Its a function of cost vs. robustness vs. possible future hassle.
Dumb coils and board mounted IGBT's are cheaper than smart coils or external IGBT's. However, Dumb Coils are also more robust, resistant to shock/damage/temperature, and easier to troubleshoot than Smart Coils or Externals. They also use less wire in the harness. The downside is that if an ignition failure occurs at the IGBT, it will require a PCM repair.
Smart coils are more expensive and more likely to fail when engine mounted. They also have a far weaker control signal and are more likely to experience issues from high interference, poor wiring and connector terminals, etc. That being said, more aftermarket and some OEM's support their use, and they are less likely to damage a PCM from a coil or wiring failure, though they can still cause PCM damage from voltage leakage if failed in certain instances.
Dumb + External is even more expensive, but both solves and creates problems by design. More wiring, more connections, more components, more mounting, more hassle, and more expense... but you have the advantages of "dumb" reliability with externally replaceable IGBT's in case of a failure.
All that said, all systems are equal when working properly. There is no performance advantage of one vs. another, they are all inductive coil setups generally, and CDI/inductive has its own plus/minus arguments. The only time anything comes into play is cost up front compared to hassle IF you have a failure.... but considering the number of board mounted IGBT setups on the road, and the number of failures- I wouldn't worry about it.
Big cam and 100 shot would be a 9 second car all day long imo.
