4 TB Hitachi drives won't fit in 2008 Mac Pro

Question

4 TB Hitachi drives won't fit in 2008 Mac Pro

I just purchased 2x 4 TB Hitachi drives for my 2008 (3,1) Mac Pro. When I went to install them, they would not fit. I mounted the drives to the sleds, and tried to slide them in. They would only go about 95% of the way, and I could see that the SATA connectors weren't linking up. I pushed fairly hard and couldn't get them to budge.

I turned on the computer to see if they were mounting, and they didn't.

On OWC they say the drives are compatible. Any ideas?

Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 24 GB RAM, SSD boot drive

Posted on Aug 28, 2013 3:22 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 28, 2013 3:48 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

I should note that I have other drives in the Mac Pro and they fit just fine (ranging from 1-2 TB).

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Answer 2

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Aug 28, 2013 5:36 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

Loosen the screws holding the drive to the sled so that it hangs a little lower, then try again.

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Answer 3

Aug 29, 2013 6:37 AM in response to Linc Davis

I did try loosening the screws a little bit, but maybe I need to do it more. For some reason it's much harder to slide the drive sleds in with the 4 TB drives than the others.

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Answer 4

Aug 29, 2013 1:07 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s wrote:

I mounted the drives to the sleds, and tried to slide them in. They would only go about 95% of the way, and I could see that the SATA connectors weren't linking up. I pushed fairly hard and couldn't get them to budge.

Have you tried your original drives with the sleds you're using for the 4 TB drives? This is a stretch but the sleds used in the Mac Pros which followed yours (2009-2012) are different and if they somehow found there way into your Mac Pro, I think you might have the symptoms you're describing.

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Answer 5

Sep 23, 2013 2:31 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

It may be a change in the disk drive screw hole depth. Hitachi is now owned by Western Digital. I ran into a similar problem last night. Western Digital RE 4TB drive form May 2013 fits my drive sleds just fine. New Western Digital RE 4TB drives that I got a week ago do not. Western Digital changed the depth of the bottom screw holes from 6 turns engagement (0.190") to 3.8 turns (0.118"). See Western Digital knowledge base answer 9915 "3.5-inch (SATA & SAS) form factor mounting screw depth change", posted 6-7-2013. The Apple drive screws in the mid-2010 Mac Pro model extend 0.172" +/- 0.005" past the step on the screw body. (The step is designed to touch the bottom of the drive leaving enough distance that the vibration washers are not compressed.) I need shorter screws -- ones with 0.060" (~1/16") less thread -- I'm trying to figure out if Apple has them available and, if so, how to buy them.

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Answer 6

Sep 23, 2013 3:59 PM in response to LeeJones3

Thank you Lee! That explains it very well. Please let me know if you find alternative screws.

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Answer 7

Sep 23, 2013 6:52 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

Desktop Hard Drive screws are an SAE (American) #6 size, 32 threads/inch. If you had a die to clean up the threads afterwards, you could file them shorter.

There is also a common electrician's wire stripper/crimper tool that has dies in the handle for those and a few other common screws used in American Elecrtrical work. You can screw a screw into that die, and squeeze the handles to lop off the end, then back it out to clean up the threads. I was surprised to find one in a drawer, and it has been very handy. Looks like this:

-- image courtesy Lowes.com

CD, DVD, and notebook Drives use a metric 3mm screw, 0.5mm/thread

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