Adaptec AVA 2842A

Advantages: A bargain. Easy to install and used. Good entry level SCSI controller.
Disadvantages: No support for higher data rates.

...If you plug an SCSI card into your pc, don’t hold your breath because nothing exciting is going to happen. (Unless of course you have made a very bad job of installing the card. Then you might see smoke and flames coming from your cherished/reviled PC or even, in extreme cases, find yourself moving down a tunnel towards a bright light.) However, once you have installed you SCSI card you will be able to attach any number of exciting devices to your pc. Although this is an opinion of Adaptecs AVA-2900 series of SCSI card, it is also a general review of SCSI. I have done this because as far as I can tell this is the first review at Ciao of a SCSI controller card. This seems to be a bit of an over sight to me as any number of SCSI devices have been reviewed, (such as the excellent Plextor external SCSI cd writer which was the subject... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Works well out of box; captures video as MPEG-2 flawlessly
Disadvantages: Stopped working after a Microsoft update - Adaptec will not offer free fix.

...Product served me well for transferring several piles of VHS tapes to my Media Center 2005 machine. Then - Microsoft came out with some software update and product only works for a limited time. Pause it while recording and the PC freezes. restart the PC and it no longer detects the device. Remove device - uninstall drivers and uninstalling WinDVR 3 all temporary fixes - problem reoccurs. Doing the C++ registry hack worked very limited, now does not. Adaptec - with this known problem - can not even be contacted outside of their "pay" support. Adaptec has not updated their searchable database with the "fix" - they apparently demand their customers to pay them before they assist. A sad state of affairs within a once-great company. Shame on you, Adaptec!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Gigantic storage capacity, long shelf life for stored disks
Disadvantages: Not cheap, bit slow sometimes.

...The Panasonic LF-D201 is a SCSI DVD-RAM drive. Mmmm, I hear you say, what a bunch of lovely acronyms, if only I knew what they meant I might actually bother to read this article. Never fear all will be explained. SCSI is the way in which it connects to your computer, for the pros and cons of this method, e.g. compared to USB, see my opinion on Adaptec’s AVA-2904 SCSI controller card and to a lesser extent my opinion on the Plextor 12/10/32S SCSI cd writer. DVD-RAM is probably going to be the replacement for cd writers. It has an enormous capacity per DVD disk (up to 9.4 GB) and prices are starting to make it accessible to the likes of you and I. I have also discussed DVD-RAM and its pros and cons more extensively in my opinion on the older Panasonic LF-D103. Having covered the basics in earlier opinions, I can now (thankfully... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful