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Please help me with my Internal HD for my imac

B

billmister

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2007
338
0
Hey guys a while back i was reading and decided to go ahead and purchase a 500gig Western Digital MyBook External Hard Drive. It works GREAT!! I"m extremely happy with my purchase. I created 2 partitions. One for Time machine and the other for Storage.

Now my question

I currently have 2gig ram and only 150gig hard drive. Comming from a computer that had 80 gig and never going over 40 gigs, i was happy. I currently have 29.87 gigs in my internal hard drive. I am looking into the future and keep all my imovie's and idvd's projects in my External Hard drive. All though the external runs REAL QUICK, i would like to keep some of it in my internal.

I am in the market for internal hard drive for my 17' Core 2 Duo. I saw best buy has Internal hard drive.
Seagate:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8294482&type=product&id=1172880157783
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8294632&type=product&id=1172880157923

Western DIgital: (People say SATA but Sata one doesn't say mac compatibility.)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8188962&type=product&id=1164155955173
Here is the SATA and it doesn't say mac
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7821967&type=product&id=1142294266760

Are these good?... If not can anyone please recommend a good place to purchase a 500gig Internal Hard drive?.. I think it will be great because i will have the external hard drive for Time machine to back it up.

Last i will look into installing it into my imac. If it looks to difficult i'll bring it in to the mac store. Then re-install my applications. Wonder how i can back up my itunes playlists, iphoto albulms, etc.. ANyway thanks
 
How long do you want to wait for an answer?

I just purchased two 500GB internal HDs for my iMac G5. The reason I bought two is because the first one, a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10, has been shipped back to Seagate four damn times because I'm demanding the 3.AAE firmware and not the defective 3.AAK. It's taken over a month and I'm still waiting for the 3.AAE firmware. In the meantime I got fed up and bought a Samsung SpinPoint, which I'll be formatting, fitting out with Leopard, and then physically installing over the next couple of days. If you have some time to spare, I can let you know how it goes and give you advice based on firsthand experience.
 
eji said:
How long do you want to wait for an answer?

I just purchased two 500GB internal HDs for my iMac G5. The reason I bought two is because the first one, a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10, has been shipped back to Seagate four damn times because I'm demanding the 3.AAE firmware and not the defective 3.AAK. It's taken over a month and I'm still waiting for the 3.AAE firmware. In the meantime I got fed up and bought a Samsung SpinPoint, which I'll be formatting, fitting out with Leopard, and then physically installing over the next couple of days. If you have some time to spare, I can let you know how it goes and give you advice based on firsthand experience.
Click to expand...

The advise would be GREATLY appriciated. This is my first time doing something like this (on a mac). So far i'm on google.com checking out internal pics of my intel imac. I'm trying to figure out how i'm going to do this. I was going to call OWC and ask them what's the best 500gig internal hard drive they have and have it shipped to me and begin the operation. Unless i can find a GREAT one at my local BestBuy or Circuit City, i would love to do that instead. That way, i can purchase it today after work, and Begin my installation after work, with all myapps and documents.

PS-Once done, can't i just use time machine and restore my itunes folder and iphoto folder??? Hmmmm... Anyway i'll get to those later, on my external HD, in one partition I have all my music and pics in Folder format so bringing it wouldn't be a big deal
 
I should point out that the iMac G5 (Rev.B) is significantly more user-serviceable than the Intel iMacs. That's part of its beauty. So I have to warn you that it might be best to bring your own iMac into the Apple Store (or another authorized repair center) if you're really not too confident in what you're doing. There are a lot of people who've installed new HDs in their Intel iMacs, and I seem to remember coming across some step-by-step diagrams here on the MR forums, but it's still not as easy as it ought to be.

What I personally plan on doing is installing my new internal HD in an external FireWire drive. Then I'll format it, install Leopard, and gradually copy over all the necessary data. If it runs well, I'll transfer the new 500GB HD into my iMac and the existing HD into a different FireWire housing. Sort of like a brain transplant.

So while I might not be able to give you precise step-by-steps, I can let you know how my method works and whether or not the Samsung is good replacement. I've read some really good things about it so far -- it seems to be excellent in terms of the price-to-performance ratio. If it's a dud, then I'll have to bide my time until the Seagate arrives, which could be awhile.
 
billmister said:
If not can anyone please recommend a good place to purchase a 500gig Internal Hard drive?
Click to expand...
You'll find much better prices at http://newegg.com. But
newegg sells mostly "OEM" drives -- same as the "retail" version,
but without the fancy packaging or an owners manual. You can
download the manual from the manufacturer's web site.

I believe all C2D iMacs use SATA internal drives. Any drive you buy
(SaTA or IDE) will be formatted for Windoze -- but DiskUtility will
reformat it for Mac.

LK
 
What do you guys think?.. is this good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

I have no clue if my intel imac core 2 duo is SATA, or ATA, or Ultra ATA 100, and if my computer will take the 500gig internal WITH 32mb cache or does it have to be 16mb cache. If it can take 32mb, then i think the item above is a good deal. And it's for holiday price only. What do you guys think?.. Good
 
billmister said:
How would i know if this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=product&tab=1&id=1172880157923#productdetail

Is the defective one, and not the good one.. There is no data on firmware on their specifications.
Click to expand...

That's the problem: you don't. I bought mine from an online retailer, and I was disappointed to discover that it had the 3.AAK firmware. And like I said, it's been a month of sending the drive back repeatedly. I would think that some of the newer models would have the 3.AAE firmware, but you can't be sure when purchasing online unless you call customer support and get a definitive answer.

As Leon pointed out, you'll get some better deals at newegg, but I'd avoid buying an OEM Seagate, since it seems more likely you'll get stuck with the crappy firmware. Any other brand should be okay.

Incidentally, the Samsung SpinPoint model that I bought is briefly on sale there for $105. It gets pretty good ratings.
 
Leon Kowalski said:
You'll find much better prices at http://newegg.com. But
newegg sells mostly "OEM" drives -- same as the "retail" version,
but without the fancy packaging or an owners manual. You can
download the manual from the manufacturer's web site.

I believe all C2D iMacs use SATA internal drives. Any drive you buy
(SaTA or IDE) will be formatted for Windoze -- but DiskUtility will
reformat it for Mac.

LK
Click to expand...

Oh wow that sounds good. Then i'll Think about me installing it or apple. I'll ask how much they charge me at the apple store to install it. I don't want them to install my os though. LIke i want to be able to install the Tiger Os that came with my computer with the software i want. not all. And then install my purchased leopard dvd.

Also regarding eji comment, i'll call newegg.com and ask regarding the firmware verision i'll be getting.

::Ok i call and both their telephone numbers are bussy?... Waiting on their online chat to get a rep.

I was watching google video's and even though it was installed for a macbook, i believe i insert the Os X disk and turn on my computer and press and hold "C". Then i go to disk utility and click on my hard drive, and click format HFC (i think it's that) format, then install the Os!
 

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billmister said:
Ok Leon, mac member to mac member. If price was not an issue between $100 - $150

would you recommend that Western Digital

or

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 From New Egg?
Click to expand...

1) I've always had good luck with Seagate, and like the 5-year warranty.

2) There might be a compatibility problem with 7200.11 series Seagates;
see the last paragraph of the Seagate blurb below. It's kinda old and
only mentions G5 systems -- I don't know whether it applies to C2Ds:

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/before_you_buy/buying_a_drive_for_a_macintosh/

3) I have a Seagate ST3500630AS (7200.10 series) in an external
enclosure, and it seems to work fine. I don't know what firmware rev
it is (I'm at work, it's at home) or what the story is WRT possible
firmware "issues" mentioned by eji.

Bottom line: If I had to decide this afternoon, I'd grab the WD5000AAKS.
(Its 750 GB sibling kicked A$$ in tomshardware.com performance tests.)

http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage.html

LK
 
Leon Kowalski said:
Very interesting, eji. Could you say a few words (or supply a link) explaining
the nature of the firmware problem, and which Seagate models are affected?
Click to expand...

I already did post the link. But here it is again.

A quick Google search with "3.AAK" and "Seagate" as keywords will also bring up some more links like this one. Fact is, the 3.AAK firmware is not optimized for boot drives in desktops.

As for the OP, if you're hellbent on buying an HD today, my own advice isn't going to be of much use to you. I put the SpinPoint in an external drive and it runs beautifully -- fast, cool and quiet. I'm looking forward to installing it in my iMac as soon as I've got some free time.

EDIT: And, Leon, as far as I know, it's difficult to tell which 7200.10 models are affected, because the model numbers are all the same, regardless of firmware revision. This is why I've had to send the drive back to Seagate four times. They keep sending me the same model because the monkeys at the warehouse simply send out the same replacement model without consulting the firmware on the drive.
 
eji said:
I already did post the link. But here it is again.

A quick Google search with "3.AAK" and "Seagate" as keywords will also bring up some more links like this one. Fact is, the 3.AAK firmware is not optimized for boot drives in desktops.

As for the OP, if you're hellbent on buying an HD today, my own advice isn't going to be of much use to you. I put the SpinPoint in an external drive and it runs beautifully -- fast, cool and quiet. I'm looking forward to installing it in my iMac as soon as I've got some free time.

EDIT: And, Leon, as far as I know, it's difficult to tell which 7200.10 models are affected, because the model numbers are all the same, regardless of firmware revision. This is why I've had to send the drive back to Seagate four times. They keep sending me the same model because the monkeys at the warehouse simply send out the same replacement model without consulting the firmware on the drive.
Click to expand...

Wow This is a really hard choice to make. Most people say Seagate's the best, But then there's this Firmware risk, others say WD is the Best, Then there's the once who say it stop working for them in 10 months. There tend to be people who install it on uncompatible computers and complain and ruin it for the rest of the people. like software. There is a MINIMUM requirment but people still buy it when their computers are not compatible, and then review on how software sucks because it doesn't work.

Anyway, I would like to go with seagate but would hate to get a bad one, and deal the pain of eji. Therefore i'm going to go with WD. I am currently running a WD mybook and it runs GREAT!... It's not loud for my taste. Doesn't bother me.

I'll try out the WD 500 Gig one. I'll also try out the code. I hope all goes well. I will keep all of you updated. Now to find pictures of taking apart my imac.
imachg7.jpg
 
Ok guys i ordered the Western Digital from Newegg.com I did FexEd Overnight, so i hope it will arrive tomorrow. Anyway i will let you guys know how it goes. I'm off to finding sights on taking my imac apart. Thanks EVERYONE!
 
Leon Kowalski said:
http://home.comcast.net/~woojo/DFFA53A0-F23D-4541-9015-481FD3B6532E/iMac_Disassembly.html

http://www.kodawarisan.com/imac_intel/imac_intel001.html

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/intel_imac_take-apart.html

good luck,

LK
Click to expand...

WOW GREAT THANKS!!!! Looking at the pictures it looks do-able.. BUT then reading parts that say "Bending or flexing the board will cause the solder joints on the chips to BREAK! This includes VRAM and on-board ram as well as everything else. If you damage the board or the connectors on it you will have a very expensive paper weight! These parts are not available for purchase!" Made me REALLY nervouse

Ohh man... Anyone From NJ want to help? Just wondering.. Thanks
 
Looks Tough

Man i was looking at this video where they install ram into a G5. Taking the cover off from the back was great.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1747519799526535134

And from the back you could see it all, hard drive, ram, etc... I though, man that's pretty good. I could do that, unscrew 5 screws on bottom pull the back off, and take the hard drive off and install new one, and all back..

BUT i guess for the new imac it's a B@#%.... Man this just scared me a bit. I really don't want to mess up my computer.. But i wonder how much tech will charge me, and if they know how to open up inetel imac and and now trying mine out. I don't mind paying but i just want it done right and i want to put in the disk myself and do the installation (software) once done installing hardware.

GUys you've been great help giving me help with HD options and links on how to install.. I'll google mac techs nearby and ask how much.. My HD should be comming in tomorrow
 
Ok was ordered yesterday and i placed a next day delivery option and i checked the status on newegg.com and it still hasn't shipped. Can someone please let me know what is the difference between the western digital:

WD5000KSRTL and the WD5000AAKS

Because if they are the same, the SRTL is available in circuit city for $1 more and it will come with all the cables. Just wondering maybe if they are the same i can cancell newegg one... Unless the AAKS is superior in a way
 
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