iMac 350 - max hard drive size?

[p0intblank]

I recently got an iMac G3 350 from our neighbors (very thankful!) and would love to max this thing out. Right now it has a 7 GB hard drive inside and I would really like to install OS X Tiger. Obviously I'm going to need a larger drive, so my question is: is there a max size hard drive this iMac can handle? I won't need anything too large; just something to install Tiger on. I checked everymac.com and it says it uses an IDE drive.

Thanks!

 

[Maxwell Smart]

I believe you can have anything under 137GB (the limit on the drive controller) Speaking of which, I have a 120GB 7,200RPM 8MB Cache drive That I've used in my iMac that I could sell you for 45 + shipping, let me know if youre interested.

 

[Makosuke]

As said, pretty much any IDE drive under 137GB (which translates into "any 120GB IDE drive" in the real world) will work fine. Heat MIGHT be an issue, but really since any new drive that small probably only has a couple of platters at most, it's not likely to generate enough heat to worry about. If you're paranoid, check out the StorageReview reviews for power dissipation and pick a cool one (Seagate or Samsung, if memory serves, are usually safe bets).

A drive of that size, by the way, will cost you about $75 these days (ironically, basically the same price as a 250GB drive, but down in that size range it's mostly the mechanism you're paying for, not the capacity), so the offer above isn't bad, although you get a 5 year warranty with a new drive.

 

[p0intblank]

Thanks for the help! As for that drive, I may have to get back to you on it... that sounds like an excellent deal to me. However, I may have a drive that works with the iMac; I'm just not sure, though. It's a Seagate 200 GB Ultra ATA 133. I realize it's over the storage limit, but does that matter? Would it automatically be sized down to 120 GB?

 

[Makosuke]

Thanks for the help! As for that drive, I may have to get back to you on it... that sounds like an excellent deal to me. However, I may have a drive that works with the iMac; I'm just not sure, though. It's a Seagate 200 GB Ultra ATA 133. I realize it's over the storage limit, but does that matter? Would it automatically be sized down to 120 GB?

It won't hurt it to try it, although you'll be out the significant hassle of iMac dis/re-assembly if it doesn't. I believe the controller will just ignore everything past the first 137GB and it'll work fine, but don't quite me on that if it appears to then corrupts your data a month from now.

I know some HDs have a "32GB clip" jumper for really old DOS system compatibility, but I don't remember newer ones having any sort of 120GB clip. Might download the manual and have a look-see, just in case.

 

[p0intblank]

Meh, I won't risk messing something up. Anyway, the case is open right now and I really like what I see. The RAM, hard drive, and CD-ROM drive are all very eay to gain access to.

 

[livingfortoday]

You can use this program to allow the G3 to use larger hard drives, too:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Intech USA/SPEEDHCCD/

It's $15, but if you're intent on using a larger drive, it might be worth it.