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Do SATA-III 6Gb/s SSDs work in PowerPCs?

Hi,


I found differing information.


Will a SATA-III SSD work in my ibook G4 or/and my Powermac G4 (SATA-PCI-card)?


Since there is only 1,8" (microSATA) or a "Module"-SSD (mSATA) fitting in the ibook G4. I decided to select a Crucial m4, CT256m4ssd3 (the one ending with modelnumber SSD3, is like 1,8", it is a module). I will use this adapter http://www.ebay.de/itm/Convert-Adapter-for-PCI-E-MSATA-SSD-50MM-3-3V-to-2-5-IDE- 5V-44PIN-SSD-/321189716985?pt=DE_Computer_Sonstige&hash=item4ac86623f9


I read that some have pins to jumper them as SATA-II and they will work. Some will be SATA-III and have no jumpers but will work (only!) in the lower slot of PowerMac G5s.


Thanks!

PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11), PowerMac G4 AGP or Gigabit Ethernet

Posted on Sep 30, 2013 1:04 PM

Reply
19 replies

Sep 30, 2013 7:17 PM in response to lime-iMacG3

I read that some have pins to jumper them as SATA-II and they will work. Some will be SATA-III and have no jumpers but will work (only!) in the lower slot of PowerMac G5s.

I think the jumpers only apply to HDDs, then only 3.5" drives, then only some... I don't believe I've seen an SSD with Jumpers.


http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_Extreme_Pro/Legacy_Edition

Oct 1, 2013 8:00 AM in response to BDAqua

No, they were talking about SSDs. There do exist SSDs with Jumpers (a rare variety, though).


Well, I did not want to buy an overprized one form OWC, since I can't believe they do something "mac-special" to it.


I searched for the best Garbage collection in an SSD (since we know ther eis no TRIM under OS X) and saw that Crucial has the best (Marvell controller) GC.


Others told me sandforce was the best. Then I was told, that Sandforce is actually the worst in GC terms. I wonder, why OWC uses Sandforce then.


Again it seems you can find almost every answer on the net to one question, with different results.

Oct 1, 2013 1:17 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks. OK, then I got wrong info, because I found this, where it says there are SATA-jumpers.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1350382



(BTW. With HDDs I found out, that WD has these SATA jumpers, but that Hitachi do not even know themselves, that and why they have two Pins for a jumper. Then I found a storagereview page where they said it is for setting energy-saving-option at newer Hitachi drives).

Oct 1, 2013 2:01 PM in response to lime-iMacG3

PS: found that link, that links several other links 🙂


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4470728?start=15&tstart=0



It seems SATA-III SSDs do rarely work in PowerMac G5s stock SATA-I, via SATA-PCI cards they work in both PowerMac G4 and G5, but are not bootable.


Well, now, if we can further assume, that SATA-III to IDE in an ibook/PowerBook does not work, too?



PS: where is Japamac, I hope he is not dead 😮 It seems he has not posted since a year or so.

Oct 2, 2013 1:29 AM in response to BDAqua

But that is usual in every Forum. So other's have to suffer, because of one person spreading wrong info?


This is a big loss, I think a better way would be to spread the right information. Otherwise only the wrong doers will be left on the internet. I can understand, if he is frustrated, though.


If I would be hit by the heart, everytime I ask a question in other forums and I get the answer "put your PowerPC in the trash and buy a new Intel-Mac" I could stop learning anyway.

Oct 12, 2013 1:34 AM in response to lime-iMacG3

ALL SATA devices will work with your G5.

Early SATA-III devices had a jumper set to downgrade their connection but anything made within the last year will negotiate the correct setting automatically.


Source: I use modern SATA-III SSDs in all my Macs, from my old Dual 500 PowerMac G4, 1.6 Power Mac G5, 1.87 2007 Mac Mini, 2.16 2007 MacBook, to my 1,1 Mac Pro.

Oct 12, 2013 12:18 PM in response to DieselFuelForLife

Hm, I see, an administrator has removed some posts and again has deleted important info. I really like to know why my post has been deleted, I was not harsh nor anything else. I just said you have to list at least some of the drives you have tested.


One could argue, that I want you to list your tested SATA-III drives to argument against you. Why not see it from the positive side (that I brought up in my previous post), when you name me like three models, I will be able to buy exactly these. If not I will buy just the one single model on this planet you have not tested, and then?


Anyway, how can one claim, that "every" and "modern" SATA-III drive work, that would mean that he had tested all or he had a viable technical explanation (like the way protocolls are send between controllers, etc.).


Now, please Everybody, DO NOT give the MODs/ADMINs new reasons to distroy the stream of conciousness of the thread by deleting important posts, that do have nothing to do with bad words you tell each other. IF ONE OF YOU USES BAD WORDS OR IS INSULTING TO ONE ANOTHER, I WILL SUFFER, because I will have to type the pure information I want to get across again. It is very nerve wrecking for me to write, because english is not my mother tongue. So make it easy for me, who just wants to discuss a topic, and you DieselFuelForLife just post your ideas on the topic and further more, please be more scientifically candid (i.e. name at least 3 models you tested and the Mac you tested them in). I have heard of someone, I actually know, and do have no reason to doubt, that he had to flash a new firmware to it (via PC) to make his SATA-III SSD work in his G5.


PS: Dear Admin, I know, it is probably not possible, but the next time please tell me what I have doen in just presenting info and I will not do that again in the future. Just deleting without telling, there is nowthing to learn for me. The only reaction will be (in the long run), that everytime someone starts flaming and I have nothing to do with it, I will get more and more lazy and will stop posting. Why should I post anything here, if my useful posts get deleted, because others have posted something bad?


! and why, Admin, did you delete the bad part in DieselFuelForLife's post and let the rest intact, but deleted my post completely??? I didn't even say something bad. (Maybe this is the reason, one favourite member does not post here anymore, because the wrongdoers get their posts corrected and the nice people giving information get their post deleted completely. My guess, is that the bad people report the nice posts to the admins and they delete them automatically without looking into the case.


PPS: does someone have my post still left in his email notifications and can send it to me or post the part with the technical information?

Oct 12, 2013 12:38 PM in response to lime-iMacG3

lime-iMacG3 wrote:


One could argue

That seems to be your intent for posting here, which is what likely got your post pulled.


Anyway, how can one claim, that "every" and "modern" SATA-III drive work

It is a statement of fact, that technology has advanced and drive makers have both the ability to auto-negotiate the interface speed to fit the controller and the understanding that SATA-I and II interfaces are still common on the market. They adapt their products to fit a broad range of devices in order to maximize sales with a minimum number of products. Why sell a SATA-III drive plus a SATA-I/II model when one can be made work with all three with a simple firmware and/or controller change?


and you DieselFuelForLife just post your ideas on the topic and further more, please be more scientifically candid (i.e. name at least 3 models you tested and the Mac you tested them in).


I have already posted the facts in my prior statement. It can be understood from that post that if you want to ensure compatibility with your model, buy the latest model drive available that fits your needs and budget. Further more, there is absolutely no need to list every compatible model as there are literally DOZENS of makes/models/sizes of drives on the market currently and its impossible for anyone to test them all.


I have heard of someone, I actually know, and do have no reason to doubt, that he had to flash a new firmware to it (via PC) to make his SATA-III SSD work in his G5.


Please be more scientifically candid (i.e. name the drive model he tested and the specific Mac he tested it in).

Oct 12, 2013 5:51 PM in response to lime-iMacG3

PS: Dear Admin, I know, it is probably not possible, but the next time please tell me what I have doen in just presenting info and I will not do that again in the future. Just deleting without telling, there is nowthing to learn for me. The only reaction will be (in the long run), that everytime someone starts flaming and I have nothing to do with it, I will get more and more lazy and will stop posting.

Hi, I'm not an admin, nor did I have anything to do with any removal, but from experience I can tell you that if you reply to a post, & that post you replied to gets deleted for any reason, all replies to that removed post go away also. 🙂

Oct 13, 2013 8:26 AM in response to DieselFuelForLife

DieselFuelForLife wrote:



Anyway, how can one claim, that "every" and "modern" SATA-III drive work

A) They adapt their products to fit a broad range of devices in order to maximize sales with a minimum number of products. Why sell a SATA-III drive plus a SATA-I/II model when one can be made work with all three with a simple firmware and/or controller change?


and you DieselFuelForLife just post your ideas on the topic and further more, please be more scientifically candid (i.e. name at least 3 models you tested and the Mac you tested them in).


B) (...) Further more, there is absolutely no need to list every compatible model as there are literally DOZENS of makes/models/sizes of drives on the market currently and its impossible for anyone to test them all.


I have heard of someone, I actually know, and do have no reason to doubt, that he had to flash a new firmware to it (via PC) to make his SATA-III SSD work in his G5.


C) Please be more scientifically candid (i.e. name the drive model he tested and the specific Mac he tested it in).

on A) Because manufacturers do not care about older Macs, they just produce a version that will be compatible with Windows Vista, 7 and 8 and Mac OS 10.6 upwards. Because it is easier for them to loose 1% of customers, than having to develope different models or a firmware for obsolete technology (which PowerPC and SATA-I is).

And just offering a firmware update, if it even exists - (my experience is, that support and developement of firmware gets more and more some kind of letting the customer alone or treat him as a beta-tester) - is not really that easy to a normal customer. I think there are not many average PowerPC-Users that have a PC at hand just for flashing.


on B) as you say, there are dozens, not possible to test all. SO why do you not tell me which one you have and I will buy it, and I will not have to buy with trial and error.


on C) I did say, but the post was deleted. It was a OCZ Agility 3, that has native SATA-III and only works, if you use a PC with Wndows to flash the new firmware to it (the drive had still some issues, the latest FW update, from 1-2 months ago has removed these bugs a bit). He used it in a PowerMac 2,3GHz late 2005.


Please let us calm down. I stretch my hand out to you. Just explain, what is your concern in not telling me which drive you use in what of your Macs?

Oct 13, 2013 8:41 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua wrote:


PS: Dear Admin, I know, it is probably not possible, but the next time please tell me what I have doen in just presenting info and I will not do that again in the future. Just deleting without telling, there is nowthing to learn for me. The only reaction will be (in the long run), that everytime someone starts flaming and I have nothing to do with it, I will get more and more lazy and will stop posting.

Hi, I'm not an admin, nor did I have anything to do with any removal, but from experience I can tell you that if you reply to a post, & that post you replied to gets deleted for any reason, all replies to that removed post go away also. 🙂

Yes, but why did they just delete the flamatory part in Diesel's post and let the rest in his post intact. But my post was completely deleted (without flamatory content in it). That is not a question to you (since I guess we are not allowed to talk about it), I just want to note it.


The more and more I get to understand ... .

Oct 15, 2013 5:24 PM in response to DieselFuelForLife

@ Diesel:


Why does my WD600HLHX SATA-III (Western Digital Velociraptor) not work in my PowerMac G5 2,3GHz Dualcore (late 2005)? You said all, will work.


You say all recent drives work? How recent? My Velociraptor is from March 2013. Also it has 8 Pins in groups of 2, but no picture on it, that shows, what the jumpers are for.


PS: I know, Velociraptors are a waste of money, compared to SSDs, but I got that Veloci very cheap.

Do SATA-III 6Gb/s SSDs work in PowerPCs?

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