Maximum Hard Drive Size

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Level 1

39 points

Maximum Hard Drive Size

I have the 1.5 GHZ PowerBook G4 17". I can't seem to find any guidance elsewhere on the 'net or on the Apple site on this question:

What is the largest hard drive my PowerBook will recognize?

I see a lot of people putting 160GB hard drives in with no problem but is that the maximum size my computer will recognize? I see 250GB and 320GB drives available - will my PowerBook recognize them?

Thanks for any help people can provide.

PMac 733, 17 PBook 1.5 Mac OS X (10.3.6)

Posted on Aug 22, 2006 4:13 AM

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Answer 1

EddieC

Level 5

7,349 points

Aug 22, 2006 6:26 AM in response to Thomas Gray

Thomas

Currently the largest capacity available for a 2.5" notebook hard drive is 160GB, although 200GB is on the horizon.

The 250GB and 320GB drives you are talking about are 3.5" desktop drives, which will not fit into a PowerBook.

15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, 2xPPC Mac minis, 12" iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.6) Cube, 2xTAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

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Answer 2

Thomas Gray Author

Level 1

39 points

Aug 22, 2006 2:57 PM in response to EddieC

Alright, I must have been looking at some web sites wrong. I thought they listed some 250GB hard drives for laptops.

In any event, what is the maximum my PowerBook will recognize? Is it worth waiting for a 200GB or larger drive? Or, if the max it will recognize is 160GB, just getting a 160 now?

Thanks.

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Answer 3

EddieC

Level 5

7,349 points

Aug 22, 2006 3:27 PM in response to Thomas Gray

To be honest I do not know what is the largest drive that the 17" PowerBook will recognise. However it should have no problem with a 160GB drive. Seagate have a 5400RPM 160GB drive which is readily available from online resellers for around $250 (or less).

If you want to wait for larger capacity drives you may have to wait quite a few months as 200GB was only just recently announced. Therefore it will probably not be readily available for a while yet.

Whichever drive you decide upon, make sure you choose do not choose one with a Serial ATA interface as they have different connectors and will be incompatible. The interface you need is Ultra ATA.

15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, 2xPPC Mac minis, 12" iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.6) Cube, 2xTAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

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Answer 4

Thomas Gray Author

Level 1

39 points

Aug 23, 2006 9:09 PM in response to EddieC

Thanks!

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Answer 5

naboban

Level 1

0 points

Aug 27, 2006 9:59 AM in response to Thomas Gray

Hi! I brought my Powerbook G4 17' 1,67 GHz with a failure in the 120 GB-HardDrive to the Gravis-Shop on the 15 August. Yesterday, 26., I asked, when the repair would be finished, and the clerk couldn't tell me, as the replacement-harddrive was not there. Exists there a scarcity in 120 GB Harddrives? What, if I would replace it with a 160 GB Harddrive? (If I could ask that, since I bought it in November 2005.)

Powerbook G4 17' 1,67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7) DDR 2 GB

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