g3 600mhz ibook Q

[glauconite]

i'm just playing around w/ DV and such rite now, just for fun.. but i need to upgrade my hard drive from 15gig.. would there be a problem? i can get my hands on an internal hard drive 60 or 80 gig, but would i run into any problems?? i heard there is a possibility that it wont work.. but let me know if there's any of you that tried and had success/fail thx thx

gary

[Frobozz]

I strongly recommend your getting an external Firewire hard drive for this purpose rather than replacing your internal hard drive. But if you insist....

I haven't tried replacing an internal hard drive on an iBook, but make sure you have some instructions on how to do this before you start disassembling the iBook. You'll need a 2.5" hard drive (which costs more than a faster, larger 3.5" external drive). Your existing internal hard drive is 4,200 rpm and I suggest getting a 5,400 rpm one for doing DV work.

If you have access to another 2.5" drive that you want to use, there are bus-powered external Firewire cases for 2.5" drives. That's still a better option, in my opinion, than mucking about inside your iBook.

[FCPguy]

forget internal, just get a good solid external harddrive, like lacie or western digital It will be a ton easier, and it's solid (it will work with everything as long as you have firewire (you'll need it for video). Peace and good luck!

[WiseWeasel]

The only problem is installation. Make sure you have a torx screwdriver set, and make sure not to snap any plastic. I've performed that upgrade on an old powerbook G4 400MHz without incident, but hard drives are not part of the CIPs (customer installable parts) specified for your model by Apple, so you may void your warranty if you break something (if it's still covered). See if you can get that sucker open to the point that you've exposed the hard drive, and then it should be easy. Don't lose any screws...Also, keep in mind that the 2001 iBooks can only accept 9.5 mm 2.5" drives, and not the larger 12.5 mm ones. Here are some instructions:
http://www.yourmaui.com/ibook.html
Note the corner screws are under the feet, and those need to be popped off with a flathead screwdriver.

[Manny C]

Frobozz, you're recommending a 5400 rpm hard drive for video editing????
That's just bad advice.

Glauconite, get yourself an external firewire hard drive for video editing and make sure that it is no less than 7200 rpm. If you insist on going with an internal drive, you'lll need to make sure it is the right size so it will actually fit in your laptop (as previously stated).

Personally, I wouldn't even think of opening up my iBook. If you really want a larger capacity internal hard drive, leave it to the pros. Considering the fact that they do all the labor and data transfer, here's a pretty good deal:

http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=IBUG60GB&Cate...roduct_Count=4

[Frobozz]

Okay, Manny, I'll accept my lumps for that 5400 rpm advice. But remember, I was commenting only on the internal 2.5" hard drive. The few 7200 rpm 2.5" hard drives available are really spendy and may get too hot to be reliable in an iBook anyway.

[glauconite]

thx for all your replies i'll really look into it.. the only reason i dun want an external drive is that there'll be drop frames and i really dun wanna carry around another piece of equipment i'll update this post if i decide to go w/ which ever.. just too bad my iBook dun have USB2.0, or else that would be my #1 choice

[Frobozz]

That's curious. Why do you think you'd have dropped frames with a Firewire hard drive? And why do you think USB 2 would be better? Your iBook does have Firewire, doesn't it?

[glauconite]

my friend was doing video editing w/ firewire hard drive it had drop frames in the video, and USB2.0 is faster then firewire 400... no?? or at least that's what i heard...

[WiseWeasel]

You'll get more dropped frames w/ a USB2 connection than FireWire, as FW has a higher sustained transfer rate, versus a slightly higher burst rate for USB2. Also, USB2 is much more processor-intensive, and would not perform as well, especially on a 600 MHz G3. A 5400 or 7200 RPM 2.5" bus-powered FW drive should be fine for DV and DVCPro capturing, but would not work for DVCPro 50. That's one of the big advantages of FW, is that it carries enough power to operate external drives, so you can use them on the road as well, when you're away from an AC outlet. For the best performance, you should go with an internal drive. Getting it done by professionals such as MCE, as suggested, would spare you the trouble of keeping track of all 40 (!) screws necessary to access the HD.

[FCPguy]

Also, if you do video editing (final cut pro/ express... you won't get timecode with USB2... you really need Firewire ) PEace I'm outta here!
Oh, and yes, FW will be the definite best for vid editing... usb2 just not there. Later

[icoty]

I've fone the exact upgrade that you wish to do on your iBook. The hardest part was removing the casing. you have to be real careful not to crack it. Also, prying the case apart is also tricky because you don't want to leave screwdrive indentations marks on the creases of your iBook. I'd suggest when tearing it apart to use a combination of flathead screwdriver and finger nails - but more finger nails. The rest of it is cake - just keep track of the screws that you remove! Good luck!