RANT: Pretty on the outside, absolute b**ches on the inside

[LethalWolfe]

Whoever designed the inside of the QS tower I don't think ever tested it to make sure it was actually functional (let alone user friendly). Installing a 4th HDD, what should've taken 30minutes, took me a freakin' whole afternoon.

The QS towers have hardpoints for 4 HDDS, but the way they are laid out you can't get the two hardpoints towards the center/front end of the case on the same ribbon cable. Running another ribbon cable (or getting a longer one) aren't options because the inside of the case is too d@mn small. I ended up placing the HDD #4 on top of HDD#3 (w/some rubber spacers inbetween them) 'cause there was no other place to put it. I then went to connect the power and realized the last free power lead was cut short so it only hung low enough to power a device placed right below the superdrive! Argh! So off to the computer store I went to buy an extension.

Okay everything is finally plugged in and I go to close the case but it won't close! The plethera of ribbon cables (2 of them) are getting bunched w/the trunk of power cables going to the mobo (said trunk also aids in making HDD instillation a PITA). So after an insane of folding and twisting trial and error I final get the freaking case door closed. Of couse now the tangled mess of cables (again 2 ribbon cables) are probably blocking 70% of the huge (120mm?) case fan the QS has.

So much thought probably went into the exterior of the QS tower it's a shame they didn't take 1/4 of that effort when it came to designing the inside.

/rant


Lethal

[benixau]

did you use the apple supplied cables that are under the clamp?

did you instrall them the right way up (in the carriers they should only go in one way.

i instaled three extra HDDs and i have had no problems with cables. actually, i lie. my firewire cable fell in before i closed the case, no biggy.

are you using SCSI?

is it apple SCSI?

the cables are designed so that there is little cable left over. if you used your own then htey have not been designed to suit the case. make sure that you didnt release the optical drives cable from the clamp.

other than that. take it to an apple store / centre and have them look over it.

[LethalWolfe]

By "Apple supplied cables" I'm assuming you mean the two IDE cables that came pre-installed. If those are the cables you are talking about then No I didn't use them for two reasons. 1. I bought ATA133 drives for video editing and I didn't want to run them at ATA66. 2. I didn't want slow down a HDD by slaving it to the SuperDrive.

2 of the extra HDDs are installed on the hardpoints, one is not because the ribbon cable couldn't reach that far over.

If I'm mistaken and their are some Apple cables hidden inside the case of my Quicksilver please let me know.

If you can could you take a picture (or 2) of the inside of yer case so I might be able to see a better way to do this?


Lethal

[benixau]

Are we both talking about the QS2002 MDD?

under your second drive carrier there is a clamp. a little black thin thing. press on the left side of it. it should pop up a little and release two cables ATA-66 cable and a powr cable. now if you install it acrrpsding to apple all should work. As for putting it in slave to the optical; that cant be done, without an adapter.

basically i have an MDD, if you have an earlier version i am afraid i cant be much help.

good luck.

[Noc]

I thought this thread was going to be about Miss America contestants...

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by Noc
I thought this thread was going to be about Miss America contestants...

LOL


benixau, I have an original QuickSilver, not the MDD. sorry for the confusion.


Lethal

[benixau]

sorry then. my assistance is for MDD.

somewhere around on these forums someone has the technicians guide to those babys. i will see if i have a copy.

good luck.

ps. remeber to check your pm inbox.

[iJon]

Originally posted by LethalWolfe
By "Apple supplied cables" I'm assuming you mean the two IDE cables that came pre-installed. If those are the cables you are talking about then No I didn't use them for two reasons. 1. I bought ATA133 drives for video editing and I didn't want to run them at ATA66. 2. I didn't want slow down a HDD by slaving it to the SuperDrive.

2 of the extra HDDs are installed on the hardpoints, one is not because the ribbon cable couldn't reach that far over.

If I'm mistaken and their are some Apple cables hidden inside the case of my Quicksilver please let me know.

If you can could you take a picture (or 2) of the inside of yer case so I might be able to see a better way to do this?


Lethal

I always thought putting hard drives in my powermacwere always easier and neater than putting them in my pc. i have a question for you guys. I was arguing with my pc friend who thinks he knows everything and he was talking about ata133. i told him he could just get a controller card. he told that is the stupidest thing he had ever heard because its on the pci bus and its a bottleneck for the ata133. is it a bottleneck or does a controller card almost run at the sam benchmarks as ata133 on the motherboard. im curious, someone clue me in.

iJon

[LethalWolfe]

Update:

I got some rounded cables and I'm going to see how that helps. I might end up modding the front end (where the speaker usually goes) and putting an 80mm case fan there cause I don't know if the single 120mm exhaust fan has enough "pull" to extract all the heat buliding in the front end of the case. I might also install a fan into the free bay below the Superdrive so I can blow air onto the heatsink (assuming I can find something to fit).

Originally posted by iJon

I always thought putting hard drives in my powermacwere always easier and neater than putting them in my pc. i have a question for you guys. I was arguing with my pc friend who thinks he knows everything and he was talking about ata133. i told him he could just get a controller card. he told that is the stupidest thing he had ever heard because its on the pci bus and its a bottleneck for the ata133. is it a bottleneck or does a controller card almost run at the sam benchmarks as ata133 on the motherboard. im curious, someone clue me in.

iJon

As long as yer not adding more cables its a cakewalk.

Yer friend is wrong. Ask him how people add SCSI drives to their systems. Then, before he can answer, quickly add "they put a SCSI controller in a PCI slot dumbass." I'm serious. Say it exactly like that. People who have superiority <sp?> complexes need to get beat down.

While yer at it inform him that the biggest bottle neck for ATA133 is the IDE HDD itself which, IIRC, doesn't even use all the the bandwidth provided by ATA66 under typical use (an example of non-typical use would be video editing).


Lethal

[iJon]

Originally posted by LethalWolfe
Update:

I got some rounded cables and I'm going to see how that helps. I might end up modding the front end (where the speaker usually goes) and putting an 80mm case fan there cause I don't know if the single 120mm exhaust fan has enough "pull" to extract all the heat buliding in the front end of the case. I might also install a fan into the free bay below the Superdrive so I can blow air onto the heatsink (assuming I can find something to fit).



As long as yer not adding more cables its a cakewalk.

Yer friend is wrong. Ask him how people add SCSI drives to their systems. Then, before he can answer, quickly add "they put a SCSI controller in a PCI slot dumbass." I'm serious. Say it exactly like that. People who have superiority <sp?> complexes need to get beat down.

While yer at it inform him that the biggest bottle neck for ATA133 is the IDE HDD itself which, IIRC, doesn't even use all the the bandwidth provided by ATA66 under typical use (an example of non-typical use would be video editing).


Lethal

wow thanks. i dont believe anything he says anything. if you have ever seen any of my other posts would hear me explain how much of a dumbass he is. i will have to let him know. so a controller card pertty much runs the same as ata133 on a motherboad. thanks guys for answering my question

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by LethalWolfe
Update:
I got some rounded cables and I'm going to see how that helps.

let us know if that helps... i'm looking at getting a 120 gb drive to add internally to my 2 current drives... i have a dual 800 qs... so it'd be good to know if i should get some rounded cables, and what else you might learn from the process...

good luck

[LethalWolfe]

Preliminary<sp?> testing shows that things are lookin' good. The rounded cables seem to be helping air flow 'cause I haven't crased yet and I've been work for 6hrs or so. I'm going to leave her on overnight and she how she does tomorrow. currently this is how I have her setup.

1. All 4 harddrives are on their proper hardpoints.

2. I have a 24" rounded IDE cable going to the HDDs in the center and front end of the case.

3. I have the front speaker removed and one of the PCI slot covers so there are "air holes" on the front and rear of the case.

Further cooling observations will be reported in 24hrs or so.


Lethal

[LethalWolfe]

Holy crap I didn't think rounded cables would make this much of a difference. She's been running for over 24hrs and I haven't had FCP crash on me yet! She hasn't run this cool since I got her in April.

This is what I've learned:
4HDDs + rounded cables=less heat than 3HDDs and flat cables.


Lethal