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Want more storage inside your PowerMac G5 beyond just the two in the standard G5 internal drive bays? There are a number of kits out there that allow you to do so:
All of these kits allow up to 3 additional internal drives, except for the WiebeTech kit. You will need the following items to get things up and running:
I currently have the Sonnet Technology G5 Jive installed in my PowerMac Quad with 3 drives. I attempted to install the Trans Intl SwiftData 200 kit prior to that, without success. I have not used the other two kits, but include them for completeness, and add what little insight I can, based on product photos. Note: In early August 2006, Apple introduced the Intel-based MacPro The PowerMac G5 Quad (and its dual-core siblings) pull air through the front of the machine past the CPUs, then out the rear of the machine. Installing one of these kits blocks that airflow path to a degree determined by the design of the kit, and the number of drives installed. The Sonnet kit allows some airflow between the drives, as does the Trans Intl kit. The MaxConnect kit appears to do so also (judging by the pictures). The WiebeTech kit appears to block airflow between the drives. (judging by the pictures). Mounting three drives with any of these kits is going to raise the CPU temperatures of your G5 by 10-15 degrees [see interesting IBM white paper on the G5 design]. I installed 3 Maxtor 7V300F0 SATA II drives [see review], whose specifications indicate impressively low power consumption of 6.7 watts at idle. The free Temperature Monitor can be used to check the CPU temperatures. I found that my readings using the Sonnet kit agree closely with those stated in amug.org’s review of the MaxConnect kit. However, there is little, if any noticeable difference in the fan noise emitted by the Quad, which is as quiet a desktop machine as you’ll find anywhere, excepting custom-made fanless machines. Under heavy load (400% CPU usage = 100% usage of all 4 cores, and with 220MB/sec continuous drive access) at about 75 degrees ambient air temperature, the CPU temperatures rise as high as 151° F from about 110°F, and the liquid-cooled Quad’s fans do ramp up substantially, but those temps are still well within the specifications for the 970FX chip, which seems to indicate that temperatures up to 105°C are acceptable.
Although the CPUs do become warmer (almost instantly), their temperatures remains stable over the 10 minutes, and drop rapidly back towards their initial temperatures—a testament to the effectiveness of the Quad’s liquid cooling system. Also, although the drives went from idle to heavy use, their temperature actually dropped significantly due to the increased airflow caused by the G5 fans pulling more air past them. It is probably best to avoid high-wattage drives. However, current SATA drives are quite power efficient, and are unlikely to be a problem. Even the extreme performance 10,000rpm Western Digital WD1500ADFD “Raptor” consumes only 9.2 watts at idle. Three of them would add an additional heat load of 27.6 watts at idle, as compared with 20.1 watts for three of the Maxtor 7V300F0 (6.7 watts). Those extra 7.5 watts are unlikely to affect the CPU temperatures much, since airflow is likely the main issue affecting CPU temperature—but I don’t know for sure. The Kits Sonnet Technology G5 Jive This is the unit I recommend. Sound mechanical construction, a nice sleeved power-splicing cable, accurate and well-reproduced instructions, and a good fit into the G5 case. MaxConnect CPU Bay Disk Drive Mounting Assembly I have not tried this unit, but amug.org has a nice review of it. Based on the pictures in the amug review, my concern would be mechanical rigidity of the mounted drives, because the drive mounting brackets appear to screw in on one side only, and I can’t see (from the pictures) whether there is a rigid connection between the brackets, which would prevent “jiggling” due to vibration. WiebeTech G5Jam Express My concern with this kit (which I haven't used) is that it accepts only 2 drives, and the pictures suggest that it completely blocks the airflow past them, thus potentially causing the drives to run hotter, as well as impeding the airflow to the CPUs. Without actually installing the kit, it’s hard to say if this concern is justified. Trans Intl Swift Data 200 I tried the Swift Data 200 with a mechanically competent friend (someone comfortable with disassembling digital cameras for example), and we found multiple issues. We double and triple-checked that the kit I was sent was the correct one for my PowerMac G5 Quad. The invoice and product box matched what I had ordered. I verified that my order was appropriate for the PowerMac G5/dual core machines (eg Quad). Perhaps I was sent the wrong kit; even so the other issues preclude any serious consideration. Here are the issues we found, after spending nearly two hours muddling through things:
I have no reservations about using an internal drive kit with three SATA drives having reasonable power consumption (<10 watts each). The Sonnet Technology G5 Jive kit is nicely designed and reasonably priced. The MaxConnect CPU Bay Disk Drive Mounting Assembly and WiebeTech G5Jam Express kits might also be good options, but I have not tried them. The Trans Intl Swift Data 200 was a nightmare.
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