jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) (05/18/91)
I am in the process of deciding between Adaptec and Future Domain for the SCSI controller in a client's ISC 2.2 system. I have an Adaptec 1542b in my own, but am unimpressed with Adaptec's technical support. (I have SCSICNTL.EXE and the other stuff from adaptex, and that's great, but it's the phone support I'm concerned with.) All in all, would anyone recommend the Future Domain controller above Adaptec? How's their technical support? Also, there was mention once or twice in this group of an "Adaptec clone" that was a lot less expensive, and maybe even better supported. I'm afraid I missed the details; can someone bring me up to date on that? - Jay Ts uunet!pdn!tscs!metran!jay
chip@chinacat.unicom.com (Chip Rosenthal) (05/19/91)
In article <32@metran.UUCP> jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) writes: >I have an Adaptec 1542b in my own, but am unimpressed with >Adaptec's technical support. I switched to Bustek for exactly this reason. Phone: Ring. Ring. Ring. `Hello?' Me: May I speak with technical support? Phone: I'm sorry, you need to contact your reseller. Me: I *am* the reseller. Phone: I'm sorry, you need to contact your distributor. etc. The BT542B is virtually indistinguishable from the Adaptec 1542B. I benchmarked the two, and any differences were statistically insignificant. I switched over to them about six months ago, without a whit of problems. The Bustek is a few bucks cheaper, but that's not the point. I can't see paying a $20 premium for the privilege of not being able to talk to technical support. -- Chip Rosenthal <chip@chinacat.Unicom.COM> | Don't play so Unicom Systems Development 512-482-8260 | loud, Mr. Collins.
cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (05/19/91)
jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) writes: >I am in the process of deciding between Adaptec and Future Domain for >the SCSI controller in a client's ISC 2.2 system. I have an Adaptec >1542b in my own, but am unimpressed with Adaptec's technical support. As far as SCSI controllers are concerned, ISCs drivers take full advantage of the bus mastering capabilities of the adaptec. Therefore in a system with heavy cpu load it will run circles around the Future Domain. I haven't had to use technical support for any of the three, so I can't comment on that. >Also, there was mention once or twice in this group of an "Adaptec clone" >that was a lot less expensive, and maybe even better supported. I'm afraid >I missed the details; can someone bring me up to date on that? Bustec is and Adaptec clone manufacturer and thier boards are pretty good. -- Conor P. Cahill (703)430-9247 Virtual Technologies, Inc. uunet!virtech!cpcahil 46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160 Sterling, VA 22170
larry@nstar.rn.com (Larry Snyder) (05/19/91)
jay@metran.UUCP (Jay Ts) writes: >All in all, would anyone recommend the Future Domain controller above >Adaptec? How's their technical support? I have several Adaptec controllers in the boxes around here - running Interacitve UNIX 3.2 2.21, Dell SVR4 2.01 and DOS. They are very fast. I did have a chance to play with a couple of FD controllers - and throughput runs about 30% of the Adaptec 1542B. I have never had any reason to deal with tecnical support from Adaptec or FD. In summary - since the Adaptec screams - and is the "defacto" standard of the 386/486 ISA UNIX world - why go with anything else? -- Larry Snyder, NSTAR Public Access Unix 219-289-0287/317-251-7391 HST/PEP/V.32/v.32bis/v.42bis regional UUCP mapping coordinator {larry@nstar.rn.com, ..!uunet!nstar.rn.com!larry}