SCSI card/drives for G3MT

[Powertrip]

Hey, everyone.

Now that I have my G3 operational I want to get some faster storage in there. The G3MT came with an Adaptec 29160 card installed that I put back in. I have some 9.1GB u160 LVD drives from a Dell Poweredge and wondered if these are about as good as it will get short of trying to go SSD?

Are there u320 cards out there that will work with MacOS? I know there are overall faster technologies now but I am hoping to do my storage with actual SCSI components.

Also, how was RAID handled with OS 9?

 

[604ev]

Are there u320 cards out there that will work with MacOS? I know there are overall faster technologies now but I am hoping to do my storage with actual SCSI components.

Hi,

An ATTO PCI-X UL4D (or UL4S) will work fine in a beige G3, as this one is PCI 2.1 compliant.

I'm not aware that U320 Adaptecs work in Macs.

 

[Powertrip]

Pardon my ignorance but I want to be clear... A PCI-X card that is 2.1 compliant will work in a standard PCI card slot?

 

[604ev]

I mean that any PCI-X card is backwards compatible and will work at least in a PCI 2.1 computer (like the Beige G3).

ATTO's UL4s will do it.

http://www.attotech.ru/software/files/manuals/ExpressPCI_UL5D_UL4D_UL4S.pdf

 

[Powertrip]

Thanks! That is what I wanted to clarify.

Is there enough of a real world difference between these cards to grab one over the adaptec I have?

 

[604ev]

Well..

Any SCSI card will rock in a beige G3 MT, even a 2930cu.

Actually, anything faster than 40Mb/s UltraWide SCSI is overkill for those systems, but will work.

You'd want to upgrade the card only for reliabilty, not for speed.

According to my experience, i would gladly trash any 29160 or 2940 and replace it by a 2930, if not an ATTO card.

 

[Powertrip]

Thanks. I am having a hard time trying to grasp all the SCSI card model numbers. As I have the 29160 and 9gb LVD drives, I will probably stick with this setup and see how I like it before spending money on another card.

These are actually the other loose SCSI cards I have:

-unidentified SCSI card: ASB3940U2W//

AdvanSys ASB 3940U2W - storage controller - Ultra2 Wide SCSI - PCI

-2x adaptec SCSI card: AHA-2930CU MAC//

Are you saying the 2930CU will be faster? It appeared by looks alone to be older/slower. But that is with my limited experience.

 

[604ev]

29160 is 160Mb/s, the 2x ASB 3940U2W might be dual-bus 40Mb/s or 80Mb/s; the 2x AHA-2930CU are 8-bit Fast SCSI (20 Mb/s)

Are you saying the 2930CU will be faster? It appeared by looks alone to be older/slower. But that is with my limited experience.

I was just saying that they are good quality cards and that their slower speed could be a good point in old systems.. as these cards will never overload the PCI bus.

With the 2930cu, your HDDs will run as fast as with the Wide cards, except for big-files transfers between drives.

 

[Powertrip]

Ah I see now. Thanks!

 

[Unknown_K]

9GB LVD drives are kind of slow, a 40Mbs controller (standard PCI) would be fine for those drives.

 

[604ev]

Yes,

Also, powertrip has to deal with a Radeon 9200..

I would go with the Video card in the G3 MT's upper slot and a 2930 in the middle slot.

But yes, the 2930 requires a 68/50 adapter.

 

[Powertrip]

In this g3mt when I got it... The 29160 was in the top slot and a Rage 128 was in the bottom. I have left this SCSI card in the slot where it is and placed the 9200 where the Rage 128 was in the bottom slot.

Other than it just being overkill... Is there any reason not to use the 29160?

I will probably switch the cards as you suggest since I think the 9200 having that slight edge with being bus master makes sense for my intended purpose for this machine.

Is there a best brands for internal SCSI ribbons? Once I have established the card and everything works, I will probably grab a 73GB u320 drive off the bay.

 

[604ev]

Other than it just being overkill... Is there any reason not to use the 29160?

With the Radeon 9200 installed, I would care about other cards' power requirements for the G3's PSU is weak.

Is there a best brands for internal SCSI ribbons? Once I have established the card and everything works, I will probably grab a 73GB u320 drive off the bay.

Some SCSI ribbons might be better-shielded than others.. also, shortest ones are better.

In any case, forcing SE-Mode on drives would solve any issue.

 

[Powertrip]

Ah thanks! It has been so long since I have worked with such an anemic PSU I actually did not think about running into issues with it. If that becomes a problem, I will swap in a quiet ATX model.

 

[Macdrone]

Might want to recap the small board in the G3.  Dang I forget what its called.  It is a weak link in the system.  Its easily removable, but should be sticking straight out of the motherboard. the word regulator comes to mind, but I'm not sure.  The colored G3's do not have that part.  

 

[Powertrip]

The Voltage Regulator Module. I have spares but a recap for longevity makes sense!

 

[CC_333]

They're also commonly referred to as VRMs, yes?

c

 

[Powertrip]

Indeed they are.