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December 1999
SCSI VS. ATA:
INTERFACE COMPARISON
Ricardo Dominguez and Tom Colligan, Storage Technologists
The higher performance and richer fea-
ture sets of todays peripheral devices
are the direct result of customer de-
mand for continuing advancement in
overall PC system performance and
functionality. Thanks to constant, evolu-
tionary improvements in storage interface
technologies, todays peripheral devices can transfer
data between the hard-disk drive (HDD) controller and
other system components at higher speeds, greater
bandwidths, and lower latencies than ever.
In recent years, two types of HDD interfaces have come
to dominate the PC desktop, workstation, and server
systems industry:
Small computer system interface (SCSI) The
SCSI standard is an American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) version of the original Shugart Asso-
ciates System Interface (SASI).
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)/Advanced Tech-
nology Attachment (ATA) interface The IDE/ATA
interface is derived from a combination of HDD
technologies developed originally by IBM Corpora-
tion and later enhanced by Western Digital Corpora-
tion.
This article looks at these two popular storage interface
technologies, differentiating them by individual technol-
ogy strengths and unique features. The latest iterations
of these interfacesUltra160 SCSI and Ultra ATA-66
are compared later in this paper.
Technology Comparisons
Computer system components are designed to lever-
age each others specific strengths and capabilities to
maximize overall system performance. The speed at
which data is transferred between hardware compo-
nents has a major impact on system performance. In
general, the faster that data can be moved from one
component to another, the higher the overall system
performance. Overall system performance can be im-
proved by:
Optimizing the locations and the characteristics of
different data transfer staging points within a sys-
tem, for example, between the HDD cache/buffer
memory and the host bus adapter (HBA). (See Fig-
ure 1.)
Reducing the latencies associated with data trans-
fers between these staging points.
Figure 1 compares the relative transfer speed of the
components associated with data transfers for storage
devices.
Figure 1. Comparison of Data Transfer Components
As shown in Figure 1, the HDD transfers data less effi-
ciently than the other components listed. To prevent the
HDD from becoming a system bottleneck, the internal
data transfer rate between the disk media and the HDD
interface must continue to improve to keep pace with
overall internal system data rate requirements.
To date, both the SCSI and ATA interfaces have suc-
cessfully met the challenge of maintaining data transfer
rates that are well above the HDDs internal data rates.
Figure 2 shows the interface bandwidth trends for SCSI
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SCSI Versus ATA
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and ATA. Figure 3 indicates the overall internal data rate
trend.
Figure 2. Interface Bandwidth Trends
Figure 3. Internal Data Rates Trend
The following sections compare the SCSI and ATA inter-
faces in terms of their strengths, weaknesses, and cost/
performance.
SCSI Interface
The SCSI interface is a shared-bus configuration that
supports a wide variety of peripherals. The SCSI bus op-
erates independently of the system CPU and the
system bus through an integrated or plug-in HBA.
The SCSI standard allows for 8 devices to be connected
to a single SCSI cable on a narrow bus configuration
(8 data lines) or 16 devices on a wide bus configuration
(16 data lines). Figure 4 depicts an Ultra2 SCSI bus con-
figuration that can support up to 16 SCSI devices, which
can include a mix of different peripheral devices.
Control of the SCSI bus is achieved through arbitration.
During the arbitration process, devices on the bus as-
sume the role of either initiator or target. Initiators are
devices that send out commands; targets are devices
that service those commands.
Figure 4. Ultra2 SCSI With up to 16 Peripheral Devices
SCSI devices are connected to the SCSI HBA by a SCSI
cable. No more than two devices can communicate on
the SCSI bus at any given time. SCSI devices communi-
cate via protocols that require sequential, well-defined
states known as bus phases. The bus phases and their
functions include:
Arbitration phase Initiator gains control of the
SCSI bus.
Selection phase Initiator selects a device for
communication.
Message phase Messages are exchanged that
identify specific devices and specify parameters for
data-transfer transactions.
Command phase Initiator sends out a request for
action.
Depending on the action requested, the target
forces the bus to go into a disconnect phase for op-
timal bus utilization, followed by a reselection
phase when the target is ready to complete the
transaction.
Data phase Data is transferred.
Status phase The status of the last operation is
posted.
Evolution of the SCSI Interface
The SCSI interface became an ANSI standard in 1986. It
has continued to improve in flexibility, connectivity, and
performance, and is now the most popular peripheral
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December 1999
device interface for servers and workstations. There is
also a small, but steady demand for SCSI connectivity in
desktop systems.
SCSI supports a wide variety of peripherals, including
HDDs, tape drives, optical drives, scanners, printers,
and redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID)
subsystems.
In addition, new SCSI interfaces are backward compat-
ible with most previous SCSI interfaces. SCSI devices of
differing transfer speeds can coexist on the same SCSI
bus. To guarantee compatibility and data reliability,
transfer rates are negotiated between devices before
data transfer is initiated.
Ultra3 SCSI
Ultra3 SCSI is the latest iteration of the SCSI interface
technology. Ultra3 SCSI is defined in the SCSI Parallel
Interface specification 3 (SPI-3). Ultra3 takes advantage
of the previous Ultra2 SCSI Low Voltage Differential
(LVD) technology and supports a combination of new
SCSI performance and manageability enhancements to
increase data throughput to up to 160 MB/sec. These
enhancements include:
Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) Improves data
reliability using improved data transmission and
error correction capability
Domain validation Verifies the interoperability
of hardware interconnects between the SCSI con-
troller and SCSI peripheral devices on the bus
Double transition clocking Doubles the data
transfer rate of the previous Ultra2 SCSI LVD by us-
ing both edges of the request/acknowledge signal
to clock data without increasing the clock rate
Packetization Reduces bus overhead by cutting
the current command and data transfer process to
three phases from seven phases
Quick Arbitration and Selection (QAS) Helps
reduce idle time on the bus
Ultra160 SCSI
Ultra160 SCSI refers to a SCSI implementation that in-
corporates a subset of the SPI-3 features, specifically:
CRC
Domain validation
Double transition clocking
Table 1 shows the various SCSI versions and features of
SCSI technology that have been developed since the
publication of the first SCSI specification, SCSI1 (also
referred to as Narrow SCSI), as an ANSI standard in
1986.
ATA Interface
Because of its relative simplicity and low cost (com-
pared to SCSI), the ATA interface is the most popular
HDD protocol for desktop and portable computers.
The ATA bus is independent of the system micropro-
cessor and the system bus. Only two drives can be
connected to an ATA cable and only one cable can be
connected to an ATA channel. There are typically two
channels on an ATA bus adapter or an ATA bus bridge
chip on the system board.
SCSI Standard
Number of
Devices
Supported
Maximum
Cable
Length
Bus
Speed
Number of
Data Lines
Maximum (burst)
Data Transfer
Rate
SCSI 1 (Narrow SCSI) 8 6 meters (m) 5 MHz 8 5 MB/sec
Fast SCSI 8 3 m 10 MHz 8 10 MB/sec
SCSI 2 8 3 m 5 MHz 8 5 MB/sec
Fast/Wide SCSI 2 16 3 m 10 MHz 16 20 MB/sec
Ultra SCSI 8 1.5 m 20 MHz 8 20 MB/sec
Ultra/Wide SCSI 16 1.5 m 20 MHz 16 40 MB/sec
Ultra2 SCSI (LVD)* 16 12 m 40 MHz 16 80 MB/sec
Ultra3/Ultra160 SCSI* 16 12 m 40 MHz 16 160 MB/sec
Table 1. SCSI Interface Versions
*The Ultra2 or Ultra3 SCSI bus can be 36 m in length with the use of extenders.
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SCSI Versus ATA
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In a standard implementation, one or two ATA devices
can be attached to a single host connector. If two ATA
devices are attached to a single host connector, one is
designated Device 0 and the other, Device 1. For most
data transactions, both devices are equal; however, be-
cause the ATA bus is not arbitrated, Device 0 has
additional responsibilities for handling diagnostics,
power-on reset, and certain control signals. Figure 5
shows an ATA bus configuration consisting of an I/O
controller and two HDDs. Either drive in the configura-
tion can be designated as Device 0 or Device 1,
depending on its location on the ATA bus.
Figure 5. ATA Configuration With Two Peripheral Devices
In its present state, the ATA bus has 16 data lines and
can transfer data at various speeds using one of several
Programmed Input/Output (PIO) modes, Direct Memory
Access (DMA) modes, and Ultra DMA modes.
The ATA interface specifications prohibit the use of in-
terface cables greater than 18 inches in length, which
restricts ATA HDDs to internal connections only. In ad-
dition, the traditional ATA controller that is included in
most desktop systems has only two channels, which
limits the number of HDDs that can be installed to four
devices. With the deployment of new peripheral
devices on the ATA bus such as rewritable CD-RW
drives, DVD-ROM drives, and Zip drives, the 18-inch ca-
ble limitation may adversely affect the interfaces
acceptance in the future.
Evolution of the ATA Interface
The ATA standard evolved from the original IBM

Ad-
vanced Technology (AT) interface that was developed in
the early 1980s. Since then, overall interface speed and
performance have improved through advances in ATA
technology and the addition of numerous features.
In the mid-1980s, Western Digital integrated the AT in-
terface logic into a controller that could be mounted
onto the disk drive assembly, thus eliminating the need
to provide separate HDD expansion card(s). This IDE/
ATA combination became the de facto ATA implemen-
tation. An extension to the IDE interface, called
Enhanced IDE (EIDE), enabled faster access to the HDD
and supported logical block addressing (LBA) for ad-
dressing HDDs larger than 524 MB. The designations
IDE and EIDE are gradually being dropped in favor of the
more inclusive abbreviation ATA.
The Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface
(ATAPI) extension was added to the ATA protocol to en-
able other types of peripheral devices to share the ATA
bus. ATAPI defines a packet protocol for controlling de-
vices such as CD-ROM drives and tape drives.
ATA Transfer Modes
High speed is one of the hallmarks of the ATA interface.
ATAs maximum data transfer rate has increased regu-
larly since the interface became an ANSI standard in
1994. ATA supports three primary data transfer modes:
PIO Mode Data transfer between the HDD and
system memory requires host microprocessor in-
tervention.
DMA Mode Data transfer between the HDD and
system memory can be performed without host mi-
croprocessor intervention.
Ultra DMA (UDMA) Mode Same functionality as
DMA, but adds double transition clocking for faster
data transfer capability and CRC error checking and
correcting for enhanced data integrity.
Each mode has its own performance characteristics, as
shown in Table 2.
Table 2. ATA Data Transfer Modes
Data
Transfer
Mode
Data Transfer
Rate (max)
Connec-
tor
Conduc-
tors
ATA
Version
PIO mode 0 3.33 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-1
PIO mode 1 5.22 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-1
PIO mode 2 8.33 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-1
PIO mode 3 11.1 MB/sec 40-pin 40 Fast ATA
PIO mode 4 16.7 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-3
DMA mode 1 11.1 MB/sec 40-pin 40 Fast ATA
Multiword
DMA mode 1
13.3 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-2
Multiword
DMA mode 2
16.6 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-3
Ultra ATA
DMA mode 2
33.3 MB/sec 40-pin 40 ATA-4
Ultra ATA
DMA mode 3
44.4 MB/sec 40-pin 80 ATA-5
Ultra ATA
DMA mode 4
66.6 MB/sec 40-pin 80 ATA-5
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December 1999
The fastest modes are usually supported only by the lat-
est peripheral devices and host adapters while the
slower modes are usually compatible with earlier
equipment.
The newest ATA interfaces are designed to support
backward compatibility with older, slower versions.
However, mixing fast and slow devices can reduce
overall performance.
ATA Chronology
The first-generation ATA interfaces included ATA-1 and
Fast ATA. ATA-1, the first version of the ATA interface
standard, provided support for modes 0, 1, and 2. Its
successor, Fast ATA, which was designed for local-bus
ATA connections, added PIO mode 3 support as well as
support for DMA mode 1.
The next variant, ATA-2, added the Multiple Blocks
Read/Write command, which improved the efficiency of
block transfers, thus reducing overall data transfer la-
tency. ATA-2 also provided support for PIO modes 3
and 4, Multiword DMA, and UDMA. EIDE enhance-
ments included CD-ROM and tape drive support.
ATA-3 added minor revisions to ATA-2 and support for
Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology
(SMART), which can warn users about potential HDD
failures.
ATA-4, also referred to as Ultra ATA-33, added support
for Ultra DMA mode 2 and introduced CRC for in-
creased data integrity. Through an improved ATA strobe
signaling mechanism, the maximum data transfer rate
was increased to 33 MB/sec. The higher data transfer
speed was achieved by clocking data on both edges of
the strobe signal.
ATA-5, usually referred to as Ultra ATA-66 or Ultra DMA
mode 4, added support for Ultra DMA mode 3 (44 MB/
sec) and mode 4 (66 MB/sec). The higher ATA-66
speeds require the use of a new 80-conductor, 40-pin
cable that includes 40 ground conductors to improve
cable grounding and enhance data integrity. The new
cable maintains plug compatibility with existing 40-pin
headers.
Table 2 lists data transfer rates for PIO and DMA
modes. Table 3 compares several of the features and
attributes of the two latest ATA and SCSI interfaces
Ultra ATA-66 and Ultra160 SCSI.
Table 3. Ultra ATA-66, Ultra160 SCSI Comparison
Interface Comparison
The SCSI and ATA interfaces are designed for different
users and different computing environments. SCSI
HDDs are typically used in workstation and server sys-
tems environments while ATA HDDs are used for the
most part in desktop and portable systems environ-
ments. Each interface is optimized for its intended
target market.
SCSI Environment
SCSI HDDs are installed primarily in multiprocessor
workstation and server platforms in environments that
are characterized by multidrive configurations and mul-
tithreaded, I/O-intensive operations. Characteristically,
these environments often require massive storage ca-
pacity as well as fast time-to-data and high-bandwidth
data transfer capabilities. The SCSI interface has a rich
set of data storage features, but is more expensive than
the ATA interface.
ATA Environment
ATA HDDs are optimized to meet the carefully balanced
cost/performance requirements of mainstream desktop
and portable computer systems. Thus, they are found
Features, Attributes
Ultra ATA-
66 Inter-
face
Ultra160
SCSI Inter-
face
Maximum data transfer speed 66 MB/sec 160 MB/sec
Maximum devices per channel 2 16
Maximum cable length 18 inches 12 m
Multitasking support:
Command overlap and queueing
Vendor option Yes
Bus utilization efficiency:
Connect/disconnect support
Vendor option Yes
Data error detection/correction CRC CRC
Bus termination type Source Active
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SCSI Versus ATA
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primarily in environments where single-drive configura-
tions are common and where drive operations are usually
single-threaded in nature.
In environments where the highest-performing ATA
drives are necessary, users typically opt for ATA HDDs
that have larger cache buffers and operate at higher disk
rotational speeds, providing reduced latency and more ef-
ficient data transfer. Even though the faster drives are
more expensive, they are still very cost effective in the en-
vironments for which they were designed.
SCSI and ATA Interface Differences
This section discusses some of the major differences be-
tween SCSI and ATA interfaces and describes how they
are optimized for their particular target markets.
Buffer Size
SCSI supports larger buffer sizes than are available with
the ATA interface. However, the best-of-class ATA
HDDs have recently started using caches that approach
the cache sizes offered by mainstream SCSI HDDs. Larg-
er cache sizes and effective caching strategies can
dramatically improve HDD performance.
Figure 6 compares current and projected SCSI and ATA
cache buffer size growth.
Figure 6. Cache Buffer Size Trends
Rotational Velocity
Data can be retrieved more quickly from faster-spinning
drives. The time required for a platter to spin one revolu-
tion is referred to as rotational latency. Higher disk
rotation speed translates to lower rotational latencies. As
shown in Figure 7, SCSI HDDs continue to lead ATA
HDDs in the transition to higher disk rotational speeds.
Figure 7. Rotational Velocity
Seek Time
SCSI HDDs typically use sophisticated digital signal pro-
cessor (DSP) technology to provide the precise servo
control needed for faster seeks. SCSI HDDs also use po-
sitioners with high torque constants for faster acceler-
ation during seeks. Both of these technologies improve
the SCSI HDDs seek time compared to that of ATA
drives. Figure 8 compares the seek time trends for both
protocols.
Figure 8. Seek Time Trends
Capacity per Disk
ATA HDDs exceed SCSI HDDs in disk capacity because of
the trade-off SCSI HDDs must make to achieve their high-
er performance.
When rotational velocity is increased, as it is in high-end
SCSI HDDs, the overall performance of the HDD is im-
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December 1999
proved. However, the trade-off for that improvement is
a reduction in the amount of data that can be stored on
each disk platter. Because SCSI drives are usually opti-
mized for the best overall performance, most SCSI
HDDs store less data on each disk platter. Differences
in disk capacity factor into the physical size of HDDs.
For example, high-capacity ATA HDDs are 1 inch high,
while the highest-capacity SCSI drives are up to 1.6
inches high to accommodate extra disk platter(s) for ad-
ditional capacity. Figure 9 shows the capacity
difference between SCSI and ATA drives.
Figure 9. Capacity per Disk Trends
Reliability
SCSI HDDs have traditionally been used in enterprise
server systems, where large capacity, improved data in-
tegrity, and high availability are paramount. Thus,
special effort is made during the design, testing, and
manufacture of SCSI HDDs to ensure their long-term re-
liability in I/O-intensive environments. SCSI HDDs are
generally guaranteed by the manufacturer for one mil-
lion hours between failures, referred to as mean time
between failures (MTBF). By contrast, ATA drives,
which are primarily used in less I/O-intensive, single-
user environments, are designed for 500,000 hours
MTBF or less.
Cost
Due to their built-in high performance and reliability fea-
tures as well as their overall lower capacity per disk,
SCSI HDDs can cost significantly more than ATA HDDs.
Dells Current Storage
Interface Offerings
Dells current SCSI and ATA interface offerings are as
follows:
Desktops Dell Dimension and OptiPlex
desktop systems support both SCSI and ATA inter-
faces. SCSI and ATA HDDs are available in capaci-
ties ranging from 4.3 gigabytes (GB) to 37.5 GB, and
at disk rotational speeds up to 7,200 rpm.
Portables Dell Inspiron and Latitude portable
computers use the ATA interface exclusively for in-
ternal peripherals. Available HDD capacities range
from 4.8 GB to 25 GB. Dells Inspiron line offers a
system capable of accommodating multiple ATA
HDDs.
Workstations Dell Precision workstations sup-
port the latest in SCSI and ATAcurrently Ultra160
SCSI and Ultra ATA-66. HDD capacities range from
6.4 GB to 36 GB. Disk rotational speeds up to
10,000 rpm are available. Internal and external SCSI
RAID storage solutions are also available.
Servers Dell PowerVault storage solutions
support the latest SCSI interfacecurrently
Ultra160 SCSIwith Ultra3 SCSI to be available in
the future.
Summary
Two data storage interfacesSCSI and ATAhave
come to dominate the PC desktop, workstation, server,
and portable systems industry.
With its higher performance, better reliability, and great-
er connectivity, SCSI has become the most popular
peripheral device interface for servers and worksta-
tions. Because of its relative simplicity and low cost
(compared to SCSI), the ATA interface is the most pop-
ular peripheral interface for desktop and portable
computers.
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SCSI Versus ATA
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For More Information
For more information on the topics discussed in this ar-
ticle, see the following Web sites:
IBM Corporation:
http://www.storage.ibm.com
Western Digital Corporation:
http://www.westerndigital.com
SCSI Trade Association:
http://www.scsita.org
Maxtor Corporation:
http://www.maxtor.com/technology
References
The Increasing Demand for Hard-Disk Drive Capac-
ity, Vectors, September 1999 (http://www.dell.com/
r&d).
Ultra ATA-66 Extends ATA-33 Interface, Vectors,
August 1999 (http://www.dell.com/r&d).
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
1999 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the Dell logo, OptiPlex, Inspiron, Dimension, Latitude, Dell Precision, and PowerVault are trademarks of Dell Computer Cor-
poration; IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to
refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and
trade names other than its own.