Romtec Trios RX910T6 IDE Hard Drive Selector

The Romtec Trios RX-910T6 IDE Hard Drive Selector
Something a Little Different

By Jeff Bouton
7/05/2001

Working as a hardware reviewer can be both a rewarding and exciting experience.  Where else can a person get regular exposure to the latest innovations in the technology world?  From new motherboards boasting the latest chipsets to GeForce 3 based video cards, new hardware is constantly rolling into the HH labs, eager for us to see what it is made of.  We are very fortunate to get our hands on some of the latest technology available today.  It is, however, refreshing to have something different show up once in a while.  Today we'll be taking a look at a new product that can only be categorized as "Ground Breaking."  Enter the Romtec Corporation.

Romtec, Inc. may not be a household name, but they have been around for several years.  Established in 1999, they can still be considered new kids on the block, but their goal is clear: ?to provide innovative hardware solutions to common computer problems by featuring an advanced technology for the 21st century.?  We?ll be taking a look at their first offering, which tackles the issue of multi-boot computer systems, the Romtec Trios RX-910T6 Hard Drive Selector.

The Trios RX-910T6 is a hardware solution that allows a user to switch between multiple bootable drives with ease.  Although the practice of multi-booting a computer system is nothing new, it is more common to install multiple O/S?s on a single drive using a third party boot utility.  With the Trios RX-910T6, a user can use multiple drives to achieve a multi-O/S system with the added safety of isolating the O/S?s from each other.  Using separate drives with the Trios RX-910T6 essentially turns a single computer into three separate machines, offering greater flexibility and safety.  Imagine having several O/S?s installed on a single drive, then that drive fails or becomes infected with a virus: one word comes to mind?Disaster.  With the Trios RX-910T6 installed, a virus could be isolated to a single drive and a drive failure would not leave you with a machine that won?t boot.  There are countless environments that would benefit from the Trios RX-910T6?s capabilities.  Schools, software/hardware testing facilities, and the common PC enthusiast would all gain from the added ability of separate bootable drives.  The potential benefits of such a device are endless.  Lets take a quick look at the actual unit, shall we? 

Specifications and Features of the Romtec Trios RX-910T6 It's So Simple...

As you can see, the specifications of the Romtec Trios RX-910T6 are pretty straight forward.  In this case, simplicity is a good thing since the function of the Trios is clear.  Let's take a look and see what comes in the kit.
 

The Romtec Trios RX-910T6 comes complete with everything needed to connect three drives to a single IDE channel.  One Hard Drive Selector is provided with three ATA 66/100 IDE Cables included.  The kit also includes two power adapters that connect the Trios to the power supply and a three way adapter that supplies the three drives with power.  If needed, the user can request a fourth ATA 66/100 IDE Cable that will be sent to them to connect the Trios to the IDE port on the motherboard at no additional cost.  Four self-tapping screws are also included for mounting the drive into a 5 1/4" bay.

Quality, Installation, and Conclusion