mSata vs SSD vs other SSD options

[jameskirsop]

It seems like lots of people here use an mSata to 40/44 PIN adapter to get modern drives in their PowerPC hardware.

Is there a reason why mSata drives are the preferred option over other SSD alternatives which are usually cheaper per gigabyte?

I'm looking at swapping out a 20GB ATA drive in my 2001 Summer G3 iMac for something with higher capacity and I can get a 'regular' SSD reasonably cheap here in Australia, over other SSD types which are more expensive for a semi-decent capacity (looking for least 128GB).

 

[Amethyst1]

1. Native IDE SSDs suck. Old, slow, quirky.

2. mSATA + adapter == drop-in replacement for 2.5" IDE HDD. Great for laptops.

if you have space for a 3.5" HDD there are other options such as SATA + adapter.

 

[rampancy]

1. Native IDE SSDs suck. Old, slow, quirky.

Not to mention, they're also horribly expensive.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

2. mSATA + adapter == drop-in replacement for 2.5" IDE HDD. Great for laptops.

Can attest to this. Put one in my iBook G3 and haven't had any issues with it whatsoever.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Can attest to this. Put one in my iBook G3 and haven't had any issues with it whatsoever.

Same here but with my Mac Mini G4. They're also great for small desktops.

 

[eyoungren]

Is there a reason why mSata drives are the preferred option over other SSD alternatives which are usually cheaper per gigabyte?

Because I cannot squeeze both a 2.5" SSD and a SATA/IDE adapter into the same 2.5" space allotted for a drive in my PowerBooks. That's already been stated by at least two people in this thread, but I wanted to be specific.

Unless you know of a way to defy physics and make two objects occupy the same space at the same time then mSATAs are the choice here.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Same here but with my Mac Mini G4. They're also great for small desktops.

I need to do that to my Mini as well. A project for when I have time and money to do so.

 

[B S Magnet]

It seems like lots of people here use an mSata to 40/44 PIN adapter to get modern drives in their PowerPC hardware.

Is there a reason why mSata drives are the preferred option over other SSD alternatives which are usually cheaper per gigabyte?

I'm looking at swapping out a 20GB ATA drive in my 2001 Summer G3 iMac for something with higher capacity and I can get a 'regular' SSD reasonably cheap here in Australia, over other SSD types which are more expensive for a semi-decent capacity (looking for least 128GB).

Also, consider m.2 SATA-to-IDE adapters in lieu of mSATA-to-IDE adapters, as the market for m.2 SATA SSDs are dramatically more plentiful (and, consequently, less costly) than their mSATA counterparts.

That shift in pricing/value favouring m.2 SATA-to-IDE is fairly recent, too, as the 2018 retrofit for my iBook SE G3 clamshell went with an mSATA-to-IDE adapter, but by 2019, the m.2-to-IDE solution for my PowerBook G4 A1139 was more than just a tiny bit less expensive.

Plus, given the variety of m.2 SATA SSDs currently on the market in late 2020, they overshadow what remains for the mSATA offerings still in production.

 

[r34per]

Also, consider m.2 SATA-to-IDE adapters in lieu of mSATA-to-IDE adapters, as the market for m.2 SATA SSDs are dramatically more plentiful (and, consequently, less costly) than their mSATA counterparts.

That shift in pricing/value favouring m.2 SATA-to-IDE is fairly recent, too, as the 2018 retrofit for my iBook SE G3 clamshell went with an mSATA-to-IDE adapter, but by 2019, the m.2-to-IDE solution for my PowerBook G4 A1139 was more than just a tiny bit less expensive.

Plus, given the variety of m.2 SATA SSDs currently on the market in late 2020, they overshadow what remains for the mSATA offerings still in production.

I never even considered m.2 ssd's, i'll have to look into that as i've an ibook and a powerbook in need of an upgrade. From what I can tell the adapters for msata to ide are slightly cheaper than the m.2 to ide, but yea holy crap the prices on m.2 drives have plummeted!

 

[netsrot39]

Because I cannot squeeze both a 2.5" SSD and a SATA/IDE adapter into the same 2.5" space allotted for a drive in my PowerBooks. That's already been stated by at least two people in this thread, but I wanted to be specific.

Unless you know of a way to defy physics and make two objects occupy the same space at the same time then mSATAs are the choice here.

I have to admit that this is my favourite option. Usually I just opt for a cheap 2.5" SATA SSD and put it in one of my PowerPC systems with a SATA to IDE adapter (2€ on AliExpress, Ebay, etc.). You're probably wondering how I make it fit. Well, I just remove the enclosure, i.e. taking out the circuit board out of the SSD enclosure (the circuit board of modern SSDs is way smaller than 2.5"). You pretty much just have to know how to open the enclosure of the 2.5" SSD – Kingston 2.5" SSDs can be easily opened with unscrewing Torx screws whereas SanDisk ones need prying (like opening an iPod or Mac Mini).

 

[eyoungren]

I have to admit that this is my favourite option. Usually I just opt for a cheap 2.5" SATA SSD and put it in one of my PowerPC systems with a SATA to IDE adapter (2€ on AliExpress, Ebay, etc.). You're probably wondering how I make it fit. Well, I just remove the enclosure, i.e. taking out the circuit board out of the SSD enclosure (the circuit board of modern SSDs is way smaller than 2.5"). You pretty much just have to know how to open the enclosure of the 2.5" SSD – Kingston 2.5" SSDs can be easily opened with unscrewing Torx screws whereas SanDisk ones need prying (like opening an iPod or Mac Mini).

That's interesting. The one laptop I would consider trying that with though already has an mSATA. The others are MBPs or aren't worth it to me.

But I might try it if the opportunity presents itself in the future. Thanks for that.

 

[bobesch]

I have to admit that this is my favourite option. Usually I just opt for a cheap 2.5" SATA SSD and put it in one of my PowerPC systems with a SATA to IDE adapter (2€ on AliExpress, Ebay, etc.). You're probably wondering how I make it fit. Well, I just remove the enclosure, i.e. taking out the circuit board out of the SSD enclosure (the circuit board of modern SSDs is way smaller than 2.5"). You pretty much just have to know how to open the enclosure of the 2.5" SSD – Kingston 2.5" SSDs can be easily opened with unscrewing Torx screws whereas SanDisk ones need prying (like opening an iPod or Mac Mini).

Would you mind to post pictures about the whole modded SATA-IDE-converter-combo looks like?
Because that's a pretty awesome approach to use cheap SATA-SSD instead of an mSATA.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Would you mind to post pictures about the whole modded SATA-IDE-converter-combo looks like?
Because that's a pretty awesome approach to use cheap SATA-SSD instead of an mSATA.

I was thinking the same thing. It would be of great help to anyone who is curious about pursuing that route.

 

[netsrot39]

Would you mind to post pictures about the whole modded SATA-IDE-converter-combo looks like?
Because that's a pretty awesome approach to use cheap SATA-SSD instead of an mSATA.

No, not at all. I fitted a Mac Mini G4 that way in August but I don't know where I put the photos of that upgrade. Anyways, I'll upgrade my TiBook 1 GHz to an SSD next week using the same method so I'll be posting pictures of that upgrade at some time next week.

 

[rampancy]

...You're probably wondering how I make it fit. Well, I just remove the enclosure, i.e. taking out the circuit board out of the SSD enclosure (the circuit board of modern SSDs is way smaller than 2.5").

You know, that makes total sense to me when I consider just how much of the inside of a modern SATA SSD is just empty space. (The attached picture is a 500 GB Samsung 860 EVO.)

This almost makes me want to buy the 1.42 Ghz 14" G4 iBook I've just seen on my city's local buy/sell classified site, just to try this out...

 

[weckart]

Kingston 2.5" SSDs can be easily opened with unscrewing Torx screws whereas SanDisk ones need prying (like opening an iPod or Mac Mini).

Well, no on the Kingston ones. They require security Torx screwdrivers to open, which are harder to come by but Kingston seems to be one of the makers that make smaller circuit boards to fit inside the 2.5" casing. Not all do.

Also be careful when choosing your cheap SATA-IDE adapter. Many are a little bit taller or wider than they seem with the offset needed for the SATA and IDE connectors. You might be able to prune the sides of the circuit board to fit in the tight space in your PowerBook etc but it is only something you will discover when it is too late.

This might be worth a thread on its own with a list of drives and adapters to recommend/avoid.

 

[TheShortTimer]

This might be worth a thread on its own with a list of drives and adapters to recommend/avoid.

Definitely and made a sticky too.

 

[jameskirsop]

I don't really care for the whole size argument., but I can see for those of you using a laptop why it can make sense.

My G3 iMac has a full 6.5" disk bay and I've already got a spare 250GB regular sized SSD on my desk.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

I don't really care for the whole size argument., but I can see for those of you using a laptop why it can make sense.

My G3 iMac has a full 6.5" disk bay and I've already got a spare 250GB regular sized SSD on my desk.

Your G3 won't be able to see the entirety of the 250GB SSD I'm pretty sure. IIRC there were no or very few G3 machines that supported large drives.

There are software workarounds, but I've never used any personally.

 

[weckart]

The Hi-Cap driver workaround has its issues, too. Mainly that for bootable drives, you are still limited to the 128GB cap. Any volumes beyond that limit should only be used for data. Personally, wherever possible, I would look for a PCI SATA or ATA card unless I really didn't need/want any more storage but that is probably not an option for iMacs as well as portables.

 

[jameskirsop]

Your G3 won't be able to see the entirety of the 250GB SSD I'm pretty sure. IIRC there were no or very few G3 machines that supported large drives.

There are software workarounds, but I've never used any personally.

Good to know, thanks for the heads up! I'll just swap an existing 128GB SSD I've got in an enclosure for the 250GB and the move the 128 into the iMac.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Good to know, thanks for the heads up! I'll just swap an existing 128GB SSD I've got in an enclosure for the 250GB and the move the 128 into the iMac.

No problem! Good to hear you have a plan

 

[netsrot39]

Like I promised, here are some pictures of my upgrade (sorry it took a bit longer). Initially I wanted to put in the 240 GB SanDisk SSD (picture 1) but I had problems with installing Mac OS. After that I decided to use an 120 GB Kingston SSD (picture 2) and it also gave me problems. In the end it turned out that both disk are just fine and only my install disc was defective. Both disks were recognized in disk utility BTW. As of now I choose the Kingston SSD for my TiBook. Everything works great and fast so far (I've tried Tiger, Leopard and MacOS9). Disk speeds are around 60mb/s which seems about right. The 240 GB SanDisk SSD will go in my second TiBook which I'm about to rebuild in a few weeks. All in all a good alternative to the mSATA to IDE, m2 to IDE, CF to IDE options.

I forgot to mention: Of course you'll need to adjust mounting the drive inside the computer. I mounted the drive inside my TiBook with double adhesive tape (rather strong one that is used for mobile phones). It sits in there pretty tight so I think the installation is safe.

 

[TheShortTimer]

@netsrot39 Thanks for sharing the details of your method. This is invaluable information!

 

[weckart]

I mounted the drive inside my TiBook with double adhesive tape (rather strong one that is used for mobile phones). It sits in there pretty tight so I think the installation is safe.

That is smart thinking as that tape is somewhat heat resistant. Only downside is that it is a bugger to remove if it snaps when pulled but that is a tip worth remembering for random placements of SSDs in MacPros etc.