8GB was a SCSI BIOS limitation for a while, but would expect that limit to have been resolved by 1997.

Take a look here:
https://books.google.nl/books?id=uaTgf95ualMC … %201997&f=false
PC Magazine from December 1997.

Reading adverts in there:
- Micron high-end workstation with dual P2-300 and 4GB UW SCSI-3 drive (no brand/model/rpm)
- Compaq high-end workstation with P2-300 and 4.3GB "SMART ULTRA SCSI"
- SAG workstation with dual P2-300 and 9GB 10k rpm Ultra Wide SCSI
- Dell Poweredge server with dual P2-300 and 4.3GB Ultra Wide SCSI-3 7200rpm
- page 440 big listing, largest/fastest SCSI is 9.1GB Seagate Cheetah 10k
- page 454 the same
- page 461 again 9.1GB Cheetak 10k fastest, but an insanely expensive Seagate Elite 23GB 7200rpm also listed

So, period-correct best-in-class for December 1997 would be 9.1GB Seagate Cheetah 10k.

15k rpm and 146GB drives are way, way out.

Awesome, that’s some sleuthing 😉

I see a few models of 9.1GB 10k Cheetahs though:

- 68 pin or 80 pin
- ST39103FC, ST39103LC or ST39102LW

pixelatedscraps wrote on 2021-08-11, 17:50:

Awesome, that’s some sleuthing ;) […]
Show full quote

Awesome, that’s some sleuthing 😉

I see a few models of 9.1GB 10k Cheetahs though:

- 68 pin or 80 pin
- ST39103FC, ST39103LC or ST39102LW

Same drive, different connector/protocol.

FC: fiber channel. Probably not what you want.
LC: SCA 80p, what you want if you have 80p hot-swap bays
LW: HD68p, what you want if you don't have 80p hot-swap bays

FC-AL is a completely different protocol, but SCA and HD68 are the same signals over different connectors and with a suitable adapter can be interchanged at will.

Awesome, lifesaver.

In terms of cables if I went for the LW HD68p, would I just be needing a standard 80/68p male to 68p female?

NT4 has a max of 4gig for FAT16 partitions.

Are there equivalent models from IBM, Fujitsu, Maxtor that are on par with the Cheetah ST39102LW? I’m trying to get a second disk to clone the entire system over to as backup but can’t find two ST39102LW at good prices.

pixelatedscraps wrote on 2021-08-12, 06:28:

Are there equivalent models from IBM, Fujitsu, Maxtor that are on par with the Cheetah ST39102LW? I’m trying to get a second disk to clone the entire system over to as backup but can’t find two ST39102LW at good prices.

Not in 1997.

Iirc there was a 9.1GB Quantum Atlas II, but that was 7200rpm, and later a 9.1GB Quatntum Atlas II 10k was released as well, but that was a 2000-era U160 SCSI drive.

Seagate was well ahead of the curve in terms of SCSI HDD specs in those days.

Ok good to know, thanks for the advice and info. Guess I’ll keep hunting to find a matching backup drive.

Seagate Cheeta
HP SCSI
IBM

dionb wrote on 2021-08-11, 15:40:

but an insanely expensive Seagate Elite 23GB 7200rpm also listed

I bet that sounds beautiful

maxtherabbit wrote on 2021-08-12, 18:05:

dionb wrote on 2021-08-11, 15:40:

but an insanely expensive Seagate Elite 23GB 7200rpm also listed

I bet that sounds beautiful

WHAT? CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THAT 747 TAKING OFF IN MY CASE 😜

That said, I've never found anything coming even closed to the Fujitsu 1.7GB W-SCSI SCA drive originally in my SparcStation 20. It makes my 5.25" ST4767N sound quiet and unobtrusive by comparison.

null

Anders- wrote on 2021-08-12, 21:07:

pixelatedscraps wrote on 2021-08-12, 08:58:

Ok good to know, thanks for the advice and info. Guess I’ll keep hunting to find a matching backup drive.

Depending on which drive you get, make sure you pick the correct HBA.
The fastest scsi-drives around this time peaked around 40MB/s, so unless you want to saturate the bus, pick an u2w controller.

I was hoping the Asus P2L97-DS board I picked up last year came bundled with the optional onboard Adaptec 7880 but unfortunately it doesn't so I've ordered a 2940U2W. Now trying to figure how what kind of cables I need.

I always avoided SCSI for fear of creating further hardware conflicts despite the performance benefits so this is all new to me.

It's something that you want but once you experience the noise you may like me prefer non period correct scsi drives that are a lot less noisy. Like a seagate cheetah circa 2005-2006 with FDB.

Nah, I’m good with anything. I’m in this for nostalgia and accuracy. I want my 3-year old’s eventual first PC games to be played on this thing and boy do I plan on him appreciating modern technology.

This build is not for convenience but a time capsule of what a computer was from that time period. If it means buying a few extra noisy 9.1GB drives that may go south at any point then so be it.

If I want convenience, I have two very nice (but boring) computers in my sig I can use 😀