UltraSCSI Vs. SATA Price Comparison
High-Performance Comparison
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Adaptec 2200S | LSI MegaRAID 320-2 | 3Ware Escalade 8506-8 | HighPoint RocketRAID 1820 | RAIDCore RC4852 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $ 650 | $ 650 | $ 500 | $ 170 | $ 350 |
| 8x HDD WD Raptor, 36 GB SATA | - | - | $ 920 | $ 920 | $ 920 |
| 8x HDD, Ultra320 15k U/Min. 36 GB | $ 2,400 | $ 2,400 | - | - | - |
| Capacity | 252 GB | 252 GB | 252 GB | 252 GB | 252 GB |
| Performance | ++ | ++ | + | O | ++ |
| Total Cost | $ 3,050 | $ 3,050 | $ 1,420 | $ 1,090 | $ 1,270 |
Because of the higher working speed of SCSI hard drives with 15,000 rpm, high-performance RAID arrays with Ultra320 SCSI are considerably faster on I/O performance and access time than the SATA solutions tested. Starting with the fastest available SATA drives, Western Digital's WD360, alias Raptor, SATA-RAID provides cost savings of almost two-thirds - without sacrificing performance or security to the same degree.
High-Capacity Comparison
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Adaptec 2200S | LSI MegaRAID 320-2 | 3Ware Escalade 8506-8 | HighPoint RocketRAID 1820 | RAIDCore RC4852 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $ 650 | $ 650 | $ 500 | $ 170 | $ 350 |
| 8x Maxtor DiamondMax 300 GB, SATA | - | - | $ 2,240 | $ 2,240 | $ 2,240 |
| 8x HDD, Ultra320 10k U/Min. 147 GB | $ 4,800 | $ 4,800 | - | - | - |
| Capacity | 1,029 GB | 1,029 GB | 2,000 GB(2 TB limit) | 2,000 GB(2 TB limit) | 2,100 GB |
| Total Cost | $ 5,450 | $ 5,450 | $ 2,740 | $ 2,410 | $ 2,590 |
Purely in terms of largest storage capacity, ATA is unbeatable. Specifically, for less than half the cost, SATA solutions give you a capacity in RAID 5 that is twice as large as with the maximum provision of SCSI components. This means that you get four times your money's worth in high capacity with SATA.
Naturally, some will say this is only theory. However, the price differences are so great that SCSI, as we know it today, will be replaced more and more frequently by serial solutions like SATA or serial attached SCSI (SAS).
