To install the hard disks, the cover, including the CD drive, must first be removed.

Hard drives are installed in the tightest of spaces, which is why you should consider first whether SCSI drives including controllers even make sense. The problem is usually the bulging ribbon cables.

For this reason, we compared two extremes: On one hand, two serial-ATA hard disks from Seagate (Barracuda 7200.7 Plus, 160 GB) that allow for easy connection of cables and easy startup. On the other, two SCSI drives from IBM (UltraStar 146Z10) to which we also had to add an adapter (SCA 80-pin on 68-pin SCSI).

The eternal question of whether to choose ATA or SCSI must be answered by way of requirements. A computer functioning as a Web and mail server will not give rise to long-term demand on the hard drive(s) to the same extent as file servers or large databases. SCSI drives are mechanically more sturdy, and built for long-term operation and for steady performance over a long period of time.

Seen this way, however, even high-quality ATA drives could have a long life too - as long as they don't have much to do. Budget also has a say in this: you can easily shell out more than $1000 for a RAID 1 SCSI configuration with two hard drives and host adapter than for serial ATA.

Before the drives are installed, the cover plate, including the CD-ROM drive fastened to it, must be taken off. The hard disks must - departing from the usual practice - be installed on their backs. On one side, they are fastened with three small rods that fit into the screw thread. On the other, a locking slider ensures the necessary fixing in place.