, Jasmine's software is wonderful. It allows partitions, password mounting by way of a nice DA, etc. Apple's software is the pits. A lot of folks don't know this, but the Desktop kinds freaks out if you have a larger than about a 40 meg drive with just one partition. Apple has corrected this problem for AppleShare users with an INIT that overrides the Desktop. The only other solution is to partition the drive in to smaller pieces. Other "discount" folks follow this trend by shorting the software feature set like Apple. Notably, I point to Ehman drives. (I've dealt with one of them). LaCie though, goes one step further. I can password protect my partitions at startup so that they will only mount if you have a password (nice if you want to keep rommies from using your machine ;-). LaCie gets a real premium for their drives, but they are all really well built and very fast. This also lead me to the next part of this post. Service. It's the hallmark of any company. A whole lot of folks will pay dearly for good service. Hence why Nordstroms' and the South are so loved (okay, cheap pitch for the South, Go Vols!!!!!). People like LaCie, MicroTech and so on all warranty their drives for 5 years. Even the once prour and now lowly Jasmine has a 2 year warranty. It's a real judgement call that every user must decide for himself. Is it worth it to pay for the extra years? Bottom line then, shop for what you want. If you need cheap, go that way. I'm not knocking any of the discount places, in fact, APS is highly recommended by many (including BMUG). Apple drives are just plain too expensive as an add-on. As a bundle with their systems (like the Mac Classic 2/40) it's a good deal. Apple does use high quality parts, so do other folks. If you are shooting for top quality and worry little about price, then shop for warranties, reputations, and features. I did buy the LaCie SilverLining from them and it was a costly purchase, but I don't regret it at all. I hope to have settled a little bit of dust. Again, I don't vouch for anything that I haven't seen or used directly. The March issue of MacUser (Yes, Tony, I subscribe too, but only till 1993 :-) contains wonderful reviews of small (40-50 meg) hard drives, as always, questions can be sent to me care of your favorite net. -Allen Hsu- SUNY At Buffalo School Of Law, UBMicro Sales Center, and Proud Sponsor of the 1991 GURPS Team (Go Z-Team!!) *Well, he's sort of ambivalent towards sex.* *You mean he's divorced then?* -conversation with a friend-