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chasg · Jul 12, 2004, 05:13 PM

Hi All,

I"d like to pull a 115Gb ATA disk from my G4 desktop and put it into my Rev. B 2.0GHz G5

I need some recommendations for PCI-X compatible cards that will give me the ATA interface necessary (though I'm not sure how the ribbon cable run from the PCI zone to the hard drive zone)

I know that it'd probably be easier to put this drive into an external box, but I much prefer having it internal (and I'm hoping that the card route will be cheaper than the box route).

Thanks in advance for any help,

Chas

Lateralus · Jul 12, 2004, 05:19 PM

An external will be the cheapest option by far. An external USB 2 enclosure runs around $30-35 with shipping from NewEgg.com. An IDE controller runs closer to $80.

chasg · Jul 12, 2004, 05:28 PM

Astoundingly fast reply :-)

I knew that my preferred way would be more expensive (well, perhaps not that much more expensive), but it has advantages for me.

How should I search for an IDE controller? (NewEgg.com is too far away for me, I'm in the UK, so I'll have to search out what I need over here).

Thanks for the reply,

Chas

Luca Rescigno · Jul 13, 2004, 09:55 AM

Well, the problem is that NewEgg mainly deals in PC goods. Some items are totally cross-platform compatible, like hard drives and RAM. But if you want an ATA controller that is Mac-compatible, you'll have to look for one specifically listed as being compatible. So even if you COULD buy from NewEgg, it wouldn't help.

I guess eBay is one venue to look at. I also think Sonnet and Acard sell Mac-compatible cards. They ARE quite expensive though... Mac-compatible ones are $50-$100. Again, although you may prefer an internal drive, you would still pay a lot less to get an external enclosure. In fact, given what you'd pay for an ATA card, you could just sell the old drive and get a second SATA hard drive.

greenamp · Jul 13, 2004, 10:10 AM

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
An external will be the cheapest option by far. An external USB 2 enclosure runs around $30-35 with shipping from NewEgg.com. An IDE controller runs closer to $80.

Have u had good luck with a usb2 external drive on your system? I had one I tried to use with my dp 1.8 and it was unstable. I ended up having to get a firewire external case which works flawlessly. Could've just been my experience though.

chasg · Jul 13, 2004, 11:34 AM

hi greenamp,

The case I've been looking at is USB2.0 and firewire 400, but...

Due to the often inflated pricing of just about everything here in the UK, it turns out to be almost as cheap for me to get a new 120Gb SATA drive than it does to get an external case for my old ATA drive (which is just a little over 100Gb). I'm going to now drop that old ATA drive in my old B&W G3 (which acts as my webserver) where it will at least be properly used.

Strange, but true :-)

cal6n · Jul 13, 2004, 04:34 PM

Hi Chas,

I've got 2x160 Gb drives that I'm planning to move into my new LC when it turns up. I've bought a bracket from here:

http://www.g5drivebracket.com/

and a sonnet tempo trio from Cancom. Although it's not cheap, it is G5 compliant and gives you 2 extra firewire and 2 USB 2 sockets. As I need extra firewire, this neatly killed both birds!

Hope this helps

Calvin

chasg · Jul 13, 2004, 04:54 PM

Thanks cal6n,

That's drive bracket is a cool option (I've seen the more expensive ones, nice to see somebody isn't trying to rip us off!).

I'm even more impressed with the Sonnet Tempo Trio, what a versatile card! Definitely the way to go when the time comes.

Thanks very much for all of that info.