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 very 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 ([email protected]) 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 fiv e 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] http://www.addonics.com/ Copyright 2005 Arizona Macintosh Users Group, Inc. (AMUG) Visit AMUG at www.amug.org for computer news, and resources. JOIN AMUG! - October 10, 2005