Subject: Re: IDE Controller Card Recommendation
To: yo _ <exhausted01@hotmail.com>
From: Sean Davis <dive@endersgame.net>
List: port-i386
Date: 03/29/2003 22:11:41
On Sat, Mar 29, 2003 at 09:27:11PM -0500, yo _ wrote:
> Hi, i'm planning on getting a new controller card for my computer (since 
> the one on my motherboard is so bad). I was thinking of getting just a ATA 
> 100 card, but i wouldn't mind getting anything better. If anyone has any 
> recommendations for one for use with NetBSD just email me, thanks!\
> -rian


I would recommend a Promise PCI Ultra100TX2 card. I purchased one of these
last year (they are pretty cheap, it was about $30 then) and it works very
nicely. I bought it to replace the crappy on-board Highpoint HPT366 ATA66
controller on this motherboard, since it has bugs that make the machine lock
hard when both channels are accessed, and I wanted my ATA100 drive (I only
had one at that point, but now i have two) to run at full speed. I've seen >
40MB/s transferring from disk-to-disk on this controller. The exact setup
is (also note that until I get a 100mhz FSB processor, I can only do 33mhz
PCI, and the TX2 is optimized for 66mhz PCI setups, so I imagine it can
perform even better than it does on this system):

pciide1 at pci0 dev 13 function 0: Promise Ultra100TX2/ATA Bus Master IDE
Accelerator (rev. 0x02)
pciide1: bus-master DMA support present
pciide1: primary channel configured to native-PCI mode
pciide1: using irq 11 for native-PCI interrupt
wd0 at pciide1 channel 0 drive 0: <WDC WD1200JB-75CRA0>
wd0: drive supports 16-sector PIO transfers, LBA addressing
wd0: 111 GB, 16383 cyl, 16 head, 63 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 234375000 sectors
wd0: 32-bit data port
wd0: drive supports PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2, Ultra-DMA mode 5 (Ultra/100)
wd0(pciide1:0:0): using PIO mode 4, Ultra-DMA mode 5 (Ultra/100) (using DMA
data transfers)
pciide1: secondary channel configured to native-PCI mode
wd1 at pciide1 channel 1 drive 0: <IC35L020AVER07-0>
wd1: drive supports 16-sector PIO transfers, LBA addressing
wd1: 19470 MB, 16383 cyl, 16 head, 63 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 39876480 sectors
wd1: 32-bit data port
wd1: drive supports PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2, Ultra-DMA mode 5 (Ultra/100)
wd1(pciide1:1:0): using PIO mode 4, Ultra-DMA mode 5 (Ultra/100) (using DMA
data transfers)

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