CompuServe Thread

#Hardrive Advice

2 messages in this thread
#114316From: Dan ColeJul 24, 1990 9:02 PM
I've progressed enough to where I'm beginning to thiunk about a harddrive. Problem is I'm not real straight on all the terminology, and I need help on how to make a decision. Betty Clay once suggested I get the A590 because its self contained compatible and simple for somebody like me. Problem is its only 20 Megs and I think I want 30 or 40. So when I start looking at ads for GVP, Supra, Quantum and Trumpcard I get confused. Because some of these ads talk about harddrives, some about harddrive controllers, some about expansion "chassis", some about SCSI devices. Could somebody help me figure out what all this stuff, maybe give me a recommendation, or recommend a source ffor information, anything would be helpful to allow me tto understand what I'm looking for in ads. Whaat I need is a unit that has a hardrive, that can ad up 2 megs of ram, and that has ports for cards. BY THE WAY I HAVE AN A500. Thanks anybody Dan Cole
#114356From: Betty Clay/SYSOPJul 24, 1990 11:38 PM
Dan, every hard drive has to have a controller, which serves to interpret things between the computer and the drive. On the Amiga, that controller can fit into a slot, but you don't have any slots on the A500. With no slots, you hae to have another way to protect the hard drive and the controller card, and to let the controller card talk to the computer – so there has to be an expansion chassis. This is a box into which the controller card and the drive can be placed. Some of them also have slots for other add-ons. An expansion chassis will fit onto the bus at the side of the 500. In the A590, there is the hard disk, the controller card, and sockets for 2M of memory. Now, have you asked your dealer if they could swap that drive out for a bigger one for you? That might be a good way. I think, though, that Supra makes a drive that fits onto the 500 just about the same way as the A590, and that it has a choice of hard drive sizes, and also a choice in the amount of memory that can be put in. And I do hope that some of the hard drive experts around here will tell you more than this. I only touched the surface! (Still learning all this stuff myself.) ……Betty