Chris wrote: >Well, what I mean is, if I use the stock HD from a beige and use it in >a Blue G3, which has an ATA/33 bus, will the HD keep up or will IT be >the slowest component?
Some very knowledgeable folks over on the SuperMacs List have pointed out that one reason newer drives tend to be faster is simply because of their greater capacity. In many cases, don't get too hung up on RPM or even throughput/transfer rates (although I think that yes, high-end SCSI is the exception). I've seem recent comparos where the 5400RPM drive from a manufacturer was very nearly as fast as their 7200 model. Anyway, the idea is, it takes comparitively less time for a large drive to find a given amount of data than a small drive because the large drive doesn't have to go looking as wide a percentage of it's total capacity for what it's seeking (assuming each drive contains the same amount of total data stored). It's also been noted that today's ATA drives, fast as they may be, can't really saturtate the current ATA 133 or even ATA 100 controller cards. In many cases an older ATA 66 card will be plenty good even with a brand new ATA133 HD. Back to your question: beige G3 models came with slow drives; putting one in place of a B&W's 10 or 12GB unit will slow it down. As an example of what I mentioned up top, I briefly ran the 20GB HD from my iMac DV 450+ on the beige's motherboard bus. Compared to a 6GB drive (Apple OEM by Maxtor, from an older iMac) it was quicker. Now, the 20GB drive is ATA66 but the bus of course isn't, and seek times aren't listed as all that different, so what do you think? And the 20GB is a low-end drive in Quantum's line at the time (came in an iMac, remember). One question is, will an ATA 66 drive saturate an ATA 66 bus (such as in iMac DVs or say, Sawtooth G4, or in a beige or B&W with an ATA 66 controller card)? I can't say, but the answer is probably not. Again, put a newer drive in and see what happens. My iMac now has a 120GB WD SE, "rated" like all new IDE drives for ATA 133. Now, the iMac's bus can't come close to transferring that kind of data (and neither can the drive of course) but wouldn't you know it, boot times are much, much faster and apps fly out of that drive now. Don't turn away from a drive that's "too big", it'll perform better and if it's newer be more quiet and probably run cooler. -David -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
