[admin] 2.5" hard disk

[Peter Gargano]

At the expense of a making a blanket statement:
Most laptops use a 2.5" drive with a 44 pin IDE interface
that includes the power (+5 volts needed only - usually)
Most PCs use a 3.5" drive with a 40 pin IDE connector and
a separate 4 pin +12 and +5 Volt connector. Note that the 
44 pin connector is basically the 40 pin connector with the 
extra 4 pins carrying the power. Consequently, you can buy an
adapter that lets you you use a 44 pin IDE drive with a 40
pin cable AND a 4 pin power connector.

But this all begs the obvious question - why use a 2.5"
drive when a 3.5" drive is probably cheaper (and dare I
suggest - more reliable - or are laptop drives less reliable
because people drop them more often?)

Plus, are we jumping the gun here? What has Steve/Orin/John/etc.
decided about a new server?

ECMnut at aol.com wrote:

> How do you know what interface the notebook drives use?
> Or is the world most IDE?
> Here is a couple that my supplier has..  We could pass the hat,
> and get one maybe?   I haven't looked in comp-shopper..
> Maybe they have better prices..
> 
> Hitachi 6.5GB LAP   DK239A-65   6.5GB,  9.5MM,
>  2.5"   #DK239A-50,   NOTBOOK   $218.59
> 
>     Hitachi 6.5GB LAP   DK229A-10   10.0GB,  12MM,
>   2.5"   #DK239A-10,   NOTBOOK  $263.24

-- 
Peter Gargano