Power Mac G4 MDD Hard Drives Replacement

The Power Mac G4 MDD: the last, and the fastest G4-based Mac. This computer boasted up to a Dual 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 CPU (though I have a single 1.25GHz).

Two USB 1.1 Ports

Assorted Audio

Video (ADC & DVI)

Networking (RJ-45 Ethernet/56k Modem)

Some later model MDD's (such as the dual 1.42GHz) Have a FireWire 800 Port Here:

Unplug the computer.

Unplug the power supply and all external connections from the computer.

Pull on the side lever and lower the side of the case.

The hard drive cages are located here.

Cage 1

Start by removing this screw.

Remove the ATA-66/ IDE ribbon cable from the motherboard.

Now, remove the power connection from the drives.

Push this tab down, and pull the cage toward you.

Now, you can set cage 1 aside.

Cage 2:

Remove this Phillips screw:

Disconnect this IDE ribbon cable from the logic board.

It's likely that there is a cable clip holding the ribbon cable to the case.

To remove it, push the end, and it should pop up.

With the ribbon cable clip free, pull this tab towards you, slide the cage up until it hits the platform under the power supply, and pull it away.

Now, set the cage on top of the CPU, and remove the power connectors.

Once the cables are free, set the drive cage aside.

To remove the hard drives from the cages, remove the four screws on the sides of the cage that are connected to the drives, then slide the drives out.

The two cages are cross compatible and can be put in either location.

The MDD does not have a 128GB drive limit like older Macs. My MDD has 3 drives (a 400GB Hitatchi Deskstar, 40GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7, and a 30GB Quantum Fireball LCT).

Note the ID jumpers on the two drive set. One is set to Master, the other to slave. A single drive can be set to Cable Select.