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Powermac G4 400, Max HDD??

zimtheinvader

zimtheinvader

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 10, 2005
203
0
the capitol
Hi,
what is the highest capacity hdd I can stick in a Powermac G4 400 (single, the kind with the greenish case)? Can anyone ID the model, so I can research Ram, ect.? My first PM was a quicksilver so I don't know this model, which I am getting used...

Your help is appreciated, thanks!!
 
Looks like 128GB maximum (no large drive support). ref: MacTracker

There are 3 different versions of "400Mhz" PM G4, but all are limited to 128GB. Hope this helps.

(get MacTracker here: http://www.mactracker.ca/ It's a very handy app to keep around.
 
My Cube (450 Mhz) is limited to 128Gb. I have a 250Gb HD in it :rolleyes:

I will in the near future try partitioning the disk in two with a newer computer, like my Dad's Powerbook. Hopefully then my computer will think it has 2x 125Gb HD's.

I don't particularly want to spend money getting disk space I don't yet need, but I know there are apps that allow you to get all of it.
 
facinating, thank you for the app, interesting the cube can take more...
I want to use this rig for audio editing, so more space=great, however I will try just dropping in a 80 GB, 512mb PC100 and 10.4, all of which I have laying around for now.

haha usb 1.1, I forgot this existed... lol
so far it seems to perform better than my G4 800 quicksilver...interesting (1mb L2 caché?)
 
zimtheinvader said:
facinating, thank you for the app, interesting the cube can take more...
I want to use this rig for audio editing, so more space=great, however I will try just dropping in a 80 GB, 512mb PC100 and 10.4, all of which I have laying around for now.

haha usb 1.1, I forgot this existed... lol
so far it seems to perform better than my G4 800 quicksilver...interesting (1mb L2 caché?)
Click to expand...

you can add a pci ide card that handles large hard drives. they run about $50 on fleabay.
 
zimtheinvader said:
facinating, thank you for the app, interesting the cube can take more...
I want to use this rig for audio editing, so more space=great, however I will try just dropping in a 80 GB, 512mb PC100 and 10.4, all of which I have laying around for now.

haha usb 1.1, I forgot this existed... lol
so far it seems to perform better than my G4 800 quicksilver...interesting (1mb L2 caché?)
Click to expand...

Sorry, when I said my cube has 250Gb, I mean it has a 250Gb HDD, but will only see 128Gb. In the future I intend to see if I can externally partition it into two, so hopefully my computer will be able to see all 250Gb of it.
 
Erasmus said:
Sorry, when I said my cube has 250Gb, I mean it has a 250Gb HDD, but will only see 128Gb. In the future I intend to see if I can externally partition it into two, so hopefully my computer will be able to see all 250Gb of it.
Click to expand...

The partitioning is irrelevant (whether done externally or not). The IDE controller controls the drive at the drive level, not the partition level. When you put the drive back into the Cube it still won't see more than 128 Gb total.

Put the 250 Gb drive in a Firewire enclosure and leave it there, then the IDE/Firewire bridge card will handle the drive, and you'll have no problems. Drop a 80 or 120 Gb into the Cube as the internal drive.
 
zimtheinvader said:
I want to use this rig for audio editing, so more space=great, however I will try just dropping in a 80 GB, 512mb PC100 and 10.4, all of which I have laying around for now.

haha usb 1.1, I forgot this existed... lol
so far it seems to perform better than my G4 800 quicksilver...interesting (1mb L2 caché?)
Click to expand...

If you max da ram to 2GB, it will perform even better ! And BTW, if you go the pci controller card route to get bigger HD's, go for SATA. That will give you even more speed........

bartelby said:
No, but I think an ATA100 or 133 should work, but at ATA66 speeds.
Click to expand...

Yea they're backwards compatible. But why bother with them when SATA drives are the same price......
 
SmurfBoxMasta said:
If you max da ram to 2GB, it will perform even better ! And BTW, if you go the pci controller card route to get bigger HD's, go for SATA. That will give you even more speed........



Yea they're backwards compatible. But why bother with them when SATA drives are the same price......
Click to expand...


Maximum RAM is 1.5GB in a PowerMac G4 400.
But I agree, go with SATA drives if you don't mind adding another card. If you just want to use the existing connectors though, chucking in a 120GB IDE drive is simple.
 
.

For the cube guy, that won't work. As someone else suggested, put the drive in a firewire case (one that can handle 250 gig and larger drives) and you'll be able to use the whole thing. That's the only way it'll work for you.

For the G4 guy, don't bother with SATA unless it happens to be cheaper. Unless you buy one of the Western Digital Raptor drives, it won't make a bit of difference. All other SATA drives (at the point) use exactly the same mechanism as the PATA drives. There's no physical difference in anything other than the interface. While you might theoretically see faster burst speeds from a SATA/300 drive on a SATA/300 controller, remember what you're putting it in. A 400Mhz G4. It ain't gonna make a bit of difference as far as you'll be able to tell.

Also, you should be able to use the external firewire route just like the cube person. An external firewire case would probably cost you about the same amount as a PATA or SATA controller. Just something to keep in mind.

Or just stick to 120 gig drives.
 
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