How Big can a Pismo Hard Drive accommodate?

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Level 1

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How Big can a Pismo Hard Drive accommodate?

Have a 40 gig hard drive, and am going to upgrade. Contacted a company and they recommended a 320 gig drive. Bought it, but when installed, it only read as 128 gigs. Called the company, and they said the Pismo can only accommodate up to a 120 gig drive. Is this accurate? Thanks. David

G3 Pismo

Posted on May 26, 2009 7:32 AM

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Answer 1

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

May 26, 2009 9:42 AM in response to David Lyell

David,

Unfortunately the Pismo's maximum HD size, internally, is 128GB, so the 120GB HD is your best option. However, an external HD can be any size using the FireWire or USB 1.1 ports (USB 1.1 is too slow for an HD).

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Answer 2

David Lyell Author

Level 1

19 points

May 26, 2009 10:39 AM in response to David Lyell

Thanks for the response. Are you positive about this? I just called a company and they said I could order the 320 gig and it would fit. But they could be mistaken. Are you absolutely positive about the 128 gig limit?

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Answer 3

David Lyell Author

Level 1

19 points

May 26, 2009 10:42 AM in response to David Lyell

I forgot to mention...the drive I ordered, when I put it in, I put it in an external firewire case, and it was only 128 gigs that showed up even though it was a 320 gig drive. Again, are you absolutely positive a pismo can only accommodate 120? Thanks. David

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Answer 4

David Lyell Author

Level 1

19 points

May 26, 2009 10:46 AM in response to David Lyell

Also, one other thing...if I end up going with a 120 gig drive, won't several gigs be used up by the system? That is, I'm thinking 160 may be the best solution, that way I can use 128 gigs...what do you think? Thanks. David

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Answer 5

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

May 26, 2009 11:49 AM in response to David Lyell

David,

There is no question the Pismo's internal HD can be no larger than 128GB. The BootROM in the Pismo cannot see beyond 128GB, i.e. you cannot use any of the HD beyond 128GB.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2544?viewlocale=en_US

There is a third-party utility named SpeedTools that does allow use of larger HDs but the HD must still be partitioned near 128GB. Please read all of the details and limitations of this utility.

SpeedTools ATA Hi-Capacity Driver
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Intech%20USA/SPEEDHCCD/

If your FireWire enclosure saw only 120GB of a 320GB HD, you may have an older FireWire enclosure that needs a firmware update. This was a limitation of FireWire enclosures years ago when larger HDs appeared. I believe the firmware update allows 48-bit addressing instead of just the 24-bit. You may have to buy a new FireWire enclosure if there is no firmware update.

http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/FAQ/index.cfm?answer=797

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Answer 6

Jun 18, 2009 7:58 AM in response to David Lyell

I installed a 80 gig Seagate to replace the 6 it came with --also 512 memory--what is the max for this? Thanks

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Answer 7

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jun 18, 2009 10:20 AM in response to Oceangreg

Oceangreg,

Assuming you have the Pismo, the maximum amount of RAM is 1GB (2x512MB). Here is an example and also an excellent source:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iBooks-PowerBooks/G3-Pismo/

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