MP 1,1-5,1 How to Install an SSD in the DVD bay

[LookToWindward]

Hi,

This is for a Mac 3,1 2008. I want to swap out the old PATA DVD drive and replace it with a new SATA drive. While I am at it i thought I'd add an SSD to the second (lower) bay and have a couple of questions:

Can I boot from this SSD?

What do I need to install the SSD in the drive bay? I was thinking of getting this:

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/ADPTA3G120/

But it looks like this kit is for an SSD in the lower 4x SATA bay?

I have power sorted out with 2 adaptors.

All the Best
Dave

 

[MarkC426]

I used one of these in my 5.1 cMP.

ICY Dock EZConvert Lite MB882SP-1S-3B 2.5-Inch. to 3.5- Inch. ATA SSD/HDD Converter / Mounting Kit

CY DOCK is a privately held company with more than 10 years of experience in design, manufacturing, branding and distribution of Storage enclosure peripherals. By constantly improving upon its own new product release strategy, ICY DOCK has formed a standard, yet efficient, new product development...

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Dayo]

I want to swap out the old PATA DVD drive and replace it with a new SATA drive. While at it, I thought I'd add an SSD to the second (lower) bay and have a couple of questions:

Can I boot from this SSD?

What do I need to install the SSD in the drive bay? I was thinking of getting this:
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/ADPTA3G120/

How do you intend to install a SATA DVD drive drive on your MP31? Which SATA port would you be hooking it to?

OWC used to sell a kit for the MP31 that I got years ago but this seems to have been discontinued.

Subject to whether you will indeed be able to convert the DVD to SATA, you will otherwise need a PATA Molex to SATA cable. What came with the old OWC kit splits out the PATA Molex to two SATA interfaces and you plug this into the PATA Molex port for the second DVD which sits empty on the cable.

This handles data supplies power and you then need SATA cables to supply power handle data. These go into the two hidden SATA ports on the Motherboard:

The disks are bootable and actually come high in the default boot search (ahead of the main SATA bays). The adator you linked is useful but not required. Connections can go directly into the disks.

The old OWC kit had a nice holder to keep the upper DVD in place and secure the disks (similar adaptor used to secure the disks to the holder). Shame they seem to have canned it.

Interested to know about your PATA to SATA conversion of the DVD drive though. Also how this would be powered.

 

[MarkC426]

I didn't realise the 3.1 used different connectors....😬

 

[LookToWindward]

I'm glad I posted here, I got some advice previously that said there were 2 spare SATA ports on the 3,1 motherboard There's a thread about it on the OCLP discord. See image:

 

[LookToWindward]

Is this not the case?

I was going to get 2xSATA cables and 2xMolex to SATA power adaptors

 

[Dayo]

I got some advice previously that said there were 2 spare SATA ports on the 3,1 motherboard

They are the same ones I highlighted earlier. AFAIK, they only supply power handle data and you also need to handle data supply power.

My setup using the old kit is as described. Data goes into Power is from the spare Molex interface on the IDE ribbon and power data comes from those ports. Not sure if possible to connect something directly to what the ribbon feeds into to handle the data.

 

[LookToWindward]

mmmmmmmm Conflicting advice, I'm not sure how to test if those ports only carry power .....

 

[Dayo]

I'm not sure how to test if those ports only carry power .....

I might have stated them the wrong way round.
That is, the SATA ports might be handling data and the connection to the IDE Ribbon supplying power.

 

[Bug-Creator]

I am a bit confused as to why anyone would want to run cables from the SATA port for this.
Get a (2) cheap IDE-2-SATA adaptors will be plenty fast for any optical drive.

DON'T get a IDE SSD, those are small, expensive and obsolete. Adaptor to SATA or mSATA will do the trick just fine.

Depending on the adaptor(s) you buy might also need a cable converting the existing MOLEX to the smaller ones used for 3.5" floppies or SATA power (as a Y cable if you use 2 adaptors). Scrap that thought, MacPro do have 2 drive bays was still thinking bout when I fiddled an HDD into the space below the optical bay on a PMac G5....
So you should have 2 MOLEX.

 

[LookToWindward]

I used OCLP to update my 3,1 to Sonoma. I then posted a question on Discord OCLP stating that the Eject key no longer worked (I thought it was a keyboard issue). I was then told that I have a PATA drive which is no longer supported and that I could upgrade it to use the 2 extra SATA ports. Currently there is a PATA/IDE ribbon cable for the data and two molex 4 pin connectors. This seems likes the easiest/cheapest solution. I was told I could use 2 x standard SATA cables from the extra SATA ports and 2 x Molex to SATA power adaptors? I was going to add a SATA DVD Drive and A SATA SSD. I currently have 4 SATA HDDs in the lower bay. Is this not the case?

 

[Dayo]

Got home and checked.
It is a Molex to SATA (x2) and the two red cables (running down the back) to the SATA ports:

Got one disk there ATM for backup but used to have an SSD in the other position as well.

 

[LookToWindward]

I'll have to open it up and have a look, I can't do that for a few days.....