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Matthew Attoe · Nov 17, 2005, 03:31 AM

Hi,

I looking to fit a 2nd hard drive into my G5 DP2.5 in the next few weeks. I looking for something in the 300-500GB range. I will use it primarily to hold my music & digital photo collections, but will probably back up my 160GB drive to it.

I thought it was just a matter of picking the best overall spec & deal for me, but I've been reading (on xlr8yourmac, I think) that there have been some problems with WD 400GB drives and now Seagate 7200.9 drives - something to do with Apple's SATA interface/bus/connectors/whatever not being as "robust" as they could be.

So, perhaps you would be kind enough to tell me what 2nd drive you have installed? Have you had any problems with the drive you've fitted? Does 16Mb of cache make much of a difference compared to 8Mb?

Also, what is the performance like of your drive? Is it quiet? (my G5 is virtually in my bedroom, so I would like a drive that is as quiet as possible).

Any other advice of information would be gratefully received.

Many thanks in advance for your answers and time,

Matthew

booboo · Nov 17, 2005, 09:33 AM

I enjoyed use of a 250GB Maxtor with a 16MB cache, and found it to be quiet and faster than the usual 8MB cache/7200 rpm Seagates and WD's. I stopped buying WD's because I had a few noisy examples - the whining drove me crazy.

No reported prob's with the Maxtors either . . .

However, I had my computer stolen, and for this reason I'd recommend you have an external - even hidden - back up device. as I didn't, and regret it eternally.

Todd Madson · Nov 17, 2005, 10:52 AM

Barefeats did a nice comparison of "best drives to fit in a G5" that would be worth looking at.

mduell · Nov 17, 2005, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Matthew Attoe

I looking to fit a 2nd hard drive into my G5 DP2.5 in the next few weeks. I looking for something in the 300-500GB range. I will use it primarily to hold my music & digital photo collections, but will probably back up my 160GB drive to it.

I thought it was just a matter of picking the best overall spec & deal for me, but I've been reading (on xlr8yourmac, I think) that there have been some problems with WD 400GB drives and now Seagate 7200.9 drives - something to do with Apple's SATA interface/bus/connectors/whatever not being as "robust" as they could be.

So, perhaps you would be kind enough to tell me what 2nd drive you have installed? Have you had any problems with the drive you've fitted? Does 16Mb of cache make much of a difference compared to 8Mb?

Also, what is the performance like of your drive? Is it quiet? (my G5 is virtually in my bedroom, so I would like a drive that is as quiet as possible).

I too have heard about the incompatibility, but not a good explanation of the reason. I haven't heard about any problems with Hitachi drives, so look at their 7K400 and 7K500 lines.

At best 16MB cache is useful for about 0.05 seconds. After that you'll have to read from the disk platter anyway. I don't see a good reason to pay for more than 8MB (i.e. if 16MB is the same price, go for it).

Your drive should spin down when the computer is not in use, so it won't make any noise while you're sleeping.

power142 · Nov 17, 2005, 12:24 PM

I use a Maxtor Maxline III drive (with 16MB cache) with my G5. It's noticeably quicker and quieter than the stock 160GB drive, but I know that ain't saying much

While I was burnt by the whole Deathstar debacle (where IBM drives repeatedly failed), I would be happy to buy another (now) Hitachi drive if the price and performance were right. I also have a 300GB Seagate drive in another machine and my only comment is that it's not as quiet as I'd hoped (maybe I just got a noisy one).

Using NewEgg as a source of pricing, the Maxline is the cheapest 300GB SATA drive they have at a little over $120. The 400GB drives are disproportionately priced in excess of $200.

Everyone has their tales to tell about hard drives failing over the years, so your best bet is just to follow your pocketbook and see what happens....

mduell · Nov 17, 2005, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by power142

Everyone has their tales to tell about hard drives failing over the years, so your best bet is just to follow your pocketbook and see what happens....

You can check to see if a specific manufacturer/model/capacity has had a spat of bad luck in StorageReview's Drive Reliability Database.

I own two "DeathStars" (including one from the lawsuit-provoking 75GXP series) which have been running fine for 5 years.

Matthew Attoe · Nov 18, 2005, 02:19 AM

Hi again,

Thank you all very much for taking the time to post your replies. I appreciate it.

Looks like it's worth me checking out the Maxtor and the Hitachi drives then.

Thanks again,

Matthew

booboo · Nov 18, 2005, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Your drive should spin down when the computer is not in use, so it won't make any noise while you're sleeping.

I guess this is a matter for eternal debate, whether 'tis better to spin down or spin forever . . .

Personally, I never sleep my drives, being of the opinion that spin-ups are the most likely cause of drive failure (in normal use.)