iPod A few questions about 256GB iPod upgrade

[ggabriele3]

I'm researching, doing a lot of searching on this topic. Details are a little hard to come by, with all the different models

I have a 60GB (thick) 5th Gen.
Goal is to add a 128 or 256GB drive + new battery + thinnest possible housing.
I'm not going to use Rockbox.

• What memory type is best for this application? CF? SD? mSATA? (it seems that mSATA would be the best for repurposing down the road)
• What are my options for slimming down the case? Can I go with a full 6th-Gen slim housing?
• Battery - I think stock was 600mAh - are people using 580mAh?
• Should I consider upgrading any other internals? Display/Logic board?
• If I upgrade the logic board, could I use one that supports iTunes Playlist Folders?

 

[BrettApple]

I recently purchased a refurb 80GB 5.5G from Gamestop and swapped the HDD to a 64GB CF Card, works great. Didn't change anything else other than the front panel to make it white with a black clickwheel just because.

I used Tarkan's iFlash adapter, it's well built and made specifically for this purpose. He has one to go to CF card and SD cards. He also maintains a list of CF/SD cards that work in each model, super convenient.

You'll want to check it out. For 128-256GB you can go either way, with SD usually being cheaper.

Here's some links:
CF Card adapter
SD card information

He is currently testing a SATA adapter for use with mSATA SSD's. Here is some info on that.

From what I'm seeing, a 128GB SD card would be the most cost effective.

As for the case, you could get a 5th gen 30gb housing and slimmer battery, and possibly need to change the headphone jack? I just kept the thick housing since it doesn't bother me, i like the feel actually.

I have read about some 5th gen logic boards not supporting a certain number of songs (7500?) but i think that was limited to the 30GB 5th gen original model. It also had less RAM. Yours is likely fine though. I'd keep what it's got and if the battery is holding up fine now it should be even better after. If not, replacements are pretty cheap.

I'll wait for some more seasoned classic ipod users to chime in. I just got my first classic and 5.5g in the last couple months. Coming from a 2G nano and multiple touch models.

 

[ggabriele3]

I recently purchased a refurb 80GB 5.5G from Gamestop and swapped the HDD to a 64GB CF Card, works great. Didn't change anything else other than the front panel to make it white with a black clickwheel just because.

I used Tarkan's iFlash adapter, it's well built and made specifically for this purpose. He has one to go to CF card and SD cards. He also maintains a list of CF/SD cards that work in each model, super convenient.

You'll want to check it out. For 128-256GB you can go either way, with SD usually being cheaper.

Here's some links:
CF Card adapter
SD card information

He is currently testing a SATA adapter for use with mSATA SSD's. Here is some info on that.

From what I'm seeing, a 128GB SD card would be the most cost effective.

As for the case, you could get a 5th gen 30gb housing and slimmer battery, and possibly need to change the headphone jack? I just kept the thick housing since it doesn't bother me, i like the feel actually.

I have read about some 5th gen logic boards not supporting a certain number of songs (7500?) but i think that was limited to the 30GB 5th gen original model. It also had less RAM. Yours is likely fine though. I'd keep what it's got and if the battery is holding up fine now it should be even better after. If not, replacements are pretty cheap.

I'll wait for some more seasoned classic ipod users to chime in. I just got my first classic and 5.5g in the last couple months. Coming from a 2G nano and multiple touch models.

Thanks for that. I had actually seen that Tarkan stuff, and I'm leaning towards the tarkan adapter with the CF--SDXC adapter, and then getting a 128GB SD card.

About the logic board - I have the 60GB - I think I had read that it can handle larger drives. I was going to upgrade the display either way...I guess we'll see if the logic board needs replacing as well.

I'm going for portability (I don't need the 2000mAh battery) so I am going to try and go with the thinner back if it's possible.

 

[XC-3730C]

@ggabriele3,

I set up a 5th gen 80gb ipod video with Tarkan's adapter + 128gb SDXC for my wife, and she loves how light and fast it is.

If you go that route, make sure you get a class 10 SDXC card.