More thoughts on HDD replacements, with boring table

I've been exploring drive replacement options for the various machines that I have and which might need drive replacements, and I'm finding a surprisingly small amount of information about exactly what all of the drive options really are. This is a much more complex task than I'd originally given it credit for, there are a lot of different drive interfaces. It's more than just 2.5" vs. 3.5", IDE, SCSI, SATA. Many of the spec sheets I've been coming across are not sufficiently verbose about the type of drives the machines take, just the sizes they shipped with. So, let me try to collect my thoughts on this in a way more organized than I undertook in my previous rambling. (This is particularly true of the Mac machines, the Apples II I think I basically grasp.) Warning, however: This is not likely to be very interesting to anyone but me.

The iMac Service Source manual for the iMac G3s indicates shipping hard disks of the EIDE type from 7–30GB. My impression, given the casualness with which information is supplied, is that anything with a PATA physically compatible interface is pretty much backwards compatible, so that I can use a newer, fancier PATA drive even if the machine that's talking to it doesn't know how to use its features. Also, I learned from the PATA article that the Compact Flash interface is really just yet another PATA type (with a different physical connector), so that explains why IDE-CF adapters are so cheap.

For drive sizes under, or possibly at, 32GB, an IDE-CF solution as replacement makes some economic sense, but for larger drive sizes, the cost of the CF cards starts getting pretty steep. Although I could in principle hit or near the 128GB maximum addressable size for G3 iMacs, graphite PowerMac G4s, and the G4 Cube by getting a 128GB CF card (currently $898 at newegg.com) or an OWC Mercury Pro Legacy SSD (currently $220), I am not composed of cash. The SSD option is fast enough that it might merit some consideration, but it's still a lot. A spinning IDE drive is over three times cheaper, e.g. OWC's 120GB drive (currently $68).

There's a kind of a conundrum in deciding what to put in the vintage Macs, because although they often shipped with smallish drives, when has that ever been enough? Granted, there is a big usage difference between the times when each of these was serving as my primary computing platform, and now, when they're likely to be fairly specialized in what they're being asked to do. But do I focus on replacing the hard drive at its shipping size, or max them out?

The SCSI interface of the still-older Macs is more problematic. Since I still think getting actual vintage drives as a replacement is not a smart move, a SCSI-IDE or SCSI-SATA adapter is probably a better option. Also, the size limits on these drives is smaller; in many cases (where I'm running pre-System 7.5), I can't get beyond 2GB anyway, which makes a CF solution attractive. Something like PCD-50B with a CF-to-PCMCIA adapter (required because booting is constrained to the PCMCIA slot) looks like a pretty good option, even if it's kind of overkill, since it's (at $67 currently) about the cheapest way to get from SCSI to CF. Though it is not universally trouble-free. The PCD-50B setup is about half the price of the CF AztecMonster (page in Japanese, though he sells them via artmix on ebay as well). I bought one of the CF AztecMonsters, but shipping estimates suggest it will be a while before I see it. But SCSI-IDE for an actual drive seems like a dead-end road, since nobody is going to be making new 2GB drives.

[update: I came across some notes on Rob Brauns's page that might be useful: Experiments in IDE-CF adapters, Experiments with R-IDSC-E SCSI to IDE converter (Oct 2009), and SE/30 Storage Benchmarks (Jan 2010). A few other interesting things there, including a writeup of Remote Booting a IIgs (Oct 2009) which can be seen in action on Brian Picchi's video demo.]

For my own reference, here is a list of the machines, shipping size, and interface, that I have a chance of trying to replace the hard drives in.

Machine Year	Interface shipped size	OS shipped OS max	Max under shipped OS (Max under max OS)	Notes/ Plans
SE/30 1989	SCSI 80MB	6.0.3 7.5.5	2GB 4GB	SCSI-CF? System 6, A/UX, NetBSD?
Mac LC II 1992	SCSI 80MB	7.0.1 7.5.5[1] 7.6.1	2GB 4GB	IIe card, System 7.5.5
Performa 6116CD 1995	SCSI 700MB	7.5.1 9.0	2GB 4GB	AppleTalk/Ethernet bridge? Mac OS 7.5.5? Agonizingly slow
Duo 2300c 1995	2.5" IDE 750MB	7.5.2 9.1	4GB[2]	2.5" CF-IDE 2GB replace. Mac OS 8.6
PowerMac 7500/100 1995	SCSI 500MB	7.5.1 9.0	2GB 2TB	Mac OS 8.6? Use unclear
PowerMac 8600/200 1997	SCSI 2GB	7.5.5 9.0	2TB	Mac OS 8.6? PC Compatibility card. Upgrade HDD? Mac OS 8.6?
PowerMac G3 Beige 1997–1998	SCSI & IDE 4-6GB	8.0 10.2.8	2TB SCSI 128GB IDE	PM G3/233. Mac OS 8.6 or 9.2.2. IDE-CF seems to be an option. Replace the personality card with a Wings card? (Then what? Use the PMG3 as an external monitor for an Apple II?) Use unclear.
Bondi iMac 1998	IDE 4GB	8.1, 8.5 10.3.9	128GB	Not sure whether rev A or B. IDE-CF realistic.
iBook SE 2000	2.5 EIDE 6GB	8.6 10.3.9	128GB	Airport capable. IDE-CF realistic. Mac OS 9.2.2?
iMac DV, DV/SE 1999–2001	EIDE 13–60GB	8.6 or 9.1 10.4.11	128GB	Not sure on models. IDE-CF realistic. Airport with adapter.
Ruby iMac 2000	EIDE 10GB	9.0.4 10.4.11	128GB	IDE-CF realistic. Airport with adapter.
G4 Cube 2000	EIDE 20–30GB	9.0.4 or 9.1 10.4.11	128GB	Unsure of model. Airport capable. Mac OS 9.2.2. IDE-CF realistic.
PowerMac G4 Graphite 1999–2000	EIDE 10-40GB	8.6 or 9.0.4 10.4.11	128GB	unsure of models. Maybe Airport capable.
iMac G4 2002–2003	EIDE 60GB	9.2.2 and 10.1.2, 10.2.3 10.5.8	128GB	Airport capable. IDE-SATA maybe.
PowerMac G4 MDD 2003	EIDE 80GB	9.2.2 10.5.8	2GB 128GB	Not completely sure of model. Airport capable. IDE-SATA maybe. 10.5.8 if DP.
eMac 2002-2005	EIDE 40–160GB	9.2.2, 10.1.4 or 10.2.5 or 10.3.3 or 10.4 10.4.11 or 10.5.8	big	One is 1.25GHz/512MB, unsure of other model. Airport capable (1.25GHz requires Extreme). IDE-SATA maybe. 10.4.11 probably.
iMac G5 2005	SATA 250GB	10.4 10.5.8	big	75% sure of the model. Modern HDD.

^[1] I will use the LC II at no higher than system 7.5.5 so that the Apple IIe card will function.
^[2] LowEndMac passes on warnings that ATA-6 drives are not compatible with the 2300c, which may need to be a consideration in replacing the hard drive in the 2300c with a CF contraption.

That took a while to work up, and I'm not completely sure I got the max capacities right or what the precise relationship I need to worry about is between IDE and EIDE and the different ATA levels. But it is interesting to see this list spelled out this way, it suggests to me that I have too many machines to realistically update them all. It reinforces the idea that I should mainly be concentrating on replacing hard drives that have already failed, and stick with the hard drives that are installed if they still work. Also, I am really leaning toward flogging some of the non-unique (or just uninteresting) ones off on ebay or something once I get them to start. And, sorry to say, those I may well consider putting cheap vintage drives in.