Benchmark Results, Continued
Conclusion: A Convincing Performance
The 'minnow' from Silicon Image performed well against some stiff competition from 3Ware, HighPoint and Promise Technology. For one thing, its transfer rates were slightly higher than the others in the group; for another, its application performance was slightly better.
The only fly in the ointment is the fact that the 3112 is available only as a motherboard option. You will be hard-pressed to find a controller card using this chip. That is not a major problem at the moment, as we still cannot wholeheartedly recommend switching to Serial ATA: the benefits simply do not justify the extra cost.
The only exception would be if you are about to buy a new computer or motherboard - in which case, incorporating Serial ATA would be a wise move, ideally with the Silicon Image chip under review, since it is currently the most advanced product of its type.