IDE-controller (PCI board) recommendations?

Mirar · 09-05-2003, 04:52 AM

No, we don't have ebay and ATA controllers are too rare for me to even check on auction sites here...

But I've found a couple of places that sells Silicon Image based cards; they seem to be the cheapest RAID cards around (well, the other common is from Promise).

Eqwatz · 09-05-2003, 12:51 PM

Try to find a new old stock non-Fast track promise card.

I don't know which brand of cmd680 (Silicon Image) based card is the one every body seems to be able to make work.

You may want to start a new thread asking for that specific information. Or even searching/posting to other newsgroups which focus on linux hardware. (There are bunches of them.)

As I said before, there is mention of the one on your motherboard being made to function properly. It may be that you have to patch the kernel source before compiling a new kernel to make it work.

Also, you may want to e-mail ASUS technical support on your problem. Other posters were able to get replies and help from them--although it took some time.

Mirar · 09-05-2003, 01:03 PM

I just drove around to the usually not very good stores in town, and actually got a Promise 20268 controller (for 375 SEK, around $40). It has native support, so all is well. And I'll survive with the "slow" ATA100...

Thanks for all the advices. (I hope this thread will eventually help other people with the same issues too.)

Eqwatz · 09-09-2003, 09:21 AM

Don't feel too bad. I remember doing tests with my XP and W2k boxes with the CMD based card and finding that the transfer rates didn't r-e-a-l-l-y work out to ATA/133 standards--then again it still might be that the specific card I have is "buggy".

The Linux survival site shows his cmd(SiI)680 based card performing at spec. Then again, see above. Also, my cables aren't less than 18 inches either.

Hmmm. Nah, it isn't worth the trouble to make up custom cables for my purposes; that is what I would have to do just to be sure. What is it, 6% difference in transfer speeds between ATA/100 and ATA/133? I can't remember.

Mirar · 09-09-2003, 09:42 AM

I don't have any disks that give more then 20Mb/s on the controller anyway... :-)