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Cost

A final consideration when evaluating different interfaces is the cost of the interface. In fact, I should really says costs, because there are several different aspects involved in assessing the monetary costs associated with an interface. While this is a non-technical consideration, cost considerations are actually probably the most often used by those making an interface choice, not technical ones.

The most important cost consideration is the hardware and software cost for implementing the interface. What this often boils down to is whether or not support for the interface is already included in a given system. For example, the presence of IDE/ATA controllers on all modern motherboards makes this interface less expensive for most people than going with SCSI, which would require the addition of a SCSI host adapter. Similarly, USB has been around for years, but is only becoming popular now that almost all new systems have built-in support for it, both hardware and software. Some interfaces also require more expensive support hardware than others--such as specialized cabling, termination, external enclosures and so on.

Another cost consideration is the cost of the actual devices that are used on the interface, as not all are equal. Generally speaking, this matter is related to the cost of the interface hardware as well--interfaces that are more expensive to implement generally have more expensive hardware sold with them, while inexpensive interfaces have cheaper storage devices. This results naturally from market forces: few people will want to pay $200 to implement a particular interface to enable use of a $50 device.

When considering the costs associated with an interface, be sure to look at all of the costs, including some that may be hidden. For example, the SCSI interface may require an up-front investment, but once set up offers expandability and other advantages that may offset its cost. Of course, what is a worthwhile expenditure depends primarily on the needs of the individual.

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