OWC Black Friday 2011 Discounts - IDE 2.5" SSDs & Batteries

[JDW]

Last night I commented on OWC's blog about their Black Friday 2011 specials. I was inspired to make a comment because I recently acquired a couple PowerBook G3 Wallstreets and have considered upgrading the hard drive to an SSD, and of course I've been mulling battery replacements. (I've even considered putting an SSD in my SE/30 too, although that would require either a SCSI drive or an IDE to SCSI adapter.) Anyway, I noticed that OWC had posted special discounts on all their SATA SSDs this week, but they didn't have discounts on their "Legacy" IDE/ATA edition SSDs that are for vintage Macs. So I asked if OWC might consider spreading the love to some of their vintage Mac model products too. Today, Grant at OWC kindly replied that he would take my words under consideration.

So as to not let this chance die (for truly, I am only one man asking about further discounts), I wanted to post here to encourage those of you interested to reply in kind. Specifically, if you've ever pondered putting a true SSD, not just a CF card, in your vintage Mac, now is the time to seek out a discount and do it! OWC has some of the fastest SSDs out there, and they claim the speed of their SSDs don't decline over time (which cannot be said of a CF card flash drive solution). I would therefore strongly encourage you reading this to post a comment on OWC's blog if you would be encouraged to buy an OWC SSD if they offered a good enough discount on them.

Here's the Black Friday Blog (you can see my comments as "James Wages"):

http://blog.macsales.com/12693-holiday-deals-from-owc/comment-page-1#comment-49219

And here are the 3 product pages I mentioned in my comment on the OWC blog...

40GB Legacy 2.5" SSD:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDMLP040/

PB G3 Wallstreet PRAM Battery:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/PRAMPBG3WS/

PB G3 Wallstreet Main Battery:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAPLLIWSRS/

And while pondering whether or not to post a comment there, keep in mind, "Ask and ye shall receive!"

Thanks!

 

[JDW]

I see that OWC has slightly modified the Legacy 40GB SSD page:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDMLP040/

But as you can see, there really isn't any discount at all. You are asked to purchase another item (which you don't really need at all), and then they will give you a "discount." But since you don't need that other item, your end price is the same.

I've also checked the blog and haven't found any other comments. Gentlemen, please post some comments here!:

http://blog.macsales.com/12693-holiday-deals-from-owc/comment-page-1#comment-49219

If you don't ask, you don't receive!

 

[JDW]

Well, despite the apathy I am getting in this thread (or perhaps all of you PowerBook owners out there are on vacation now?), I have added another more detailed comment to OWC's blog, in hopes of reasoning with them to bring the prices down for us:

http://blog.macsales.com/12693-holiday-deals-from-owc/comment-page-1#comment-49348

But I strongly encourage those of you reading this to please consider adding some words of your own to that blog. It only takes seconds, but it would drive the point home that some of us would benefit from lower SSD pricing. And again, if you look on the OWC website, you'll see that their SATA edition SSDs are priced lower than their IDE/ATA Legacy SSDs. That wasn't always true. They lowered the SATA prices. The problem is, they didn't lower the IDE/ATA SSD prices! They may have their reasons for it, but I like to influence others to do the right thing if possible. So please hop on over to OWC's blog and add some words of support for lower "Legacy" SSD pricing. One of these in your older Macs would not only be a boon to performance, but also reduce heat, extend life, reduce weight, and reduce power consumption as well!

Thanks.

 

[theos911]

I posted a comment.

And, it is true, I've yet to have anyone have me replace their HDD with an OWC SSD and be unhappy with it.

 

[JDW]

Thank you for the solidarity, theos911. I assume you posted the comment as "Alex" on OWC's blog. I submitted my second post after yours, but it continues to "await moderation." Whether or not OWC will approve my comment will depend on their willingness to either publicly debate me on the subject or proceed in discounting their Legacy edition SSDs on par with the pricing of their SATA editions. But if OWC chooses the path of apathy or fear toward my remarks, then they most likely will simply not approve the comment for display.

I did try my best to exhibit tact and logic in my second post on their blog, explaining that it is rather confusing to the end consumer as to why a 60GB SATA version would cost substantially less ($119) than a 40GB IDE/ATA version ($149) for legacy Macs. And I was honest again about the fact that if they reduce the price enough (I didn't mention exact numbers) that I would be inclined to buy not only one, but two or three. For truly, I have more than one vintage Mac. That holds true for most of us here, despite the fact that out of all of our members here, only you and I have surmounted apathy and taken the few seconds required to post a comment on OWCs "holiday discount" blog.

For those of you who still haven't posted anything on OWC's blog yet, you still have a chance to express solidarity on the issue and bring benefits to others in our vintage Mac community. Post your support of lower "Legacy" SSD prices here:

http://blog.macsales.com/

http://blog.macsales.com/12693-holiday-deals-from-owc

And remember, if you don't receive, it's because you don't ask! Please ask!

 

[theos911]

I assume you posted the comment as "Alex" on OWC's blog.

Nope, posted as Theodore. Still awaiting moderation...

My post is a good bit longer than Alex and includes positive reviews from my customers who I have recommended OWC SSDs to. As I wrote, no one has ever said to me later, "I wish I had gone with a platter HDD."

 

[theos911]

The approved comments have flooded in!

I guess they aren't afraid of your logic after all. } I definitely like the idea of the disk tools being included in the sale.

 

[JDW]

Yes indeed, Theos. I was looking at the OWC blog just now, same as you.

I am pleased to announce that OWC has discounted the 40GB Legacy SSD I've eyeing:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDMXLE040/

Prior to our blog posts, that 40GB SSD was locked at $149. It is now $128. That's $21 off! Thank you OWC for listening! And a special thanks to those of you who did the right thing and posted your comments on the OWC blog. "Ask and ye shall receive" rings true indeed.

They also have a 3.5" drive bracket adapter "special offer" that is valid through 2012 (useful if you wish to put the 2.5" SSD in a desktop Mac, although you would need an IDE-to-SCSI adapter in most cases):

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSD2535BKT/

You will need this driver to get the most out of the OWC SSDs (or any SSD for that matter) when used on OS 9 or earlier OS's...

Intech HD Speed Tools:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Intech%20Software/STCDHD/

Other items that may be of interest to you PowerBook Wallstreet owners (which unfortunately are not currently discounted)...

Wallstreet main batteries:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAPLLIWSRS/

Wallstreet PRAM batteries:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/PRAMPBG3WS/

External USB & Firewire 2/5" hard drive enclosure for IDE notebook drives (you'll need a PC card interface for your Wallstreet in order to use it though):

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Macally/PHR250CC/

Happy Holidays!

UPDATE...

Grant at OWC just wrote me a personal email explaining why the "Legacy" IDE/ATA SSDs cost more than their SATA cousins:

The cost differential comes down to the legacy 2.5" models needing to actually be 1.8" drives (smaller profiler, higher density (more expensive) flash, and from the 1.8" base we then have to add (more cost) the SATA to IDE/ATA 2.5" adapter housing. It's no cheapie to say the least, so pricing is reflective of this aspect.

Grant also mentioned that they have MacBooks on special (keeping in mind these are not PPC though):

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/MB402LLAB/

 

[JDW]

IMPORTANT! I made a big goof on one of the URLs in my previous post. I sure do wish we had a 24 hour timer to Edit posts. Or even better, the ability to Edit our posts until some else has posted after us! But anyway...

The IDE/ATA 40GB Legacy SSD is actually on special for $135. Previously it was $149. So you save $14. Here it is:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDMLP040/

(So please don't mistakenly buy the 40GB SSD I linked for you in my previous post, because that version is SATA.)

Grant at OWC also sent me an email about their Drive Genius special, normally $99 but for now $29 until Tuesday this week (the 29th):

http://list.macsales.com/link.php?M=696821&N=1158&L=3494&F=T

(Keep in mind though that Drive Genius is only for use on your newer Intel Macs.)

 

[theos911]

Sadly, those are still out of my price range. (And really only coming close to entering in at the sub $100 realm.)

I've actually wanted to get one of these, if not just for the coolness factor.

http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=XPKIT&Category_Code=CLRNCHD&Product_Count=3

. That is one monster PRAM battery... and I do need a new one.

I've seen those NuPower batteries before. Apparently they provide some insane battery life. (Like 4 hours with one battery!)

A G4 500 would also be awesome : (Not that I'll ever find one.)

 

[JDW]

Theos, thanks for mentioning that Expansion Bay Hard Drive Kit. I'd seen it in the past but forgot about it. I am now wondering if that would not be a better solution to clone my internet drive to the new SSD, versus using an external Firewire enclosure.

I therefore have the following two questions (directed to any of you reading this who knows the answer):

1) Will this Expansion Bay Hard Drive Kit give me faster data throughput than if I were to attach a FW400 external HD to my Wallstreet (via Firewire PC card)?

2) Why does that Expansion Bay Hard Drive kit product page say it is incompatible with Apple's stock 8GB hard drive "in some configurations"?

Regarding the OWC Legacy IDE SSDs, I too have waited a long time for them to drop to sub-$100 prices. But it looks like that won't happen for at least another year, probably even a year and a half. But my worry is that OWC may stop selling them altogether at some point. Then we'd be totally out of luck.

 

[theos911]

1. Id' think so, though I'm no firewire expert. I just like the idea of easily booting from one and having your other drive to clone right there and handy. With these old machines, I've learned to go with stable, compatible, and easy to use over getting a bit better speed. Besides, does it really matter if one slightly annoying or not very reliable method takes x amount of time but the other takes x + half hour while being easy to use, set it and forget it?

Also, the coolest thing about the WS is the expansion bays. I say use them!

2. The older drive is likely incompatible due to its height. Those older drives are taller. I'm basing that on:

Got a 2.5" IDE hard drive (12.7mm in height or less) just laying around after you upgraded your PowerBook's internal hard drive? Turn it into an expansion bay hard drive!

The wording is funny since you can't actually use the old HDD after upgrading, but eh, it's marketing. )

 

[JDW]

Theos, here is some additional info I've found on the MCE expansion bay product...

MCE Expansion Bay Kit for 2.5" Drives, for Wallstreets ($69+shipping):

http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=XPKIT&Category_Code=STORHDLTPB&Product_Count=5

http://www.mcetech.com/manuals/xpebhd98v2kit_ig-ss.pdf

Sold for only $40 (+shipping) by L.A. Computer Company right now:

http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type=sku&sku=26412

I asked both L.A. Computer and MCE about performance in an email yesterday, but neither company has given me the courtesy of a reply. I then Googled a bit more and found the following discussion thread. Open the page and then do a keyword search for "Multi-Word DMA" to jump to the right post there:

http://forums.macnn.com/69/mac-notebooks/60105/external-hd-vs-internal-hd/

Assuming that poster is correct and knows what he's talking about (sadly, I cannot confirm it), he indicates the Expansion Bay drive would not be as fast as the primary internal drive attached directly to the Wallstreet's IDE bus. But my original question remains, how fast is a Firewire external drive (assuming a fast drive mechanism, of course), in comparison to the main IDE connection and the Expansion Bay connection? And if there is a difference, is it a noticeable difference in speed?

Surely someone out there must know the answer to this basic question, but after much Googling I could not find the specifics on it. I therefore look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[theos911]

Ah, for $40 I am so close to buying one! I can't be of any help about the possible internal vs. bay speed differences.