I need a replacement hard drive for a G3 iBook.

November 8, 2004 10:51 PM

iBookFilter: I need a replacement hard drive for a G3 iBook.

It doesn't need to be big (40-60 GB will do quite well) but it does need to be reliable, well-warrantied and reasonably priced -- if I'm going to have to drop $300 for the thing, I may as well just buy a refurbished one for $529 and sell the shell that I've got.

Local sources are not equipped to meet my needs. (Though I have yet to check the local Apple Mini-Store, I don't know that I want to pay Apple Store prices, to be dead honest.) Searching online turns up a lot of junk and doesn't lead a clear path. Does anyone have any recommended sources for the beast which I seek?

posted by Dreama to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

you can get a 40gb with 8mb buffer for less than $80. 40gb/16mb for less than $100. I happen to prefer toshiba drives.

(in fact I recently replaced the drive in a g3 powerbook with just such a beast. just about any drive 9.5mm or less in height will work)

try newegg or zipzoomfly.
posted by dorian at 11:06 PM on November 8, 2004

Best answer: G3 ibooks include both clamshell and the next generation white ones. I replaced the Toshiba 3GB HD in my original 1999 series clamshell with a much quieter and more reliable 30GB IBM Travelstar from Other World Computing. I've gotten other stuff from them as well. They are reliable and inexpensive.
posted by planetkyoto at 11:22 PM on November 8, 2004

40gb/16 mb cache would give you a very real world performance increase. After this, think about another stick of ram if you have less than 512mb.
posted by Keyser Soze at 1:19 AM on November 9, 2004

Find the current model Hitachi Travelstar (IBM sold the drive business to Hitachi a couple of years back) at your price point. It will be faster and more reliable than whatever you have now. Do not buy any other laptop hard drive but IBM/Hitachi. Don't worry about cache: 8M is standard for laptop drives, and it's far more about caching algorithm than cache size, and this is where IBM/Hitachi shines.

NewEgg's selection of these seems to be pretty poor. Try a local shop first, then poke around online.
posted by majick at 5:17 AM on November 9, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, I knew there had to be something better than the $200+ things I was finding from no-name companies.
posted by Dreama at 7:24 AM on November 9, 2004

I'm interested in doing this too - this may be a stupid question, but do the hard drives come with instructions for installation? If not, could someone please point me to a good source of info online?
posted by rorycberger at 10:42 AM on November 9, 2004

Ooh, one more thought - if I replace the 20 GB drive in my white G3 iBook, can i swap it into my old clamshell iBook? That would seriously rock if I could upgrade both at once for under $100.
posted by rorycberger at 10:45 AM on November 9, 2004

Rorycberger, they don't come with instructions but you should be able to find some good info on Apple's site. I printed out copies of the instructions before changing my drives out. And now its fast and easy!

And yes, I do think you should be able to do the double upgrade.

I also second the Hitachi Travelstar drives. I got one that wasn't a Travelstar and it is the loudest drive I've ever heard! I never use it because it sounds like a plane taking off. But my Travelstar drives are excellent!
posted by fenriq at 2:06 PM on November 9, 2004