Hard Drive and RAM Advice please...
I'm looking to expand my computer by adding more RAM and more hard drive space but unfortunately I haven't the slightest clue on what I should buy. I've never bought any kind of internal hardware before. I have an external but I'd like another internal drive since I have the slot space.
I'm a video and film enthusiast who shoots weddings, music videos and short films. I currently use Final Cut Studio, After Effects CS3, PS, and Shake. So as you can see, I have a fully loaded desktop in need of some serious power. It runs pretty good now, although when I get towards the end of a project it tends to crunch up and slow down due to all of the rendering and large file sizes being tossed around. So what should I get? Here are my hardware specs:
Machine Name: Power Mac G5
Machine Model: PowerMac7,2
CPU Type: PowerPC 970 (2.2)
Number Of CPUs: 2
CPU Speed: 1.8 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2.5 GB
Bus Speed: 900 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.1.4f0
Hi-
For your internal hard drive, a good, fast second drive for scratch files would help.
In the 7200RPM 500GB range, the Western Digital WD6400AAKS is by far the leader in speed. Very quiet and cool as well.
For a bit larger capacity, the WD7500AAKS is an excellent drive. Also cool and quiet.
If you want to go to a full 1TB drive, the Hitachi 7K1000 series is very fast, with the Samsung Spinpoint F1 also being an excellent performer.
As for the memory, the sweet spot seems to be 4GB. Memory is still cheap, so adding memory is a good, economical idea. For quality, guaranteed, Mac compatible memory, see OWC.
You can watch installation videos on how to install your memory and hard drives. Easy stuff.
Similar Messages
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External hard drive and backup advice please
hi,
Sorry if this is a common question to the forum but I have only just registered and need advice that is a bit more taylor made than the other posts I've read.
I am going to be buying an external hard drive - firstly I have read that it's better to get firewire so that if need be I can boot up from it. Is this the case??
I want to make a clone of my hard drive, this can be done using deja vu, but is this the best thing to use? or do i need to get something like carbon copy cloner?
next.....partitioning disks. How is this done and what are the advantages? Why do this? This may be the answer to my next question.....
...I want to use the external drive for (1) making a clone of my HD that I can do each week for backup purposes and (2) using it to copy files onto daily/weekly - keeping it separate from the clone
help would be much appreciated
thanksI am going to be buying an external hard drive - firstly I have read that it's better to get firewire so that if need be I can boot up from it. Is this the case??
Yes.
I want to make a clone of my hard drive, this can be done using deja vu, but is this the best thing to use? or do i need to get something like carbon copy cloner?
You can also try SuperDuper to perform the clone.
next.....partitioning disks. How is this done and what are the advantages? Why do this? This may be the answer to my next question.....
To partition a disk, use the Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder. Partitioning a drive on your model of computer will usually only give you benefits if you want to maintain multiple bootable installations of Mac OS X or Linux on a single disk.
(13860) -
I need G4 MDD, Hard Drive Up-Grade advice, please.
I need G4 MDD, Hard Drive Up-Grade advice, please.
My G4 Model:
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) - M9145LL/A
Processor G4 1.25 GHz (SINGLE)
- L2 Cache 256 KB (1:1)
- L3 Cache 1 MB
167 MHz Bus Speed
(Dual Boot Model) - Running 10.3.9 and 9.2.2
Installed Memory - 1- 256 MB Stick and 1- 512 MB Stick - (Kingston PC2700 - KTA-G4333)
- Maximum 2 GB
- Slots 4 SDRAM (PC2700 - DDR333)
Hard Drive 80 GB Seagate
- Type (Speed) Ultra ATA/100 (7200 rpm)
Combo Drive
USB 1.1 2
FireWire 400 2
EtherNet (built-in) 1000Base-T
Expansion Slots 4 PCI slots
Display ATI Radeon 9000 Pro
- VRAM 64 MB DDR
- AGP 4x
LaCie external DVD Burner.
I'm planning on doing the following:
I'm on a limited budget, can only afford to spend around $300.00
I Want to add 3 more 512 MB Sticks of the Kingston KTA-G4333/512 PC2700 Ram.
Also, I Want to Replace my 80 GB HD with either of the following:
2 - Seagate 160 or 250 GB SATA drives/8 MB Cache on the Rear Bays
And a - SIIG SATA PCI Controller Card (SIISCSATM12S)
OR;
1 Seagate 160 GB ATA/100 8 MG Cache drive in the ATA/100 Bus Rear Bay.
And 1 Seagate 160 GB ATA/100 8 MG Cache drive in the front ATA/66 Bus Bay.
My Question:
(Which would be better performance wise and for stability?)
I only want to have 2 internal Hard Drives so my Mac won't over heat.
I'm planning on Cloning my 80 GB drive to one of the new drives using Super Duper.
After that, I'll store the drive until I can afford to get an external OWC case for it.
I want to use the second new drive for a Photoshop Scratch disk and for temp video file work.
Under 10.3.9 - I use:
Photoshop CS2
Toast 7
Popcorn 1.0.3
VisualHUB
On occasion I still boot into OS 9 for Photoshop 5.5., QuarkXPress 3.2.2 r5 and Adobe Illustrator 7.
I don't foresee being able to afford a Mac Pro and don't want to get a used G5 anytime
soon. I'm hoping my G4 will last me a few more years.
I suspect putting a ATA/100 drive on the ATA/66 Bus might hamper performance. And suspect using a SATA controller card in a "PCI" slot isn't as good as having a True SATA Bus, performance wise either.
I was just wondering which would be the better way to go for performance and stability?
The drives will be probably OEM either at OWC or NewEgg.
I'd really appreciate some help with this. Thank You.beardedbob wrote:
I want to use the second new drive for a Photoshop Scratch disk and for temp video file work.
Under 10.3.9 - I use:
Photoshop CS2
Toast 7
Popcorn 1.0.3
VisualHUB
I suspect putting a ATA/100 drive on the ATA/66 Bus might hamper performance. And suspect using a SATA controller card in a "PCI" slot isn't as good as having a True SATA Bus, performance wise either.
I was just wondering which would be the better way to go for performance and stability?
With those applications and the intended purpose for the 2d drive, i.e. video and PS scratch, then go SATA. No question, best performance (without considering the cost of SCSI) to be found with SATA even using a PCI SATA controller. PATA been left behind, no ones doing development anymore.
I would suggest partitioning that 2d drive because PS and FS scratch disks are different in kind. FS needs unfragmented media, otherwise dropped frames and sync issues. PS scratch media are temporary and messy.
Depending on the drives and card, SATA drives should bench (with something like Intech QuickBench) at the high end of around 80-90 MB/sec. I haven't bought a PATA HD in years, but best I ever saw was around 60 MB/sec. 80-90 MB/sec is still very good even if say you can bench better in Mac Pro.
The Siig card you're considering is solid. I've used it in both 10.4 and 10.5, but only used it to boot in 10.4.x, never in Leopard. I had some issues with it my others cards, but easily solved by swapping placement.
I also have the two-port Sonnet Tempo, which is actually just a purple Firmtek Seritek 2-port card. I bought the Siig first, having to get it (and a bunch of other stuff) shipped overseas. I later bought the Sonnet because I could get it locally although for a higher price; with overseas taxes, customs, etc. for only the card --- it's a wash.
Anyway, I have two WD SE16 750GB drives in my MDD 1.25 Dual, which were originally on the Siig. With the Siig, QuickBench (I run the big 100MB files) showed 70+ MB/sec Read, around 55+ MB/sec Writes. I was a bit disappointed about the Writes. When the Sonnet arrived, I swapped and ran QuickBench again. With the Sonnet I see both Reads and Writes at 80+ MB/sec.
So as far as benchmarks go, the Sonnet/Firmtek wins. (I know Firmtek has a line of internal cards, including a 4 port version.) But I can't say I noticed any huge difference in everyday tasks. I had some sleep issues with Sonnet/Firmtek in 10.4.x, which was solved by downgrading the firmware.
I have FC Studio, but I capture to externals via eSATA.
I still have the Siig, it's in my MDD 1.0 Dual used as a file and Time machine server. Has a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB on it which doesn't bench to well on the Siig, but I haven't tried bench testing it with the Sonnet.
Hope that helps. -
Questions regarding Hard Drive and RAM upgrade
I just purchased a Macbook white (Late 2006 model) for my son off ebay. I know next to nothing about hard drives and RAM.
I only paid $400 for this thing so I'm willing to put some extra cash into it.
What is the maximum hard drive I can put in this thing? Also, does the size of the hard drive depend on the amount of RAM I can put in it?
Like I said, I dont know very much about this stuff at all. Could someone please give me specific examples of the size hard drive & RAM I can put in.
Thank you.Replacing the Hard Drive and RAM is very easy. Apple has a PDF file with instructions for replacing a hard drive and RAM. You'll need a #0 phillips screwdriver for the "L" bracket and a Torx 6 driver for the caddy screws.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook13inch_HardDriveDIY.pdf
http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/MacBook_13inch_MemoryDIY.pdf -
Hi all,
This isn't a question, just thought some of you may be interested.
After reaching a stage of rapidly diminishing hard drive space (mainly due to my new hobby of movie making)I was faced with a choice of expanding this Mac or buying a new one. After doing the sums, decided to bite the bullet and expand this one. I've added RAM in the past, but the thought of changing my hard drive was a bit daunting. Nevertheless, after downloading the instructions and reading this discussion group, I figured I could do it.
I ordered a Seagate 320GB hard drive and another GB of RAM (Crucial), cost was less than AU$200, bought a new, magnetised screwdriver set and off I went.
It was a breeze, in fact getting the back back on the iMac took me longer than actually installing the hard drive and RAM! The magnetised screwdriver was a godsend - don't attempt the job without one.
I had followed Miriam's advice (thankyou) and used Super Duper to back up my original hard drive on my external drive and this is the only time I ran into problems. The first restore was a disaster and I ended up learning far more about prebindings than I really wanted, or needed, to know. Thanks to the folks over at the Tiger Discussion group, I eventually succeeded in restoring correctly. Lesson learnt - read the manual! <edited by host>
I'm planning on getting an external case for my old hard drive and keeping it as a 'just in case', the 2 x 256 sticks of RAM will probably be sold on ebay.
So, if you are still wondering how hard the job is, take it from me (who will never see her 60th birthday again), by following the instructions it is a piece of cake. I now hope to get another 3 years out of this computer and when it finally dies, I will buy another one as I have been for almost 20 years, my first Mac was a Plus.
Cheers
NikkiGUp till the iSight, Apple made computers which were easily serviceable by their owner...
?? What about the 128k, 512k, 512ke, plus, se (all flavors), iMac G3, iMac G4, eMac, Mac mini, laptops, iPod, Newton, etc.?
Really the only Apple devices that Apple expects you to completely disassemble and replace internal parts are the devices targeted for professionals (Mac Pro, Power Mac, etc.). -
Can I add the hard drive and ram of a dual usb ibook to a clamshell ibook?
The hard drive will work.
The RAM may work but some PC133 RAM will not work at 66 MHz (the bus speed of the clamshell). -
HI, I HAVE A MacBook Pro 2.3GHz dual-core Intel i5 AND I WAN'T TO UPGRADE THE HARD DRIVE UP TO 750GB AND ALSO THE RAM MEMORY TO 8GB. WHAT SPECIFIC MODEL OF HARD DRIVE AND RAM MEMORY SHOULD I BUY??? THANKS
No need to type in all caps - we HEAR you!
I would take a look at the internal drives offered by both Crucial (click the link "Internal Hard Drives Now Available") and OWC. I would stay away from Western Digital drives as they seem to have problems on a number of Mac models.
You can also shop for RAM at Crucial and OWC - just select the System Scanner tab at the Crucial website to find out which memory is right for your machine.
Good luck,
Clinton -
Does it void my warranty to upgrade the hard drive and ram in a MacBook?
Recently a new store in my local mall called Peachmac opened. They do repairs and upgrades. I went there to see about a hard drive and RAM upgrade. They told me if I do it myself, it voids the warranty. I have about 8 months of Apple care left on my Mac and don't want to loose it. My real question is does it void your warranty even though the instruction booklet specifically tells you how to do it? The reason I'm wondering this is because they want $69 an hour plus money for parts. They quoted around $125-$150 (for a 500GB HD and 4GB of RAM). Is this an ok deal? Or should I go for an SSD? I saw Crucial was doing a bundle for a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM at my local CompUSA. Which one is a better deal? Thanks!
If you replace the memory, it doesn't void your warranty, but the warranty will be voided if you replace the hard drive
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Is it okay to replace the Internal Hard Drive and RAM at the same time? Also, once I replace the hardware how do I restore my last Time Capsule Backup to the new hard drive?
Hello Jason Castellani -Usually best to do one major change at a time in case something goes wrong. That said I can see where you are going here once you got your MBP apart. If you are a gambling man go for both, esp if you have done the procedures before and comfortable with the operation.
See this knowledge base article for your migration question.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1177
Hope this helps
Message was edited by: leroydouglas -
Pavillion DV8-1250ea: Upgrading Hard Drive and RAM
Hi,
I want to upgrade the hard drive and RAM on my Pavillion DV8-1250ea.
I want to know what spec/type of Hard drive and RAM i need to buy.
For the hard drives i'm looking at either:
Seagate 750GB Momentus 7200RPM SATA-300 16MB 2.5"
Western Digital 750GB Scorpio Black 2.5" SATA-300 7200RPM 16MB
Are these compatible?
I would prefer if i could get 1tb but can't find one with 7200RMB. Any recommendations?
For RAM i'm a little more lost. What spec do i need to look for? I believe 8GB is the max my laptop can handle, is this right?
ThanksHi:
I can't help you with the hard drive questions but here is the link to the specs for your notebook:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02433096&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en...=
I can take up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory. You MUST be running a 64 bit operating system to benefit from 8 GB of memory.
You will need memory with this specification if you want 8 GB:
Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-10600
Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1333 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64 •
I recommend getting Crucial brand memory.
The cheapest place I know of to buy this if you live in the USA or Canada is here:
The link shows they are currently out of stock at the moment however.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148345
Paul -
Hard Drive and RAM upgrade gone wrong - please help!
I have a 2+ year old Mac Mini Core Solo that I recently decided to upgrade. Originally it had a 80GB hard drive and 512MB of RAM and I installed a 250GB Western Digital drive and upgraded to 2GB of RAM.
Everything went smooth with the reinstall of OSX and the Mini was actually working, Internet was working etc. I was in the process of downloading and installing all of the Mac SW updates and that went on for several minutes, it actually got through most of them and then a screen came up to tell me to restart the computer. I did and then got the same screen. Which was the gray screen with the restart message and a message like this:
panic (cpu 0 caller 0x00398C43); unable to find driver for this platform: "ACPI"
(Then there was a bunch of hexidecimal debugging jibberish and then some kernel version info.)
So I held down on the option key while doing the restart and tried to start from the internal disc and also start from the install disc. I can get to where I've reinstalled the first disc again, but then when I have to restart the computer to load the second disc I get the gray restart screen again with the above info.
During one of the attempts I brought up utilities and did a scan of the internal HD for defects and all the repair steps but it always said that everything was fine. When I bring up the general computer info it shows that I have 2GB of RAM. So it recognizes the two items that I installed.
So what do I do now? I am stuck on this issue and out of ideas, I havent tried to put back in the old hardware to test it, (but I would prefer not to as that doesnt really help me with the new stuff I bought).
Sorry for the long post but I wanted to offer as much detail as possible in case there is something in there that triggers an idea with someone. I dont live in a huge city so theres no apple store within several hours drive from here.
Can anyone help me with this? Thank you!
crazychileThanks for all the help.
It is a kernel panic and unfortunately it can be caused by a bunch of things. But I think I have it figured out for now.
My first step was to put the old RAM back in with the new HD, no change with the problem.
Then I put the old HD back in with the old RAM (original config) and everything was back to normal.
Then I tried the new RAM with the old HD and everything is also good. (and faster!)
So it would appear that the new HD was flakey and needs to go back to OWC.
Hey, I'm a pro at taking apart and rebuilding a Mini now!
Thanks again for the help,
crazychile -
Hard Drive and Ram Memory for Pavilion dv6-6123cl
Good morning! I want to change my ram and my hard drive. The ram will be 8GB and 2TB drive, I wonder if I used the hard drive, if supported? and as for the ram if I have to buy one that is compatible or anybody served me?
Thank you! : smileywink:
This question was solved.
View Solution.Here is the Manual:
Service Manual
Are you located in the U.S.? If not, where? Country only is enough so we can link you to a source for hard drive and memory.
Page 62 for the hard drive and 66 for the Memory.
You need to open the memory door and see if you have one 4 gig stick or 2 x 2. If you have 1 x 4 you just need to get another to have 8. If you have 2 x 2 you need to get 2 x 4.
You need DDR3-1333 mhz SO-DIMM memory and you need a 2.5 inch wide 9.5 mm thick SATA hard drive. 2 TB drives are not really available in the market. 1 TB is about as big as you are going to find out there.
Post back with your country of residence and we can link you to a good online store. If your hard drive is working well right now you need to use the HP Recovery manager to burn recovery DVDs to put software on the new drive.
If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as Solution" to help others find it. -
Upgrade MacBook - Hard Drive and RAM
I want to upgrade my daughter's early 2008 white MacBook - both internal drive and RAM. I know how to install both and have done so before. I have purchased the internal drive, the RAM and a large external drive for Time Machine backups now and for the future. I also want to install Lion. I'm not sure of the sequence... Here is what I propose:
1) format the new external hard drive and then back up the current internal drive using Time Machine.
2) install the new RAM.
3) install the new internal drive.
4) boot up using Snow Leopard DVD. Install OS 10.6
5) upgrade to 10.6.8
6) install Lion.
7) import all of her applications, files, etc. from the Time Machine backup.
8) done?
Is this correct - will all work?
9) back up the new internal drive using Time Machine.
Will step #9 work when I select "Back Up Now" from the Time Machine?
10) If yes, is her itunes account, etc. ready to use? Can she sync iphone as before?
Thanks.I can make this easier for you:
1) Download and install SuperDuper.
2) Using SuperDuper, make a clone of the current internal drive to the large external.
3) Test the clone by booting to the external drive
4) If good, install the new internal drive.
5) Boot from external, and use SuperDuper in reverse (clone back to new internal).
6) When done, boot the mac normally. Upgrade to Lion, and all should be good. -
Installed new hard drive and ram but freezes on apple logo
i have a mid 2010 macbook pro and last night i opened it up and installed a 750GB hard drive and 8gb of ram.
now my computer doesn't want to boot up, even with the install DVD (original one)
i have done the PRAM thing and even went back to my old hard drive and even that one freezes on the apple logo.
the spinning wheel spins for about 30 seconds then freezes.
HELP, i need my macbook working.
Also, my windows partition works for some reason, but i can't go to disk utility or anything from it.https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents
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Hi I would like to know what are the maximum upgrades I can have on my laptop in RAM, hard drive and if possible processor. It is a HP pavilion dv8219ea with a Hewlett-Packard 30A6 56.24 board. Can you let me know the size and speed of both the RAM and hard drive and guide me to how to upgrade my processor. at the moment it is a 1.67 gigahertz Intel Core Duo with 64 kilobyte primary memory cache and 2048 kilobyte secondary memory cache. Thank you
Thanks for all the help.
It is a kernel panic and unfortunately it can be caused by a bunch of things. But I think I have it figured out for now.
My first step was to put the old RAM back in with the new HD, no change with the problem.
Then I put the old HD back in with the old RAM (original config) and everything was back to normal.
Then I tried the new RAM with the old HD and everything is also good. (and faster!)
So it would appear that the new HD was flakey and needs to go back to OWC.
Hey, I'm a pro at taking apart and rebuilding a Mini now!
Thanks again for the help,
crazychile
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