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winwook · Dec 20, 2003, 02:57 PM

Okay, I just bought a 160GB Maxtor internal hard drive and just discovered that my Mac is only limited to 137GB. Since I got a good deal on the drive would probably pay the same amount for a 120GB drive, I'm reluctant to return it.

Since I'd only be losing around twenty gigs of capacity, is there any technical reason why I couldn't or shouldn't just use the drive normally (without adding a new PCI card)? I don't want to add a PCI card since I bought this drive to replace my master drive which according to its SMART status is "failing".

The Maxtor manual says "Formatting a drive past the 137gb barrier on systems without an installed 137gb solution will result in data loss". I'm not sure if I understand this, but does this mean if I format the drive for only 137gb, everything would run fine. Thanks.

Axo1ot1 · Dec 20, 2003, 03:15 PM

What kind of mac is it specifically?

winwook · Dec 20, 2003, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by Axo1ot1:
What kind of mac is it specifically?

Power Mac G4 400MHZ AGP (Sawtooth)

bimmerphile · Dec 20, 2003, 03:49 PM

Format it for 137GB, and be merry.

MacGallant · Dec 20, 2003, 07:09 PM

I'm thinking about getting one of the internal 160gb maxtor internal hd at costco. does the 137 gb limit apply to my tower as well?

I have a Dual G4 867mhz MDD tower.

Eriamjh · Dec 22, 2003, 05:01 AM

I you format it for 137GB, then put it in a PM capable of >137GB, you will have to reformat to get the full 160GB and you will lose all your data unless you copy it to another drive.

I see no problem using only 137GB.

Arkham_c · Dec 22, 2003, 06:50 AM

You can use it as a 137GB drive. Alternately, you can buy a PCI card that supports larger drives and use that.

starman · Dec 22, 2003, 11:19 AM

Can't he partition it?

Mike

SMacTech · Dec 22, 2003, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by starman:
Can't he partition it?

Mike

He can, but unless his Mac supports the ATA-6 specification, it is still limited to 137gb.
Sonnet is the only company I am aware of thats sells an PCI IDE card to support large drives. The card is rather pricey, however.
I myself would put it externally and use FW with enclosure that supports ATA-6 protocol instead of buying the Sonnet card.

Taipan · Dec 22, 2003, 12:35 PM

Hi!

@MacGallant:

The MDD series models can use the full capacity, even with the ATA/66 controller.

Lateralus · Dec 22, 2003, 04:18 PM

(Nevermind)

mousehouse · Dec 23, 2003, 12:22 PM

Originally posted by Taipan:
Hi!

@MacGallant:

The MDD series models can use the full capacity, even with the ATA/66 controller.

ATA66 and all previous versions are limited to 137Gb (actually 120 * 1024^3 bytes). this was increased with the ATA100 standard, that allowed for larger number of addressable blocks on a disk.

so, any ATA66 implementation is going to max out at 137Gb, even on newer Mac's. Your MDD had ATA100 so you're okay.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Dec 23, 2003, 12:44 PM

So what if it is a firewire drive that is 160 gigs? Will it work on an older iMac or what is its limit?

tooki · Dec 23, 2003, 12:57 PM

48-bit LBA is separate from the bus speed. There are ATA/66 buses with 48-bit LBA, the ATA/100 spec requires it.

It can't be overcome in software or by partitioning, as it is a hardware limitation.

tooki

Taipan · Dec 23, 2003, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by mousehouse:
ATA66 and all previous versions are limited to 137Gb (actually 120 * 1024^3 bytes). this was increased with the ATA100 standard, that allowed for larger number of addressable blocks on a disk.

so, any ATA66 implementation is going to max out at 137Gb, even on newer Mac's. Your MDD had ATA100 so you're okay.

Well, I haven't tried it myself, but I have read more than once on the net that Apple managed to make the ATA/66 controller in the MDDs support bigger drives. Maybe it is possible?

voodoosand · Dec 23, 2003, 05:07 PM

SMacTech mentioned something that brought up a question: there's no limit to what size Firewire drive I can use, correct? I have a powerbook, and want to put a 180 GB drive into this firewire case I have, and I don't mind reformatting it, but will I even be able to use the whole 180 (or 160 or whatever it comes out to in reality)?

alphamatrix · Dec 23, 2003, 05:18 PM

Well seeing as that I've been thinking about putting a 250GB Western Digital in my Blue and White G3 I have a few things to say.
1.) If your going to get a ATA controller card you have a few things to look at, a) Does it work with your OS (OS 9 or OS X in our case) and B.) Does it support ATA6 and 48-bit LBA so we can get over 137GB.
Heres what I've found:
Sonnet offers the Tempo series in both a ATA/100 and a ATA/133 card, the 100 says it supports ATA6 but the site also says that it doesn't do 48-bit LBA. The 133 (http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempo_ata133.html) does and retails at about $100.

Acard has the AEC-6280M (http://www.acard.com/eng/product/ada...aec-6280m.html) for about $90.

SiiG makes the UltraATA133/100 Pro(http://www.siig.com/product.asp?partnum=SC-MP4A12) and it'll cost you about $85.

FirmTek makes ATA133 cards too but it would look as thought they're Sonnets OEM source.

That being said, anyone know where I can score a cheap 250GB western digital?

reader50 · Dec 23, 2003, 05:23 PM

voodoosand: It's 137 GB (advertised decimal size), 128 MB real binary size.

When a drive is in a FireWire case, the size limit is determined by the ATA controller (bridge chip) in the case. Check with the case manufacturer (web site, manual or email) to make sure their case supports larger drive sizes.

tooki · Dec 24, 2003, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by Taipan:
Well, I haven't tried it myself, but I have read more than once on the net that Apple managed to make the ATA/66 controller in the MDDs support bigger drives. Maybe it is possible?

Didja read my post, right above yours?

48-bit LBA (the ONLY requirement for >137GB drives) is required in ATA/100, and optional in any lower speed bus.

The MDD G4s are the first Macs with 48-bit LBA, which they support on both the ATA/100 and ATA/66 buses.

tooki

power142 · Dec 29, 2003, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by alphamatrix:
That being said, anyone know where I can score a cheap 250GB western digital?

Not sure if this is any help, but CompUSA keep having the 200GB Maxtor (7200rpm 8MB cache) drives at $99 after rebate (normally $90 instant, $30 mail-in).

Taipan · Jan 14, 2004, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by tooki:
Didja read my post, right above yours?

Oops, sorry, I misread it. Seems I need to spend some time on my reading skills...

Cadaver · Jan 14, 2004, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by alphamatrix:
Acard has the AEC-6280M (http://www.acard.com/eng/product/ada...aec-6280m.html) for about $90.

I bought one of these cards from Other World Computing for around $85, and it'll support large IDE drives. Nice & fast, too. Plug & play OS X support. Highly recommended.