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TomT321

macrumors member
Original poster
I have a IMac G5 1.8 with the old PC processor 160GB hard drive. It appears that the hard drive has gone bad, according to the clerk at the Apple store as it shows a blue screen and then some sort of small message that it is unable to access files (I believe that is what I was told). Anyway because it was over 5 years old I went ahead and bought a new Mac Mini. Now the old IMac is just sitting around gathering dust and I am thinking of replacing the hard drive so that I can sell it and recoup more of my money than I would just selling it for parts. Anyway what I need to know is can I replace the hard drive with any 160 GB or does it have to be a like hard drive? The problem is that a used hard drive will also be 5 years old and really do not want to send good money after bad. Appreciate any thoughts.😕
 
Hey, was your iMac one of the first G5 iMacs, or was it the second generation? - As depending on which revision, the Hard Drives used a different connector. Once you know the connector, you can replace it with any Hard Drive with the same connector - used or brand new!
 
iMac

Yes, you can replace it with any hard drive. It will need to be SATA though. Also a Desktop Hard Drive.
 
Confused

Yes the Imac is a first generation, actually built in the fall of 2004 according to the serial number, so somewhat confused as one response says I can use any hard drive and the other says that it has to be one with a like connection. I'd appreciate some clarification.
 
Both posts say the same thing.

Hey, was your iMac one of the first G5 iMacs, or was it the second generation? - As depending on which revision, the Hard Drives used a different connector. Once you know the connector, you can replace it with any Hard Drive with the same connector - used or brand new!

Yes, you can replace it with any hard drive. It will need to be SATA though. Also a Desktop Hard Drive.

As mcglry says, you also need a 3.5" (desktop) drive rather than 2.5" (laptop).
 
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