Easily Convert SATA Hard Drives to IDE

Easily Convert SATA Hard Drives to IDE
A review of the Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter model ADSAIDE.
By Arthur Whalem
When I purchase a new hard drive these days it is usually an SATA drive as they are a little faster and
work in the PowerMac G5 and the iMac G5. In addition, SATA hard drives can be used in a PowerMac
G4 with an SATA PCI card. The SATA hard drive interface is the future, as such it is difficult for me to
justify buying more ATA (IDE) hard drives when I know their future use will probably be limited. However,
there are times when you need an ATA hard drive for older computers that do not support the SATA
interface. Addonics sells the SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter model ADSAIDE that allows the use of an
SATA hard drive when an ATA (IDE) interface is required. This review will explore possible Macintosh
uses for the Addonics SATA - IDE converter and examine how it performs.
Why would I want this?
If you have existing SATA drives that you would like to use with a Macintosh that only supports ATA (IDE)
hard drives this adapter will allow you to do so in a drive bay where you have 5/8" of additional clearance
behind the hard drive. While the converter supports large drives it does not provide large drive board
support for the PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet model. To do that you will need an SATA PCI card.
However, if you use the SATA - IDE converter with a PowerMac G4 MDD, eMac, or a Mac mini with an
IDE connector it will support SATA hard drives up to 500GB. In addition, most 5.25" FireWire enclosures
have enough clearance so that the Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter (ADSAIDE) can convert an
SATA hard drive to work inside an IDE-> FireWire enclosure. The Addonics SATA - IDE converter
suddenly provides several new install options for SATA hard drive owners.
SATA Performance Test
Versus
The PowerMac G5 uses standard SATA hard drives and therefore does not need the Addonics SATA IDE converter, but a stock Mac mini does not have SATA connections. In order to see how the Addonics
SATA - IDE converter might perform, a Maxtor 300GB SATA hard drive was installed in a PowerMac G5
2.0GHz and tested with Drive Genius 1.15. Next, the AMUG Mac mini Centris Drive Dock which uses a
2.5"->3.5" IDE adapter to support 3.5" IDE hard drives was also fitted with the Addonics SATA - IDE
converter to support SATA connections. The same Maxtor 300GB SATA hard drive was mounted on the
Mac mini using the converters and it was also tested using Drive Genius 1.15. You would expect the
Addonics SATA - IDE converter interface to cause the Maxtor 300GB SATA hard drive to perform a tiny
bit slower. In addition, you might expect the Mac mini slower CPU to cause the Maxtor 300GB SATA
performance to be considerably slower than when used with a PowerMac G5. In fact, this test was
originally a joke because the two computers are so unevenly matched in cost and CPU power. However,
when I saw the SATA hard drive performance results comparing the two setups I was very surprised. The
results are listed in the graphs below. The Green lines demonstrate the Maxtor 300GB SATA
performance while mounted in a PowerMac G5 2.0GHz with 3GB of memory. The Blue lines show the
performance of the same Maxtor 300GB SATA hard drive while connected to a Mac mini 1.42GHz with
512MB of memory using the 2.5"->3.5" IDE adapter and the Addonics SATA - IDE converter to support
SATA connections.
Sustained Read
Green = Maxtor 300GB SATA in PowerMac G5. Blue = Maxtor 300GB SATA using Mac mini.
In the Sustained Read test the Maxtor 300GB SATA performed slightly better in the PowerMac G5
2.0GHz but not by as much as I would have expected.
Sustained Write
Green = Maxtor 300GB SATA in PowerMac G5. Blue = Maxtor 300GB SATA using Mac mini.
In the Sustained Write test above the Maxtor 300GB SATA performed a little faster in the smaller file
sizes but was very close to the Mac mini performance in most of the rest of the test.
Random Read
Green = Maxtor 300GB SATA in PowerMac G5. Blue = Maxtor 300GB SATA using Mac mini.
In the Random Read test the PowerMac G5 edged out the Mac mini SATA hard drive performance by a
little bit.
Random Write
Green = Maxtor 300GB SATA in PowerMac G5. Blue = Maxtor 300GB SATA using Mac mini.
In the Random Write test above the Maxtor 300GB SATA mounted on the Mac mini 1.42GHz was actually
able to outperform the PowerMac G5 2.0GHz in the 64k, 128k, and 8M file sizes while the PowerMac G5
performed better in the rest of the test. The performance of the Mac mini using the 2.5"->3.5" IDE adapter
and the Addonics SATA - IDE converter is awesome. Can you imagine if Apple released a Mac mini with
3.5" SATA hard drive support? These graphs show that it would be a great performer. While the Mac mini
CPU is much slower than the PowerMac G5 dual processors, if both computers have a Maxtor 300GB
SATA installed you will probably only notice the difference when compressing video. From these tests, it
appears that very little if any performance is lost by using the Addonics SATA - IDE converter. If you can
get this kind of performance from a Mac mini, a PowerMac G4 MDD may perform even better with this
type of test.
Where can I use the Addonics SATA to IDE converter?
The Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter (ADSAIDE) requires an extra 5/8" of space behind your
SATA hard drive. As you can see from the image below the adapter plugs into the SATA port on the hard
drive and a "Y" power cable provides power for the drive and the adapter. The back end of the converter
plugs into a 40 pin IDE cable.
PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet (Introduced July 2000)+
The Addonics SATA - IDE converter was mounted in a
PowerMac G4 500 gigabit ethernet model. In this model you
can use the SATA converter in the two bays to the left of the
main drive bay (which is located on the bottom right side) and
also in the bottom main drive bay. The top main drive bay does
not work with the Addonics SATA - IDE converter as there is
not enough clearance to shut the door once the adapter is
installed on a hard drive in this bay. The center tray is the
easiest fit. The only problem I found with using the SATA - IDE
converter with the PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet model is that
the converter cannot provide board level support for hard
drives over 128GB. As this is the case, it may be better to
install an SATA PCI card instead of the SATA - IDE converter
in the PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet model, so that you can
use hard drives up to 500GB instead of being limited to 128GB
hard drive sizes. The converter works with this model but most
users are not going to like it when they initialize a 300GB drive
in a Pre-MDD PowerMac G4 model and discover that it only
displays 128GB of available space.
PowerMac G4 Mirrored Drive Doors & FW800 (Aug. 2002 & Jan. 2003)
If you do not already have an SATA PCI card in your PowerMac G4 MDD or FireWire 800 model you may
find the Addonics SATA - IDE converter v ery useful as it will allow you to mount SATA hard drives in your
computer. Just plug the converter into the IDE cable and then connect it to your SATA hard drive. You
can use your existing IDE cables with the converter for an easy install. As the PowerMac G4 MDD logic
board provides large drive support the Addonics SATA - IDE converter will support hard drives up to
500GB in size.
The Addonics SATA - IDE converter can be a tight fit in the
front drive bay of the PowerMac G4 FW800 model but the rear drive bay has plenty of room for the
Addonics SATA - IDE converter. The rear drive bay also has an ATA/100 bus which will allow the SATA
hard drive to perform better than when used in the front ATA/66 drive bay. You could also consider
purchasing an SATA PCI card instead, if you want to mount several SATA drives with your PowerMac G4
MDD or higher.
Mac mini (Introduced January 2005)
While the stock Mac mini does not have a standard 3.5" IDE connector, Adam Eberbach
(aeberbach@hotmail.com) produces an $18 IDE adapter that converts the Mac mini 2.5"
IDE port into a 3.5" IDE port. I have been using the adapter for five months now and it
works great. If you install a 2.5"->3.5" IDE adapter into the Mac mini 2.5" hard drive
connector you can attach an ATA/133 cable to it and then an Addonics SATA - IDE
converter can be placed on the other end of the cable. These connectors allow you to use an SATA hard
drive with the Mac mini. In the AMUG Mac mini Centris drive dock image shown below (with the top off),
you can see the Addonics SATA - IDE converter circled in red. The Mac mini Centris drive dock allows
the Mac mini to use a 3.5" hard drive and a 5.25" optical drive. In the image below a Maxtor 300GB SATA
hard drive is installed along with a Pioneer 109 DVD/CD burner. The Mac mini is installed in the bottom
right side of the image.
The 2.5"->3.5" IDE adapter allows the Mac mini to perform much faster than Apple ever designed it to. If
you are interested in obtaining a 2.5" to 3.5" IDE adapter contact Adam Eberbach at
aeberbach@hotmail.com. The IDE adapter is $18 + $6 shipping (outside Australia) or $2 shipping (inside
Australia). If someone wants two or three units they are still $18 each, with only one shipping charge. This
single shipping charge applies to up to 100 units. Use the subject line "IDE ADAPTER" when emailing
Adam so that he can separate your queries from spam. Using the Addonics SATA - IDE converter with
the 2.5" to 3.5" IDE adapter turns the Mac mini computer into a great performing SATA power house. If
you use the adapter to create a faster Mac mini and want to
share your setup with others send a note containing your
experiences to sales@amug.org
External Enclosures
Another way you can use the Addonics SATA - IDE converter is with external FireWire enclosures that
have room for the adapter on the back of the SATA hard drive. I have a Plumax Stortecc PM-525F2
FireWire 400 enclosure that is shown in the image to the right. I simply took off the top four screws and
removed the top cover. Next, I placed the Addonics SATA IDE on the IDE cable inside the enclosure, connected the 4
pin molex connector and attached the Maxtor 300GB SATA
hard drive to the converter. I closed the enclosure and
plugged it into the PowerMac G5 and it mounted the Maxtor
300GB SATA hard drive over FireWire 400, just as if I had
placed an ATA (IDE) hard drive in the enclosure instead.
This is a 5.25" enclosure with lots of room and works well for
this purpose, but some of the smaller 3.5" FireWire
enclosures may not have the extra room necessary for the
converter. You can try the Addonics SATA - IDE converter with enclosures you already own and see if
they will work. My best guess is that the SATA converter will work in 99% of all 5.25" enclosures and
about 30% of 3.5" enclosures.
Discussion
SATA hard drives are great performers and are used in most high quality new computer models. The
Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter model ADSAIDE allows computer users to expand the usage of
SATA hard drives to connections that were previously limited to ATA (IDE) devices. The Addonics SATA IDE converter now has a new list price of only $24.95. It is a great tool to have on hand for expanding
your SATA hard drive usage. During this review the SATA - IDE converter provided excellent
performance. It allowed a Mac mini and a PowerMac G5 with the same Maxtor 300GB SATA hard drive
mounted, to have very similar hard drive performance characteristics. Having the ability to use an SATA
hard drive with an IDE interface can be a very useful option.
Pros
Converts any SATA hard drive to an ATA (IDE) interface.
Expands how an SATA hard drive can be utilized.
Bootable.
Supports SATA drives up to 500GB.
Master slave designation for ATA settings.
Simple Plug and Play with No drivers required.
Serial ATA 1.0 compliant.
Supports ATA 33/66/100/133.
Supports Spread Spectrum in receiver.
Works with the 2.5" to 3.5" IDE adapter.
Works with Mac, Linux, Windows.
Very small size.
Low cost.
Cons
PowerMac G4 Gigabit model will still be limited to 128GB volumes.
Requires 5/8" clearance behind the SATA drive.
The $24.95 could be used toward an SATA PCI card in a PowerMac G4.
Addonics SATA to IDE gets 5 AMUGs out of 5!
The Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI Converter model ADSAIDE is a great tool for any SATA hard drive
owner to have. If you want to use your SATA hard drive with an ATA (IDE) connection this tiny converter
makes it possible in a matter of seconds. The expanded usage of SATA hard drives provided by the
Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI converter is awesome. This converter allows devices that were never
designed to work with an SATA hard drive with the ability to do so. With an Addonics SATA - IDE/ATAPI
converter in hand, it is hard to find a reason to ever buy another ATA (IDE) hard drive.
Contact Information:
Addonics Technologies
22466 Kruse Drive,
San Jose, CA 95131
Phone: 408-433-3899
techinfo@addonics.com
http://www.addonics.com/
Copyright 2005
Arizona Macintosh Users Group, Inc. (AMUG)
Visit AMUG at www.amug.org for computer news, and resources.
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October 10, 2005