I've got $350 to burn on my G5. What should I get?

J

jocknerd

Registered
I'm looking to add a second drive to my dual G5 2.0 system. I've got a 250GB drive already. I'm doing quite a bit of video editing on my system and my wife is storing a lot of photos on it. I would like to get a external SATA enclosure and run RAID but I can't afford that for now. So I'm looking at two scenarios:

First, I can get a WD Raptor 74GB 10,000 rpm SATA drive and put my OS and apps on it and make the other drive my data drive. The Raptor costs $180 on newegg. Is the performance improvement worth the cost? They also have a 36GB 10,000 rpm SATA drive for $110. But I'm concerned that this might be cutting it close in size. I could be wrong though.

Second, I can go for a Seagate or Maxtor 300GB SATA drive for around $225 or so. I would make this my data drive and my scratch drive for Final Cut and Photoshop.

I'm also planning to add 1GB of memory from Crucial.com for around $150. This would bump me up to 2GB's total.

What do you guys think?
 
I think you've got the right idea with the 250GB SATA drive.

The only thing that would make me consider the Raptor drive is if I were experiencing some problems with the speed of the 250GB drive, like dropped frames from video capture or audio sync problems due to the speed of the drive. If you don't experience any of that, and you think your current 250GB drive does a good job for your video editing needs, then go for the 250GB SATA drive. Otherwise, get the biggest Raptor you can get (the 36GB will be too small -- I have OS X only on a 40GB and have to keep it neat and slimmed down to fit there).

The extra 1GB of RAM should help as well, and you're already getting it from the best place to get RAM, so no problems there...
 
I'd go with that Raptor option, but that's me. Doubt it'd make a huge difference though in this case. For video work you'd want the data drive to be the speedy one, since that's the one you'll be putting the vids on most likely.

I'd buy the 74GB Raptor as my main drive, then move the 250GB one over as a data drive. When the money comes in, then do a nice SATA raid in an external enclosure for video only and use the 250GB drive for photos and other stuff.

WD should be releasing new larger models of the Raptor drive soon (140/150MB and 300MB range). Also heard talk of Seagate comming out with something at or above 10K RPMs.
 
Im currently considering my options for my g5..
so far im thinking i'll go a Raptor 74GB 10KRPM for System, put in a Seagate 400GB for my data (i always put my home folder on a seperate partition/drive) and move the current 250Gb to my old G4 (for use with a PCI card)..


i have yet to see a DECENT external SATA-Firewire solution. All i want, is Firewire 800 (not bothered about others) and a "native" SATA adapter. All i found is FireWire->PATA with a PATA-SATA adapter inside the box...
 
I figure I'll make it the data drive for my video editing. Should I also put my /Users on this as well? Or should I leave that on my primary drive?
 
I'd leave it on the primary drive. OS X likes it better when everything is on the same partition.
 
Two things..

firstly... those kits are ok.. but they look a bit clunky... don't really match the refined beauty of the G5... I was thinking something more like this or this or this

or...the ultimate... this

Secondly.. I have always had my "home" folder (not the entire /Users, as im the only user) sitting on a different volume (either physical or partitioned) than the System/Apps and i've never noticed any problems. it means i have no problems when i need to reinstall, or when a new OS version is released (i never do upgrades, always a fresh install)

This can be acheived through either: making a symlink in /Users with your shortname to point to the new volume; or by changing the value for your home folder in the NetInfo db...
 
Make your own then. You can grab aluminum sheets cheap enough, just need to find someone experienced enough to weld it, grind, and brush it properly...that's the hardest part.
 
i make my own sandwhiches. i make my own pasta sauce. i even make my own bed... but im not making my own computer peripherals... that's crazy talk.
 
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