Ditto Max review - Feb 98 Windows Sources Magazine p.83
The review is not on ZDNET yet. The mag came in the mail today.
It's a very fair review. But it should have given the MSRP for the proprietary tape cartridges (both Colorado and Iomega) so we could compare the total cost of ownership. My comments are italicized.
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Hardware
Storage
Iomega's Large, Easy Backup
Backing up data is essential, and Iomega's new Ditto Max series of tape drives makes it easy. The Ditto Max comes in standard and Pro editions.
Iomega's $199 Ditto Max's cartridges handle up to 7 GB (3.5 GB uncompressed), which is 2 GB more than Hewlett-Packard's similarly priced Stellar winner, the Colorado 5 GB Tape Drive (see "Big Backups Just Got Easier," Hardware, December 1997) can handle. (It's now online at zdnet.com )
The $299 Ditto Max Pro cartridges handle 10 GB (5 GB uncompressed). In addition to their proprietary cartridges, the Dittos accomodate a variety of formats, including QIC-3010 and QIC-3020, but not QIC-40 and QIC-80.
We tested a beta of the Ditto Max on a 166-MHz Pentium system with 24 MB of RAM running Windows 95. The Pro unit bundles Windows NT drivers, which are available with the standard drive for an extra $19.95. (Not nice, drivers should always be free.)
We easily installed the internal drive, connecting it to our system's floppy disk drive cable before installing its proprietary ISA card, which doubles as a data accelerator. Iomega's Flash!File system let us designate up to 250 MB of files for quick availability. The Ditto Max also bundles Iomega's own backup utility.
During testing, the Ditto backed up our 1.88 GB sample file in just over 100 minutes using Ditto's accelerator card, averaging about 19 MB per minute. This was roughly 11 GB per minute slower than the Colorado 5 GB Tape Drive.
Since the Ditto Max and Colorado each cost $199, the choice between the two comes down to performance versus size. The Ditto has a much larger capacity, while the Colorado's performance was superior.
Bill Dyzel
IOMEGA DITTO MAX
PROs: High Capacity, low price.
CONs: Slower than the HP Colorado 5 GB Tape Drive.
Iomega's Ditto Max offers an affordable, easy-to-use, and high-capacity tape-backup solution.
Company: Iomega Corp., Roy, UT
Price: $199
Availability: Now
OS Support: Win NT 3.51 and higher; Win 95
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