IDE vs. SCSI
Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope
Today, most computers users are switching from IDE (integrated development environment) and SCSI (small computer system interface) to SATA (Serial AT Attachment) disk drives. However, for users trying to decide between IDE/ATA and SCSI review the below chart for pros and cons on each.
| Topic | ATA/IDE | SCSI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Overall, IDE is a much cheaper solution. | Compared with IDE, SCSI is often more expensive to implement and support. |
| Expansion | IDE/EIDE allows 2 two devices per channel. Most computers have 2 channels. | SCSI can support up to 7 or 15 devices. |
| Ease | IDE is commonly an easier product to set up than SCSI. | Configuring SCSI can be more difficult for most users compared to IDE. |
| Faster | Today, the latest IDE and SCSI drives running at the same RPM (revolutions per minute) are close. However, 10,000+ RPM drives are often only available for SCSI. | All the fastest drives are often available for SCSI first and in many cases 10,000+ RPM hard drives are only available as SCSI drives. |
| Resources | All motherboards today have an ATA/IDE interface and unless additional drives are needed no additional resources need to be taken. | Unlike IDE, SCSI requires an interface expansion card in most cases (unless the motherboard already has it). Adding any new hardware means more system resources are going to be required. |