As swift as today's ATA drives are, the top SCSI drives are faster yet. Though they lag in areal density, SCSI drives bring faster spindle speeds and low seek times to the table. Offering up to 15 devices per channel, SCSI's expandability dusts that of the ATA interface. When it comes to the utmost in performance, expandability, and/or reliability, these are the drives you should be considering.

The Storage Review has broken down current SCSI offerings into three distinct catagories. The first group consists of the 10,000rpm drives. When bar-none performance is of utmost importance, this is the category you should be looking at. Seagate no longer stands alone in offering 10k drives. IBM has joined the fray with Fujitsu also making some noise.

10k rpm drives, however, are the loudest and hottest beasts around. Further, they still represent a relatively new market segment, and may not be as mature as the 7200rpm mainstays. "Enterprise Class" 7200rpm SCSI drives still offer exceptional performance while using a tried, proven spindle speed. Though they don't cost much less than 10k drives, they may be your best bet if proven reliability, operating temperature, or noise is an important factor.

Finally, there's a class of "entry-level" SCSI drives, a group of offerings that are priced significantly lower than the 10k rpm and enterprise-class 7200prm units. These are drives that users still on the ATA vs SCSI fence should consider. Although they still cost significantly more than equivalent capacity ATA drives, they may provide a better alternative for those who stand to benefit from the expandability that SCSI offers.

Most SCSI drives are built to higher tolerances than ATA units. Thus, you'll see higher MTBF ratings with SCSI drives, and more importantly, a longer warranty. Excepting only the Seagate Medalist Pro, every SCSI drive listed here is backed by a full five years. Though I've seen many ATA drives run for a long time, I'd always put my money on the SCSI drive lasting longer.

Generally speaking, our policy is to review the largest member of a given drive family that still maintains 1" form factor. You can expect the same performance from other drives within the same family. For example, several readers have written in asking when the Cheetah 4LP or the Cheetah 18 will be reviewed. Both of these are considered to be part of the same "family" as the Cheetah 9LP. You can expect identical performance from these drives.

For a brief period of time, the Seagate Cheetah family lost the title of the "world's fastest drive" when the IBM Ultrastar 9ZX managed to hit the streets before Seagate's own Cheetah 9LP. Both drives are shipping now; as the figures clearly indicate, the Cheetah once again dominates. Though it may be slightly more expensive than the 9ZX, the Cheetah maintains a low 1" profile rather than the IBM's more bulky 1.6" height, thus allowing easier cooling and integration into systems. The IBM may be a hair less noisy, but at this level, speed is the name of the game, isn't it?

Here the situation is different: IBM's offering triumphs over Seagate's. In addition to posting higher WinBench 98 scores than the Barracuda 9LP, the Ultrastar 9LP is aesthetically much less obtrusive. The Barracuda can be as loud as the Cheetah family, and almost as hot. The Ultrastar, on the other hand, was relatively quiet and cool. However, the Seagate, unlike the IBM, is readily available in an Ultra2 version. Also worth mentioning is Fujitsu's MAB3091SP. Although it was outpaced by both the IBM and Seagate, it's simply one of the quietest drives available, ATA or SCSI. That's saying a lot for a 7200rpm SCSI drive!

The one thing that's clear here is that you should not chose the Seagate Medalist Pro. If it were priced as low as its ATA brother, it would be a compelling option; as it stands though, it's almost as expensive as entry-level offerings from other companies while providing substandard performance and a measly three year warranty. The Quantum Viking II managed to edge out the IBM Ultrastar 9ES in most performance tests to claim the title of "fastest budget drive." Further, unlike the 9ES, the Viking II is available to end-users in an Ultra2 version, a plus for future uses. The IBM drive, nevertheless, remains an attractive option due to its quieter operation.