How easy it to self-install a hard drive?

[gabriel_uk]

I'm about to order a 2.3 GHz PM and would really like an extra 400 GB internal hard drive. If I get Apple to put one in as part of the BTO process, it'll cost me an arm and a leg! So my question is, how easy would it be for me to install one myself?... bearing in mind that I'm a long-time Mac user but not very hardware-confident.

I'm happy to install my own 3rd party RAM, but I'm not too sure about connecting up an extra HD... advice please anyone?

 

[iGary]

Extremely easy.

www.macsales.com

 

[gabriel_uk]

Extremely easy.

www.macsales.com

Thanks iGary - this is by far the best Mac accessories site I have seen.

Is their own (OWC) brand RAM okay? And do you know whether their Hitachi HD will be a good bet?

I'd really appreciate any tips, thanks.

 

[shadowmoses]

Yup the Powermac G5 is very user upgradeable so installing a new HD should be a doddle just make sure you get a SATA drive not and IDE..

ShadoW

 

[wiseguy27]

Thanks iGary - this is by far the best Mac accessories site I have seen.

Is their own (OWC) brand RAM okay?

I believe it's good, since I've heard many others recommend them (I'm expecting my 1GB from them tomorrow). Sellers like OWC, Datamem (www.datamem.com), Crucial (www.crucial.com) test the RAM they sell on different models of Macs. So you can be sure that they'd work well with the Mac (even if there's an issue, there's always a reliable, lifetime return guarantee).

And do you know whether their Hitachi HD will be a good bet?

I'd really appreciate any tips, thanks.

Just make sure it's a SATA drive (serial ATA).

I'd suggest hunting on the web for good deals. OWC may not be the cheapest for branded goods (like Hitachi HDDs). The current price for internal hard disks ranges from 30 to 50 cents per GB in the US (these are the best deals - anything more is too expensive). I recommend Hitachi or Seagate - both of them provide 3 or 5 year warranties depending on the model. I've seen deals for the Hitachi 250GB SATA for $125. Just last week, Fry's outpost (www.outpost.com) was offering a Seagate 300GB SATA drive for $140 (after rebates).

For best deals, check http://www.edealinfo.com, http://www.dealmac.com/sections/storage.html, http://www.deals2buy.com

For price comparison for a particular product, check
http://www.bizrate.com
http://www.pricegrabber.com
http://www.pricescan.com
http://www.pricehead.com
http://www.nextag.com

If you really want a very good (low) price, you would have to check ALL these sites (and maybe more).

 

[Mord]

IMO: seagate<IBM<maxtor<western digital

i have never had a seagate fail, same IBM's but they are a tad noisy i have has three maxtors fail and western digital plain suck balls by all my accounts i have never bought any of there drives.

 

[gabriel_uk]

THANX!

I really appreciate all this excellent advice, and getting steered in the right direction, thanks!

Barefeats.com rates the Hitachi 250GB HD quite high in terms of speed, but I am ultimately more concerned with reliability - having experienced the odd crash!

 

[shadowmoses]

Seagate for reliability if you ask me, but in my experience the new maxtor's are very reliable never had one fail, but they do not have rave reviews on reliablilty from other users...

ShadoW

 

[Gizmotoy]

IMO: seagate<IBM<maxtor<western digital

i have never had a seagate fail, same IBM's but they are a tad noisy i have has three maxtors fail and western digital plain suck balls by all my accounts i have never bought any of there drives.

Got those brackets backwards, then, if we read your comments

Oh, and I agree completely. Unfortunately, I've had a wave of my older Maxtors fail on my. Probably about three 2-3 year old drives failed withinin about 6 months of each other. Hard drives fail, but Seagates at least carry a 5 year warranty.

And for those not following the hard drive market, IBM's HD division was bought by Hitachi.