Power Macintosh G4 Q&A - Updated April 12, 2010

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How do you replace or upgrade the hard drive in the Power Mac G4 models? How many hard drives of what type are supported? Which models support 'big drives'?

Like upgrading everything else in the Power Mac G4 models, upgrading the hard drive is quick and straightforward. Information regarding the internal hard drive interface and number of drive bays is provided on the specs page for each system, but also is provided in a chart below.

Early Power Macintosh G4 systems use Ultra ATA/33 or Ultra ATA/66 drives and later ones use Ultra ATA/66 and Ultra ATA/100 drives, but since the Ultra ATA standard is backwards compatible -- an Ultra ATA/100 drive also works in an Ultra ATA/33 or Ultra ATA/66 equipped Mac, just at the slower speed -- and it could prove to be challenging to track down a pre-Ultra ATA/100 drive, the shortest answer to the drive type question is essentially 'Ultra ATA/100'.

On the original bus -- without installing a third-party controller PCI card -- all pre 'Mirrored Drive Doors' models can support two drives and the 'Mirrored Drive Doors' and 'Firewire 800' models can support four. By installing a PCI card, all of the available 3.5' drive bays can be occupied by hard drives and additional types of hard drives -- SCSI or SATA, for example -- can be installed as well.

Officially, Apple says that the Power Macintosh G4 'Mirrored Drive Doors' models as well as 'any other model introduced after June 2002' can support 'big drives' (128 GB and larger). Although this means that only the 'Mirrored Drive Doors' and 'Firewire 800' lines formally support 128 GB and larger drives, readers have discovered that the 'Quicksilver' and 'Quicksilver 2002' models also support 128 GB and larger drives when booting MacOS X 10.2 or higher.

Pre-Quicksilver models -- or pre-Mirrored Drive Doors models booting MacOS 9 -- typically need a third-party driver, such as those from Intech or GenThree (no longer online) to use hard drives larger than 128 GB. A modern third-party controller card also will allow one to get around the limitation, and hacks are possible as well. For the Mirrored Drive Doors models, Apple reports that these can recognize a 200 GB partition when booting MacOS 9 if it was formatted with MacOS X 10.2 or later.

Technical details, as well as direct links to PDF installation instructions from Apple -- replacing the original drive -- and video installation instructions from site sponsor Other World Computing -- sometimes installing a controller card and another drive in lieu of internal drive replacement -- follow:

* An Ultra ATA/100 drive also works in an Ultra ATA/66 or Ultra ATA/33 equipped Mac, just at a slower speed.

† These models have four internal 3.5' drive bays -- two Ultra ATA/66 and two Ultra ATA/100 -- intended for hard drives and two external 5.25' drive bays intended for optical drives. For complete details regarding drive bays in all models, please refer to the applicable specs page for the model of interest.

This video from Other World Computing is for the 'Mirrored Drive Doors/Firewire 800' models:

Additionally, OWC has hard drive upgrade videos for the 'AGP Graphics/Gigabit Ethernet' and 'Quicksilver/Quicksilver 2002' models.

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As well as helpful upgrade videos, as you would expect, OWC has hard drives for sale compatible with every Power Macintosh G4 model. Site sponsor Operator Headgap Systems also has hard drives available.

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USB port types and names

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard for connecting computers and other devices. It's available with many types of ports, and each type has a unique shape. On Mac computers, USB is available with these ports, depending on your Mac model:

USB-A

Type USB-A ports are commonly called USB, USB 2, or USB 3 ports, depending on the USB specification they support. They aren't reversible, so a USB-A connector plugs into the port only when oriented correctly.

USB-C

Type USB-C ports are available as either standard USB-C ports or Thunderbolt 3 ports that also support USB-C connections. They both look the same, and the connector plugs into the port in either orientation.

Learn more about identifying the ports on your Mac, as well as the adapters and cables you can use to connect older devices to type USB-C ports.

USB specifications

USB specifications are important primarily when you want the most speed and power for your USB device, or your device needs more power or is using too much power. Every USB port supports a particular USB specification, which determines the port's maximum>USB specifications on MacData transferPowerUSB 3.1 Gen 2
Also known as USB 3.2 Gen 2
Up to 10 GbpsUp to 15W at 5VUSB 3.1 Gen 1
Also known as USB 3.2 Gen 1 or USB 3
Up to 5 GbpsUp to 900 mA at 5VUSB 2.0
Up to 480 MbpsUp to 500 mA at 5VUSB 1.1
Up to 12 MbpsUp to 500 mA at 5V

To learn which specification is supported by a type USB-A or type USB-C port on your Mac model:

• Choose Apple menu  > About This Mac, click Support, then click Specifications.
• Check the System Information app for more details, including about USB devices connected to USB ports on your Mac. Select USB in the sidebar, then select a USB bus on the right.

Get the best performance from your USB devices

USB specifications all work with each other, but speed and power are limited by the cable or device that uses the earliest specification. For example, if you connect a USB 3 device to USB 2 port, your device is limited to USB 2 speeds, and it can't draw more power from the port than can be delivered over USB 2. In other words, to get the best performance, make sure that the USB port on your Mac and the USB cable to your device meet or exceed the USB specification of the device itself.

If your Mac doesn't recognize a USB device after you plug it into your Mac:

• Check all connections: Unplug the device from your Mac, then plug it back in, and make sure that all cables and adapters are securely connected at both ends. Test with another cable or adapter, if available.
• Plug the device directly into your Mac instead of a USB hub or other device, and if necessary test with a different USB port on your Mac or device.
• Some devices need their own software, such as drivers or firmware. Others work without additional software. Check with the maker of your device, and install all available Apple software updates as well.
• If your device came with an AC power adapter, use it. Some devices can be powered by the USB port on your Mac. Others need more power than your Mac can provide.
• Restart your Mac.

Learn more

• USB 3 devices can create wireless interference that affects Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. Learn how to resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference.
• Mac notebook computers with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 can charge over that port using a compatible USB-C power adapter and cable.