>> Reply-to: "PCI PowerMacs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "PCI PowerMacs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> From: "The Spectre" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Subject: How noisy is a Seagate 9GB >> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 16:03:22 -0400
>> Hello,
>>
>> I while ago I emailed asking what to do about my noisy Quantum HD. I quickly
>> replaced it with an old Seagate Barracuda 2GB HD I had. I found this Hard
>> Drive just too noisy, and I decided that I now need a bigger drive.
>
>
>Old barracudas were NOISY and hot. Your 9GB that u're looking at is
>not suitable bec u need adapter that u have to spend more to get to
>convert 80pin to standard 50pin.
>
>Keep looking for older IBM 7200rpm 50 pin drives, they were quiet,
>you do really don't want to go back to 5400rpm days.
>
>Or spend bit more, get a modern IDE 20GB 7200rpm and acard scsi to
>ide adapter. HD will be useable on your upgrade path to newer Macs
>that come down that pike.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Wizard
I can attest to this. I just got a IBM Ultrastar 18ES 9.1 GB 50 pin 7200 rpm SCSI-2 drive off swap. It was still under warranty (5 years!!) and the IBM/Hitachi tech support guy was very helpful helping me to set the jumpers correctly to get it to work. It has been working beautifully ever since, with OS X in a 7300 no less (and with no 8GB partiton problems, either!). I have it in the lower bay, where it gets pretty warm, but even after a low-level format writing zeros for an hour (big drive, takes a while), it was still fine. It is so quiet I can't tell if it is even writing to the drive half the time. Rotation speed whine is virtually non-existant, as well.
All in all, a great drive! Best $30 I spent on a Mac so far! Drive setup recognizes it no problem, and with no hacks (OS 9.1 CD Drive Setup). I highly recommend one if you can find one. They came in 9.1GB, and larger (two more sizes, I can't remember how big at the moment). Check the URL:
http://www.hgst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/products/Ultrastar_18ES
for more info, all you could want.
I also agree a IDE/ATA card/drive combo is also a very smart choice, but it is less desirable for the following reasons:
Cost: new-ish drive is ~$60-$100 or more, ATA card is $50 and up, unless you can find used stuff, and it still won't be as cheap
Space: I don't know what Mac you have, but in the desktops, space is at a premium, to say the least. With this, you'll use up a precious PCI slot, and have to reroute cables, which ain't easy in a desktop Mac. If you have a MT case, this is much easier and not usually a problem.
Heat: today's fast ATA drives can run pretty hot, not to mention you'll now have an extra PCI card in there, generating heat as well. I highly recommend putting at least one extra fan near the drives, if you have room. Many companies make fans that can tap or plug into a normal power connector from the power supply, and you can still use that power connector for a drive.
But, like Wizard said, if you decide to get a newish Mac, you can use the drive in it as well, if the size is worth adding it (but not an iMac, of course, unless an external enclosure is used).
Just my $1.98, but I just went through this upgrade two weeks ago, and I am planning on buying a AGP G4 in a couple months. I feel is it cheaper and less problematic to just get a decent SCSI drive, and save the money and aggrivation. And, if I want to, I can always use my IBM in my new G4 by adding a SCSI PCI adapter.
Dr. Michael
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