Seagate Video Drives

[DRBlues]

Hello,

I'm new here and am about to purchase a VT2 but I am wondering which Seagate drives to buy for video editing.

I am aware there are both U160 and U320 10K Cheetah drives.

Am I correct that ALL model U160's are adequate?

Can someone tell me best model #'s to consider?

ST173404LW
or
ST373405LW
or???

I'm looking for the best bang for the buck here
for (4) 73gb drives.


Thanks for your time.

[Jim Capillo]

I guess it depends on what you're getting for a host computer. I've got a dual Xeon 2.8 7505 with the Seagate 73Gb 320's and the thing flies. Autoconfig reports 178mbs on a raid of 4.

Look to the future - get the best of whatever you can afford. :)

[deandec]

I've got a similar setup 7505 with dual 2.66 Xeons but with 4 x 10k Atlas II 160 drives. Autoconfig says 131 MB/sec. Guess the 320's give a bit more performance.

[Paul Lara]

Originally posted by deandec
Guess the 320's give a bit more performance.

Yes, they do.
Even more significant than 160/320, though is putting your SCSI controller in a 64-bit slot.

[DRBlues]

Thanks Guys,

This is very helpful information. I see there
are several things to consider collectively.

Still looking for specific Seagate model #'s to consider.

Can anyone elaborate?

DR - Los Angeles

[DRBlues]

BTW,

I'm considering a Supermicro P4DC6+ mobo with (2)
2.4 ghz cpu's and 1gb ram.

Is the onboard SCSI controller adequate for Seagate video drives or not??

[Paul Lara]

Sure it is!

[deandec]

The Seagate website has good info.

www.seagate.com

For 73gb models the main differences are:

1.) Rotational speed -- 10k or 15k
2.) 160 or 320 Interface
3.) 68 Pin (LW) or 80 Pin SCA (LC) Connectors

I think most mobo connectors are 68 pin. As for price difference a 73gb 160 drive is about $200 and the 320 drive is about $340.

[Videolink]

The more horsepower and memory and bandwidth you can get, the happier you will be.
We are now using U320 and seagates exclusively for our VT3 turnkeys
We have always loved Seagate for performance and warranty

[DRBlues]

Originally posted by Paul Lara
Sure it is!

Thanks, Paul but I'm still fuzzy on this.
I guess really I should have asked this question instead:

Is a separate Raid controller necessary or is it just a matter
of getting more throughput (or some other reason)?

In other words,
Do I *NEED* a raid controller (Adaptec) or is the onboard SCSI on the P4DC6+ sufficient to run a few U160 drives for editing?

(Flyer owner dying to upgrade to VT2 - now counting my pesos)

[Paul Lara]

Originally posted by DRBlues
Do I *NEED* a raid controller (Adaptec) or is the onboard SCSI on the P4DC6+ sufficient to run a few U160 drives for editing?


It is quite sufficient. Not only does it work well, but it keeps a PCI slot free for something else you may want in the future.


(Flyer owner dying to upgrade to VT2)

Having made the leap from Flyer to VT [2], I can tell you it's quite satisfying. Now, making the leap straight to VT [3]? You may want to order a seat-belt with your system! :cool:

[slacker]

We've got the P4DC6+ and seagate u160 drives (5 x 73gb) striped using the onboard scsi and we get ~130mb/s with no problem.

[cvp]

We have a dual xeon 2.4 w/7505 using the new seagate SATA drives (4 in a striped set). The cost is significantly lower and I still get plenty of speed for what I'm doing. Autoconfig reports 111 MB/s.