[Lee33]

I'm getting a G5 in the next few months and am trying to save some money. I've already learned that I can get memory MUCH cheaper by going to Crucial or Ramjet. Apples prices are too high for HD's too so would like to add a second HD myself but am not very computer literate.

My question is - if I get a G5 with just the main HD, what do I need to do to get a second one and install it myself? I know I need a SATA drive. Is there anything else about the drive I need to know before I buy one? When I go to install it, do I need to set any dip switches to main/slave etc? Is there anything else I need to know to do this myself.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[bowwowman]

just stick with a name-brand drive, and dont worry about the rest of it.......plug & play

ps.....you will have to use Disk Utility to format the drive before it will mount on the desktop .......

[Lee33]

Thanks. Bowwow. If I just put in the HD as you suggest, doesn't OS X have a disk utility to format that disk or do I need independent software to do that?

Another question I forgot to ask. Can the second HD be larger than the first? I'm looking at a Western Digital 300 GB ATA.

Thanks again

[Big Mac]

As bowwowman stated, you format the drive with Disk Utility, located in Applications/Utilities. In addition, you can get name brand RAM even cheaper than from Crucial. Everyone recommends Crucial as if it's second nature, but they're not the only name in RAM.

[Lee33]

That's great, Big Mac. Who and where do I get cheaper brand name RAM than Crucial. I appreciate the heads up.

Lee

[mordaskyt@mac.com]

The size of the second drive does not matter, It can be larger than the first, You may need to deal with the Master/Slave settings on the drives, not hard at all but something to be aware of when you do the install. And Ramseeker.com is a good source for ram prices

[bowwowman]

as already stated, unlike some things in life,

size don't matter !!!!!

HD's = OWC, Newegg, ebay

ram = ramseeker.com, 4 sure

[Big Mac]

*There are no master/slave drive configuration issues to worry about with your G5.

*I would essentially never buy a hard drive from ebay.

*There are at least five name brand RAM manufacturers/resellers: Crucial, Kingston, Mushkin, Viking, PNY, Corsair and Samsung. Crucial is too expensive, IMO, and their site, while pretty, is unhelpful because their memory selector presents too many module variations.

Kingston is more reasonably priced than Viking; both provide lifetime warranties. OTOH, PNY, the cheapest of the name brand RAM, only provides a 10 year warranty. Finally, I've written off Corsair entirely, since that company seems to cater exclusively to PC "enthusiasts," and a search for Apple yielded 0 results.

I've come to really like newegg.com, but there are other resellers that may have superior deals if you're interested in looking. If you want to do a more comprehensive search, go over to dealram.com or ramseeker.com and take a look at the sales they have listed for your particular iMac. If you happen to have a specific brand of RAM in mind, do some price comparison shopping with Froogle. Try search terms that reference the brand and, if you have it, part number or desired size module you're looking for. You'll find a lot of smaller tech companies through Froogle; I imagine most are reputable. The most difficult part is determining which companies have which parts in stock and then figuring out which is the cheapest after taxes and shipping.

[Lee33]

Thanks, guys. You've been a big help.

[thirdrockphoto]

Another source for RAM that is not listed with RamSeekers is www.velocityupgrades.com. I have bought two hard drives through eBay and both are still kicking after more than two years. Your mileage may vary.