IBM Original Drive Options versus Third Party Compatible Kits

January 11, 2008

When faced with the task of upgrading the amount of storage on your IBM server, two alternatives must be considered: IBM Original Drives and Third Party Compatible Kits. DiscounTechnology carries both IBM Original Drives and IBM Third Party Compatible Kits.

IBM Original Drives

An IBM Original Drive, like the IBM Original 40K1028 SCSI Hard Drive, will be delivered in its individual box which bears the IBM Logo/Hologram. Inside each box will be the drive already mounted in its tray/caddy. An IBM Original Drive gives you 100% assured compatibility with the server it is designed for. The server's controller card will automatically recognize the drive as being of IBM manufacture and no controller settings need be altered. The downside of using IBM Original Drives is that they are considerably more expensive than Third Party Compatible Kits and may also be harder to obtain at times.

Third Party Compatible Kits

A Third Party Compatible Kit, like the IBM 40K1025 SCSI Hard Drive Kit is delivered with the drive and tray/caddy packaged separately (screws included). An Third Party Compatible Kit is guaranteed to be compatible with the server it is designed for although some IBM controllers might need to be configured to accept non IBM drives transparently. The advantage of using Third Party Compatible Kits is that they are considerably less expensive and more readily available than IBM Original Drives.

Points to Consider with IBM Original Drives

  • 100% guaranteed compatibility
  • Server controllers automatically recognize the drives as IBM
  • Considerably more expensive than Third Party Compatible Kits
  • More Difficult to Obtain than Third Party Compatible Kits

Points to Consider with Third Party Compatible Kits

  • Compatible with IBM Servers
  • Less Expensive than IBM Original Drives
  • More Readily Available than IBM Original Drives
  • No performance difference compared to IBM Original Drives
  • Server controllers might have to be configured to accept non IBM Original Drives

Other IBM Hard Drives

The following are other IBM Hard Drives that DiscounTechnology stocks:

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