It's easy to get confused with all the SCSI standards around, and there's now a new one to add to the list. Ultra160 is the first to have a name hinting at the speed it is capable of. So, you've probably correctly guessed that we're talking about 160Mbytes per second - double the bandwidth of the previous Ultra2 LVD standard.

Adaptec's new host adapters expand the existing range and incorporate this new standard, enabling you to keep ahead of hard drive technology and providing a future-proof investment. Here we look at the base model, the 19160, which is a single channel card.

It has two internal connectors, one 50-pin and one 68-pin. The 68-pin connector is the same as that used in Ultra2 SCSI, and you can even use the same cabling for the Ultra160 standard. The single external connector is 50-pin for legacy devices. Unlike the 64-bit top-end cards, the 19160 is of the more common 32-bit PCI variety, and will fit into your 'professional' desktop PC.

Aside from the card itself, the rest of the kit includes one three-position 68-pin LVD cable (with a terminator), one three-position 50-pin cable, EZ-SCSI 5.0 Deluxe and drivers for Windows 9x and Windows NT 4.0.

Ultra160 drives are readily available already, so you can make use of this massive bandwidth straightaway. Of course, even if you already have Ultra2 SCSI drives, the 19160 can still offer benefits. One is that you can add extra drives without a drop in performance. Up to 15 devices in total can be connected, and these are not limited to hard disk drives. external CD Recorders, Jaz drives and scanners can be attached.

You might be asking yourself why such high bandwidth is needed, since even the latest hard drives can only sustain a transfer rate of around 20Mbytes per second. The fact is, just four of these drive would saturate an Ultra2 bus, so Ultra160 not only has the provision for more drives, but has the transfer capability required to stay ahead of disk drives.

Contact Adaptec (01276) 854500, www.adaptec-europe.com