Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > new hard drive in imac g3

new hard drive in imac g3
Thread Tools
brent0saurus
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 24, 2005, 02:36 PM
 
I have an iMac g3 400 MHz with a Maxtor 9.5 GB hard drive and i want to install a newer one... I'm no mac genius but i've installed ram in it before with no problems but a hard drive seems more complicated. I was looking at OWC for hard drives and found some hard drives that interest me...
1. 80GB Western Digital Caviar 7200rpm 8.9ms 8MB 'JUMBO' Cache UltraDMA 100.
2. 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 7200rpm 9ms 2MB Cache Ultra ATA/100 with Quiet Drive Technology.

Both are about 60 dollars and i found some 40 GB hard drives for a little over 50, but i figure it's worth the 5 extra dollars for another 40 gb.

So basically i'm asking
1. how difficult the process is. and what needs to be done.
2. what specs i should be looking for that will work with my mac.
3. any recommendations for hard drives.
4. Will it make my mac much faster than it is now?

I don't think the Maxtor HD is 7200 RPMs...but i don't know because i bought this computer used.
also, i'm assuming that i would start up from the osx install disc since the hard drive will be blank and then install it from there??
thanks a lot!
     
Dex13
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Bay Area of San Jose
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 24, 2005, 03:49 PM
 
     
MichiganRich
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Michigan, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 24, 2005, 06:04 PM
 
That is a helpful link, Dex. Good man.

After RAM of course, putting a new drive in the G3 iMacs is the best thing you can do. My friend's blue 400 is 'like new' afterwards, he said. It will be faster than the older drive, but the best thing is how much quieter a new drive is. You're probably used to the 'whine' the old drive emits.

The process is not hard if you follow the link that Dex posted, or any of the similar ones around (xlr8yourmac.com being another). As for specs, I would buy an 80gig drive (great match for the iMac size and heat-wise) with 7200rpm and an 8meg cache. Don't get the 2meg cache one. The brand is not important, and you could grab one off the shelf at Staples or Circuit City and it would drop right in. Look for some sales at your local stores! I think about $60-$70 is a decent starting deal for 80gigs.

Best of luck to ya, I'm sure it will go a lot smoother than you think. The one thing I could mention is try and get a pair of needlenose pliers or tweezers around the screws that you're taking out, especially around the perimeter of the shield thing right under the plastic bottom of the case. I had a screw fall down into the computer and it was a PITA to get it back out. Go slow, be deliberate. Oh, and press hard 'into' the philips-head screws so that you don't strip the heads as you're taking them out. Some of them are made of NOT the strongest alloys in the world.
     
brent0saurus  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Sep 25, 2005, 08:24 PM
 
great! i can't wait to install the hard drive! On that site that the previous guy posted I read that a 7200 RPM might be too hot but it might have been written when 7200 rpm hard drives ran hotter than they do now... I don't know though, but i can't imagine it being bad and 7200 rpm is definitely faster. Thank you very much for the informative post! You were a great help!!
     
Geezus_Aach
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: wash dc area
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 3, 2005, 12:54 AM
 
im using a 7200rpm seagate baracuda 60gb hdd in my imac 4000dv. works absolutely fine. swapped it more than a year ago. pretty easy to swap. open it like the instructions say in the previous post, plugging it in is the same as a pc. i do notice warm air coming out from the top vents but nothing outragious!

i also would recommend upgrading to OS X and up your ram too.
Tangerine iMac 400DV, 1GB ram, 60GB hdd, OS X 10.3.9
Black iPod Video - 60GB

wish list:

Mac mini 1.25GHz, 1GB ddr ram, 40GB hdd, OS X 10.4
or
iMac 20"
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:03 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,