The following table summarizes the comparison of SCSI and IDE/ATA. See the individual
sections for a more thorough explanation of the summary conclusions below:
Interface Factor |
IDE/ATA |
SCSI |
Cost |
Low |
Moderate to high |
Performance |
High for single devices or single
tasking, moderate to low for multiple devices or multitasking |
High in most situations |
Ease of
Configuration and Use |
High for small number of devices,
moderate for large number of devices |
Low to moderate for both small and large
numbers of devices |
Expansion and Number
of Devices |
Moderate |
High |
Device Type Support |
Moderate |
High |
Device Availability
and Selection |
High |
Moderate |
Software / Operating
System Compatibility |
High |
Moderate to high |
System Resource
Usage |
Moderate to poor |
Good |
Support for non-PC
Platforms |
Moderate |
Good |
Next: Hard
Disk Logical Structures and File Systems
