Price

Price is our first consideration when comparing SCSI to IDE, because it is in many cases one of the largest factors when implementing newer technology. In this skirmish, IDE wins hands-down. Why?

Host Adapter or SCSI motherboard

In order for a PC to even be able to utilize SCSI devices, you need some way to attach the SCSI devices to the system. This is currently accomplished in one of two ways: a host adapter card, or a SCSI motherboard. A host adapter card is a SCSI device itself. Its function is to act as an interface between the SCSI bus and the system's internal Input/Output (I/O) bus. SCSI host adapters typically come as PCI cards. They provide connectivity to internal and external SCSI devices.

The other way to get SCSI connectivity is by getting a motherboard that has built-in SCSI support. That is, the motherboard has the functionality of a SCSI host adapter integrated into it, like how some motherboards have integrated video or sound (yech, by the way). Motherboards that have built-in SCSI adapters are typically higher-end, as SCSI tends to be a more advanced, and thus more expensive, technology. The problem here is that many of us are very choosy about our motherboards, because we have certain favorites that allow us to do some things. If you're not following this train of thought, what we're saying here is we like our overclocking capability. Hehe.

IDE, in contrast

As most of you already know, IDE support is standard on motherboards nowadays. There was a time when you might have had to buy an IDE controller for your motherboard, but those days are gone. Two IDE channels are standard on motherboards now. As a result, here is no extra cost of implementing IDE devices into your system.

The overhead cost for SCSI

As you can probably tell, there is an overhead cost to even be able to use SCSI. This cost is manifested in the price that you have to pay for the SCSI host adapter or the SCSI motherboard. SCSI host adapters can be inexpensive, because they are based on the different SCSI protocols, so your mileage may vary here. To give some examples, a SCSI/SCSI-2 adapter card could cost $45, (We found one on Pricewatch) or it could cost as much as ~$220 for a new SCSI Ultra-2 Wide host adapter. So, depending on your SCSI configuration, it might not cost AS much, but it will definitely cost something.

In the case of SCSI motherboards, the cheapest BX chipset motherboard with integrated SCSI will still cost you ~$200 dollars or so. Compared to a normal BX motherboard, we're looking at an extra $100 or so for the integrated SCSI support, and that's obviously a substantial amount of money. However, there's more on the price issue…