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klinux · Oct 12, 2004, 03:45 AM

For those with the iMac G5, what is the likelihood of putting a PATA drive in the machine i.e. a PATA drive with a SATA-PATA adapter? From existing pictures it may not look to be an option.

Alternatively, I assume there is an IDE header on the logic board that allows connection to an PATA device like th optical drive?

I ask because I have about a terabyte of PATA drives lying around and hate the thought of getting more just because they use a new connector.

toti · Oct 12, 2004, 06:16 AM

Not a very likely scenario IMO...

According to the 20" service manual the space around the SATA drive is extremely tight, so any protrutions would surely get in the way.

The optical drive is directly connected to the botherboard via a mini-ata connector ( surface mounted ), so using that is not an option ( unless you remove the optical drive, the SATA drive and use some home-brewed adapter cable - if at all possible )

I think your best bet is to find cheap fire-wire external boxes for you PATA drives

iPoder · Oct 12, 2004, 10:01 PM

No idea whether this will fit in the iMac G5, but check out the converter in the links.

http://www.coolerstar.com/idetosaco.html,

or this
http://www.computervideogear.com/sat...-converter.htm

Just google "IDE to SATA converter", and you should find many products.

klinux · Oct 12, 2004, 10:31 PM

Minor definition confusion here. IDE stands for Integrated Drive Electronics which is a common name for the Advanced Technology Attachement (ATA) Standard. When referring to IDE, one can mean either or both PATA and SATA. The sites you pointed to incorrectly calls them IDE to SATA converter when the correct name should be PATA-SATA converter.

In any case, I am aware of these converters but am wondering whether can fit that and a PATA HD in iMac G5. So far it does not look like it can but if anyone can try it I would appreciate a response!

Eriamjh · Oct 13, 2004, 07:09 AM

I have never seen anyone refer to SATA as IDE. While "technically" it might be, I doubt anybody has ever thought that IDE meant SATA as opposed to PATA.

iPoder · Oct 13, 2004, 12:03 PM

Actually, I hardly ever heard that term PATA, even it is technically correct.

Eriamjh · Oct 16, 2004, 08:18 PM

I never heard the term PATA until SATA came on the scene. Now I hear it all the time.

tooki · Oct 17, 2004, 12:54 PM

There shouldn't be toooo much trouble using a parallel ATA drive. In fact, the education-only configuration of the iMac G5 (which has no optical drive) uses a PATA hard drive. The bus should still support two drives, the cable permitting.

tooki

P · Oct 18, 2004, 12:54 PM

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
I never heard the term PATA until SATA came on the scene. Now I hear it all the time.

Same here. More correct would be to call it UATA, Ultra ATA, because that is what the connector is called. The older connectors - let's call them just ATA, IDE up to level 4 - are compatible with the newer connectors but they are not the same.

</nitpick>

klinux · Nov 5, 2004, 08:08 PM

Originally posted by P:
Same here. More correct would be to call it UATA, Ultra ATA, because that is what the connector is called. The older connectors - let's call them just ATA, IDE up to level 4 - are compatible with the newer connectors but they are not the same.

</nitpick>

If we want to nitpick, Ultra ATA is a marketing term for one type of PATA, as PATA existed in several speeds (66, 100, 133MB/S, for example). IDE is not ideal either as there is IDE and EIDE. As a result, I think using PATA and SATA is the most generalized and correct way to describes the two kinds of connector options.

Annnnyways, I just got the iMac. No way a PATA drive can fit in there.

toti · Nov 8, 2004, 06:02 AM

I thought as much

jamil5454 · Nov 8, 2004, 03:29 PM

Why not an external enclosure? You could get a USB hub with multiple enclosures configured in RAID. BAM - there's your Terabyte.

klinux · Nov 8, 2004, 05:58 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
There shouldn't be toooo much trouble using a parallel ATA drive. In fact, the education-only configuration of the iMac G5 (which has no optical drive) uses a PATA hard drive. The bus should still support two drives, the cable permitting.

tooki

I looked and the optical drive's PATA connector does not llook like a standard one to me and it would be difficult to put in a PATA drive in its space anyway since everything is well-fitted. No go.

Originally posted by jamil5454:
Why not an external enclosure?

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Would not have bother asking the question if that was an workable solution for me. I am sure most iMac G5 owners would also prefer to not have a chain of drives (and the extra noises associated with it) hanging form their slim chasis.

jamil5454 · Nov 11, 2004, 05:42 PM

Thanks Captain Obvious.

Would not have bother asking the question if that was an workable solution for me. I am sure most iMac G5 owners would also prefer to not have a chain of drives (and the extra noises associated with it) hanging form their slim chasis. [/B]

Hmmm... none of this seems to be working for you. Best case scenario: You'd have to buy a PowerMac and wrestle the drives in there. Worst case scenario: You'd have to buy a new PC with a server chasis to get all the drives in there.

I'm sorry...

...but not really.

klinux · Nov 11, 2004, 11:13 PM

I think the next step for me will be getting a Linksys NSLU2 and hack it so that it acts an iTunes server and then attach a couple of 200GB PATA drives to it. As a result, any client (PC or Mac) will be able to utilize the extra spaces.

P · Nov 13, 2004, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by klinux:
If we want to nitpick, Ultra ATA is a marketing term for one type of PATA, as PATA existed in several speeds (66, 100, 133MB/S, for example). IDE is not ideal either as there is IDE and EIDE. As a result, I think using PATA and SATA is the most generalized and correct way to describes the two kinds of connector options.

Annnnyways, I just got the iMac. No way a PATA drive can fit in there.

The original ATA had a 40 pin connector. ATA with DMA had 80 pins - each of the 40 pins halved, so to speak, with the bottom half sending a different signal from the top half with some isolator between. That's what I call Ultra ATA, in 33, 66, 100 and 133 MB/s speeds (and theorteically 16.6, but that was never marketed separately).