HD suggestions for iMac G4 PPC 700MHz FP

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HD suggestions for iMac G4 PPC 700MHz FP

I would like to know experiencies and suggestions conserning on the installation of bigger 3,5" internal hard-drive on iMac G4 PPC 700MHz FP.

I am looking for to change my original 40Gb internal HD for one of these newer hard-drives that run with a 7200rpm-speed and have atleast 16mb cache-memory and atleast 250Gb storage space, hopely more, like 320-500Gb.

I've learned that the HD has to be a u-ata/pata (/ide) drive so HD's made for sata-standards wont do. Interestingly I've found that these resent 7200rpm HD's that have a very large 32mb cache are only made for sata-connection. If anyone knows a pata/uata HD with a 32mb cache, please let me know.

I remember there was a topic about the limit of how big (storage) of an HD can an older iMac take. However, from several sources I've got an understanding that in my iMac G4 PPC 700MHz Flat-Panel -case the size of the HD would not be problem, am I right?

A guite a lot of jumper settings on the HD has been discussed. I don't have any experience on this subject even thought have changed one HD earlier for another Apple computer: a Samsung 160Gb HD for on 500MHz G3 PPC dual usb iBook. In this particular case no jumper setting changes were needed but I had to reboot the computer to be able to instal the OS X 10.3.9 and the computer told me that it could read only 120Gb of the HD that is actually a 160Gb HD.

I expect that in the case of iMac G4 700MHz could also occur some need for rebooting after the new HD is installed, does anyone have any major experiences or suggestions on that?

I've already "been inside" the iMac and installed the memory slots to full plus been using the thermalpaste aswell so I have some general experience on working inside the iMac.

Last but not least, thanks so much for all of the advice already given in here. For example with the earlier advice of "mrtotes" and "duane" I've experienced a totally new world of Apple computers.

iMac PowerPC G4 (2.1), 700Mhz, flatpanel, 15inch, 1024M-SDRAM, LaCie external hd, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Dec 16, 2008 12:11 AM

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Answer 1

MiamiNL

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Dec 17, 2008 8:45 AM in response to hakimac

I have seen several upgrades with larger drives (200GB+) on the first gen iMac G4 flat panel machines, so I guess this is not limited to 128GB or so.

First of all, why are you so focused on the cache size? Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think you would notice any difference in performance in the 700MHz machine. And personally I don't think the extra cache is worth the extra price for the higher specs. But I recognize the urge to get nothing but the best for your Mac 🙂.

Getting back to your question. You have been inside the iMac before, so that won't be an issue. Taking out the drive carrier, containing the HDD and optical drive is pretty straight forward. You only have to do it gentle considering all the cables next to it. There's a small plastic clip on the side of the drive carrier holding some cables (the antenna cables usually) so you have to open this clip before you pull out the carrier.
About the drive jumper settings. There are several settings for the different iMac G4 models.
Normally the settings for your type are HDD: slave and Optical drive: Master. The best thing you can do is taking a good look at the settings when you pull the original one out.
In most cases the jumper settings are printed on the drive in some way. (MA: master, CS: cable select, SL: slave).
If you can't see the current settings for the HDD, look on the optical drive. In case of Master or Slave, the HDD would be the opposite. If the settings aren't visible clearly, you could check the internet for drive model.

There are some drives with known issues/specific settings. Western Digital for example should in some cases, when it has trouble booting from, be set to "Single drive", other than just Master.
The site xlr8yourmac has a lot of info on this subject, with a lot of user reviews.

Good luck upgrading your iMac!

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Answer 2

hakimac Author

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Dec 18, 2008 12:36 AM in response to MiamiNL

Thank you, “MiamiNL”, for your advice that really doesn’t leave me for the job to be done just relying on a good luck!

As you put it, I do have a urge to get nothing but the best for my ‘loved one’, the iMac 700MGz PPC G4 15”flat-panel (FP) that at the moment is run by OS X 10.3.9. Eventhought the loved one seems to aging we seem to go along together perfectly and this has given me an endless joy to sing “Somebody loves me, I wonder who, maybe it’s...iMac!”

Now you propably understand better the mania of the person asking to know if anyone makes 3,5” PATA hard-drives that runs 72000rpm and would also have the largest possible cache, wich at the moment seems to be 32Mb. But, if no one does, I cool to get a HD with 16Mb cache, no problemo. I just wish the storage capacity of atleast 200 and hopely something like .

Going inside the ‘beloved one’ is not an issue: “been there, done it”- as Lisa Simpson would also say. I’ve looked and read through propably every awailable source on the subject in internet, very good ones are:

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/iMacg4/imacg4takeapart.html

http://www.mrtotes.co.uk/mrtotes/iMac%20Flat%20Panel.html

The tricky thing, I assume, would be if I had to do some changes on the hard-drive jumpersettings. As I told earlier, I have changed one hard-drive before, for the older iBook. But, I don’t know anything about how to change the jumper settings. What instruments do I need for the job, etc? Does anyone know a good web-source for understanding the basics of how to change the jumper settings? And I’m not talking about the jumper-suit settings of Elvis!

In the mean time, I’ll browse this:

http://images.google.fi/images?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:fi:officia l&hs=7Tt&q=changing%20hard%20drive%20jumper%20settings&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

As “MiamiNL”wrote, so have I too found that some users have succeeded to install a larger than 128Gb hard-drive on older iMac G4 PPC. However, as my iMac seems to be the very first ones, and maybe The first model of those tablelamp Flat-Panel ones I am a bit curious about the subject. Forexample I’ve resently read a thread in here:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1818500&tstart=0

“For the 1GHz machine I don't think this is true. If you look here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Models.cfm?TI=2036
The 700 - 800 (MHz) is limited but the 1 Ghz is shown taking a 750 GB drive.”

If I understood right it could be, that there is a sertain limit in 700MHz iMac for the size of the hard-drive storagespace and I assume that it might be not wise to go over 500Gb.

Anyway, I would like to hear user comments on this subject: has anyone succeeded installing a larger than 250Gb hard-drive on 700MGz PPC G4 15”flat-panel (FP) that is run by OS X 10.3.9, or on a rather similar assembly?

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Answer 3

MiamiNL

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Dec 18, 2008 8:15 AM in response to hakimac

-----------------
But, I don’t know anything about how to change the jumper settings. What instruments do I need for the job, etc? Does anyone know a good web-source for understanding the basics of how to change the jumper settings?
-----------------

You don't need special tools or anything for the jumper settings. You can see it in the google images link you provided yourself. The jumper setting is done through a small plastic (with metal inside) "jumper" on the back, connecting 2 of the 6,9 or 10, etc pins.
For example this is a jumper chart for a Western Digital drive:
http://www.mfslive.org/images/wd_jumper.gif
As you can see, using no jumper is a setting too. The source you ask for is usually on the drive itself, and if you are not totally certain about the setting, than lookup your drive model on the manufacturers website.

As for the size limit, I found the following link, and if you read the lower replies, it seems the 700MHz G4 has no problem using a larger drive. As you said, I guess going for an extremely large one 500+ isn't usefull for this machine anyway.
http://forums.dealnews.com/read.php?4,2585728,2585728
The people saying it has a size limit of 128GB, are mostly not the ones who have actually tried it. Its like the people saying the later G4 models have a RAM limit of 1GB, because its in the Apple manuals. But it's clear the limit is 2GB.

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Answer 4

hakimac Author

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Dec 18, 2008 12:46 PM in response to MiamiNL

Thank you "MiamiNL", you've been helpfull. I'll think I manage now. What I might need are those little strange things called jumper-pins. The other little thing needed are those "little gray cells in my head" - as Monsiur Poirot might put it.

As being totally newby for the jumper-subject I had to look for the basics and found them, ha-haa, from here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(computing)

Also found out that there is plenty of jumper-setting info for uata/pata/ide hard-drives on the websites of the manufactures like Seagate and Maxtor: http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/troubleshootingassistance/internal_driveinterfaces/ata/

A comprehensive general list of more info about jumper-settings is here:
http://www.hardwarehell.com/jumpers.shtml

And anothre Google/Firefox link for the subject:
http://www.google.fi/search?hl=fi&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Afi%3Aoffici al&hs=HZP&q=settingide+pata+uata+hard+drivejumpers&btnG=Hae&meta=

Yabadabadoo and now I just have to find a nice person to sell me a gooood pata/uata/ide hard-drive, 'yikes'!

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Answer 5

MiamiNL

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Dec 20, 2008 10:03 AM in response to hakimac

You're welcome..and about the "strange things called jumper-pins".. I guess you mean the "jumper" itself. The pins are present on the drive you will buy.
Normally a drive comes with a jumper placed in a position like "master".
If no jumper is present, and if you need one, you could probably take one off the drive you pull out of your iMac. (still no jumper..ask for one in a local computer shop).

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Answer 6

hakimac Author

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Dec 20, 2008 12:27 PM in response to MiamiNL

One of my favourite actresses, Madeline Kahn, said in one of my favourite movies “Blazing saddles” (of Mel Brooks) a short line that to me is one of the most memorables lines in Hollywood: “What a nice guy”. Yes, this is the line I am saing now to MiamiNL.

Yes, you were right, I meant the jumpers themselves as now I finally think I understand what they are: jumpers are the small ‘add-on’s’ to the actual jumperpins pointing out of the back of the harddrive. And interestingly we can call a jumper-setting for such an assembly of jumperpins that aren’t jumpered (with jumpers) at all.

This is getting kind’a theoretical, but we won’t that let that slow us down...I feel ready to meet the jumpers, jumpers get ready to meet me. Ooo the jumpers, ooo the jumpers...

Oh, and the advice to look for jumper('s) in the old hd was a good idea.

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