Compusa: Maxtor 160 Gig HD $80, perfect for PS2/HDLoader - in store only?

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kev

kev

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I know the Hdloader only reads up to 120 gigs but this drive is cheaper than any 120 gig I've found on pricewatch.

160 gigs, 7200 RPM,8 MB cache (yay!) = $80.

There's no rebate, just $80 out the door. This will work in a PS2 according to http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/?p=list.

From what I can tell this is NOT offered online as I looked everywhere. I don't know if any other stores will price match this either but I'm going to check at Best Buy when I go today since it's closer than CompUSA.
 
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Awsome. I know my Circuit City doesn't have Maxtor drives, but Staples and Best Buy do. Does Staples pricematch?
 
[quote name='kev']I know the Hdloader only reads up to 120 gigs but this drive is cheaper than any 120 gig I've found on pricewatch.

160 gigs, 7200 RPM,8 MB cache (yay!) = $80.

There's no rebate, just $80 out the door. This will work in a PS2 according to http://ps2drives.x-pec.com/?p=list.

From what I can tell this is NOT offered online as I looked everywhere. I don't know if any other stores will price match this either but I'm going to check at Best Buy when I go today since it's closer than CompUSA.[/quote]

the model # does not match the one on the ps2 hard drive site..
 
The 250 gig model of the L01P line (which is the one in the ad) is listed on the site as working/fitting.

If the 160 of the other model fits and the 250 of this model fit, and every other Maxtor has worked so far, we should be fine. Thanks for pointing that out though.

I'm buying one today regardless. If it doesn't work in my PS2 it is a great PC drive.
 
Aw crap - just last night I placed an order for a Maxtor 120gb drive after doing my research on PS2 compatability. I ran across that same site Kev. However, now this deal pops up, and I basically paid $10 more for 40gigs less -arg. What's worse is I have the same 120gb Maxtor in my PC already that I could of used for the PS2 and replaced it with this 160gb.
 
HYDE if you just ordered last night then it obviously wasn't sent out yet so you can call early tomorrow morning and have them cancel the order, as easy as that.
 
How long is this sale good for? We don't have a CompUSA here in town, but there's one just north of here where my inlaws live. I'll be going there next weekend - any chance it will still be good then?
 
Optimolife - the order is with newegg and is in step 2 - which means my order has been charged and there are no changes allowed. T'is ok. I may pick up the drive anyway given it's price.
 
[quote name='HYDE']Optimolife - the order is with newegg and is in step 2 - which means my order has been charged and there are no changes allowed. T'is ok. I may pick up the drive anyway given it's price.[/quote]

You might still be able to return it and have no restocking fee. Newegg has a great customer track record, maybe you should try calling them and see what they can do.
 
Kev, thanks for posting this BTW. I had been looking for a hard drive deal for my HDLoader coming later this week, so this was just in time and a GREAT deal at that. thanks again!!!!
 
I went to staples and pricematched. The guy there didn't give me the 10% extra off, but I didn't complain. Saved me a half hour trip to the nearest CompUSA.

The guy at Staples was freakign out, he also kept the printout I had, I think he was going to buy one later.
 
I didn't get the 110% either (I think you get that when you buy it at full and then the price drops) but at 50 cents a gig for a really fast drive I can't complain.

Now I just have to wait for my HDloader to arrive. The only reason I don't use my PS2 is that the load times annoy me, I look forward to helping that.
 
[quote name='argyle']How long is this sale good for? We don't have a CompUSA here in town, but there's one just north of here where my inlaws live. I'll be going there next weekend - any chance it will still be good then?[/quote]

Ad is good until the end of the week (July 3), IIRC. Of course, the chances of any of them being left by then is pretty negligible. I had to hit two CompUSAs yesterday afternooon to find even one HDD...
 
if the hdloader thing only reads up to 120 gig drives...then why is this 160 gig one "perfect for hdloader"? am i missing something? :?
 
Because it fits/works/is fast/has a great cache/is cheaper than most 120s anyway.

You can't find the maxtor 120 gig for less than $76 shipped on Pricewatch unless you are willing to go with some less than reputable dealers.
 
[quote name='swetooth9']if the hdloader thing only reads up to 120 gig drives...then why is this 160 gig one "perfect for hdloader"? am i missing something? :?[/quote]

Actually, it only reads up to 137 gbs. Its like this for computers too. Windows XP only sees the first 137 gbs unless you download a patch, but since you cant dl anything for the ps2, you're stuck with 137 max.
 
Ooo...so the 160 gig drives actually WORK w/ the ps2, but you can only USE the first 120-137 gigs, right? did i get that right?
 
I'd actually reccommend a samsung drive, they're much quieter, faster, and cooler running than the maxtors. You can pick up an 80 gig SP0802N from newegg for $65.
 
[quote name='swetooth9']Ooo...so the 160 gig drives actually WORK w/ the ps2, but you can only USE the first 120-137 gigs, right? did i get that right?[/quote]

Exactly. The HDloader just sees it as 120 gigs.
 
Thanks for the deal. Kev can you verify that this model of 160 GB Maxtor hdd works with hdloader? It would be great if you can post on that site you linked also. Thanks.
 
are you able to delete games that you've loaded to the hard drive? like, if i loaded a game and didnt like it a month later, could i delete it so i had more space for another game?
 
[quote name='pinoy530']
Its like this for computers too. Windows XP only sees the first 137 gbs unless you download a patch, but since you cant dl anything for the ps2, you're stuck with 137 max.[/quote]

It has nothing to do with a patch. FAT16 and FAT32 (the 'classic' windows file systems) do not support LBA (Large Block Addressing). However, you don't need to download a patch, just format the drive NTFS (current windows file system).

As for the PS2, it is indeed a hardware limitation.

For what it's worth, HD Loader is beta quality right now. Lots of games are on the "do not work" list, including ALL DVD9 games (Xenosaga, Norrath, MGS2: Substance, the forthcoming GTA:SA etc).

I would seriously recommend waiting for HD Loader v2.
 
[quote name='yogi99']Thanks for the deal. Kev can you verify that this model of 160 GB Maxtor hdd works with hdloader? It would be great if you can post on that site you linked also. Thanks.[/quote]

As soon as my HDloader comes in the mail you bet :)
 
[quote name='swetooth9']are you able to delete games that you've loaded to the hard drive? like, if i loaded a game and didnt like it a month later, could i delete it so i had more space for another game?[/quote]


yea you can very simple gui....its great
 
Got my hdd at CompUSA for $79.99 + tax. Great deal. I'll try it with hdloader when I have a chance. Thanks Kev.
 
thanks for the tip kev, i got mine price matched at bb for 72.99+tax :D

now i just got to get the hdloader :(

will the hd loader have instructions to tell how to work w/ the harddrive or do u have to figure it out yourself or will it be w/ instructions in the harddrive?

im kind of a n00b to this technology stuff :lol:

any help would be GREATLY APPECIATED :D ;)
 
[quote name='fraeone'][quote name='pinoy530']
Its like this for computers too. Windows XP only sees the first 137 gbs unless you download a patch, but since you cant dl anything for the ps2, you're stuck with 137 max.[/quote]

It has nothing to do with a patch. FAT16 and FAT32 (the 'classic' windows file systems) do not support LBA (Large Block Addressing). However, you don't need to download a patch, just format the drive NTFS (current windows file system).

As for the PS2, it is indeed a hardware limitation.

For what it's worth, HD Loader is beta quality right now. Lots of games are on the "do not work" list, including ALL DVD9 games (Xenosaga, Norrath, MGS2: Substance, the forthcoming GTA:SA etc).

I would seriously recommend waiting for HD Loader v2.[/quote]

This isn't accurate either. The distinction is ATA133 support. You can't create partitions in NTFS larger than the drive size supported at the hardware level. On a system that only supports ATA100 and earlier even multiple partitions will be limited to 137 GB cumulatively. Maxtor created the ATA133 spec to go beyond the performance and capacity limits of ATA100. Intel wanted to push SATA and thus held off putting ATA133 in their chipsets. This is why Maxtor bundled ATA133 PCI controller boards with their drives for a while.

The 'patch' is actually an updated driver for systems that had ATA133 hardware but lacked driver support at ship time. The PS2 has ATA100 hardware and there is no way around that in software. Considering that most PS2 games come nowhere near the full capacity of a DVD-5 disc 120GB is more than sufficient to have a massive library installed.

FAT32 stops well short of the ATA100 limit. By Microsoft's own admission you don't want to create FAT32 partitions larger than 32GB or you run the risk of a variety of failures and misbehaviors.

I strongly suspect the creators of HDLoader will offer an upgrade deal for early adopters. The convenience of the current product is not greatly affected by the quite short list of incompatible games. The DVD-9 titles number less than a dozen to date.
 
This isn't accurate either. The distinction is ATA133 support. You can't create partitions in NTFS larger than the drive size supported at the hardware level. On a system that only supports ATA100 and earlier even multiple partitions will be limited to 137 GB cumulatively. Maxtor created the ATA133 spec to go beyond the performance and capacity limits of ATA100.
Click to expand...

That's incorrect. Maxtor cooked up ATA133 to put a new sticker on their boxes. It has been shown that it doesn't increase performance, or do anything else notable, which is why many other companies still haven't bothered. My motherboard is ATA100, and I'm running a 160GB drive on it just fine formatted NTFS. In fact, if you go to Western Digital's page, their current 250GB offering is ATA100.


Back to the topic:

To install your HD/format it:

1. jumper the hard drive to MASTER
2. plug ps2 network adapter into back of hard drive
3. plug network adapter / hard drive combo into back of ps2 (must remove a small door first)
4. put hd loader disc in your ps2 and boot.
5. it will ask to format your hdd, agree to.
6. you're ready to go
 
[quote name='fraeone']
This isn't accurate either. The distinction is ATA133 support. You can't create partitions in NTFS larger than the drive size supported at the hardware level. On a system that only supports ATA100 and earlier even multiple partitions will be limited to 137 GB cumulatively. Maxtor created the ATA133 spec to go beyond the performance and capacity limits of ATA100.
Click to expand...

That's incorrect. Maxtor cooked up ATA133 to put a new sticker on their boxes. It has been shown that it doesn't increase performance, or do anything else notable, which is why many other companies still haven't bothered. My motherboard is ATA100, and I'm running a 160GB drive on it just fine formatted NTFS. In fact, if you go to Western Digital's page, their current 250GB offering is ATA100.

[/quote]

Yes, the cumulative part is wrong. I realized that a bit later but hadn't gone back to correct it.

ATA133 is not just a sticker. Keep in mind there are many performance bottlenecks in a hard drive besides the interface. The latest ATA and SCSI specs are always well ahead of the actual read channel performance. The drive industry takes time to fully exploit new interfaces. In the same respect there are no drives that can take full advantage of the throughput offered by SATA, yet higher performance versions are already in development. Why do you suppose that is?

This is nothing new. When ATA-66 appeared drive performance was nowhere near that mark but it was soon going to exceed what ATA-33 offered. Thus the new interface. Also, single drive performance is not the sole determinant of an interface's value. Interleaved drives using RAID can greatly exceed single drive throughput. This is why most early motherboard with SATA support were arranged to use ot primarily for a two-drive RAID while the boot drive continued to live on the legacy ATA channels.
 
My computer's motherboard can only support up to ATA100. Can this Maxtor 160 GB ATA133 hard drive be used on my motherboard, that is can this hard drive operate at ATA100 or lower speed? Thanks.
 
Can someone tell me how pricematch works? I payed for this hard drive for $79.99 + tax at CompUSA. So how do I get pricematch at Staples or BestBuy? Which store give the highest percentage for pricematch? Do I just walk into Staples and pick up this hard drive and show the cashier the CompUSA ads and I can get 10% off the CompUSA ads price? Thanks.
 
[quote name='yogi99']My computer's motherboard can only support up to ATA100. Can this Maxtor 160 GB ATA133 hard drive be used on my motherboard, that is can this hard drive operate at ATA100 or lower speed? Thanks.[/quote]

Yes, all ATA drives gracefully degrade, which means fall back to the highest level supported by the controller. Technically, you could hook it up on an ancient ATA-16 system but it would be an utter waste and more than a little hassle dealing with the partitioning.
 
[quote name='fraeone']
This isn't accurate either. The distinction is ATA133 support. You can't create partitions in NTFS larger than the drive size supported at the hardware level. On a system that only supports ATA100 and earlier even multiple partitions will be limited to 137 GB cumulatively. Maxtor created the ATA133 spec to go beyond the performance and capacity limits of ATA100.
Click to expand...

That's incorrect. Maxtor cooked up ATA133 to put a new sticker on their boxes. It has been shown that it doesn't increase performance, or do anything else notable, which is why many other companies still haven't bothered. My motherboard is ATA100, and I'm running a 160GB drive on it just fine formatted NTFS. In fact, if you go to Western Digital's page, their current 250GB offering is ATA100.
[/quote]

Are you running as a single partition? Exceeding the addressing limits of ATA100 was part of the motivation for ATA133.

Western Digital doesn't do ATA100 because they drank the Intel Kool-Ade and went straight to SATA. This is costing them sales among people who build their systems and in the ATA133 RAID sector which still enjoys a price advantage over SATA. A lot of these same people already avoid WD like the plague due to very high numbers of defective drives in the 90's. This may no longer be te case. All of my WD drives are fine but a lot of people still hold a grudge
 
[quote name='"fraeone"']
Back to the topic:

To install your HD/format it:

1. jumper the hard drive to MASTER
2. plug ps2 network adapter into back of hard drive
3. plug network adapter / hard drive combo into back of ps2 (must remove a small door first)
4. put hd loader disc in your ps2 and boot.
5. it will ask to format your hdd, agree to.
6. you're ready to go
Click to expand...

I just got a hard drive and a network adapter. Just wondering....since I never had a network adapter to begin with do I have to run a setup for that prior to hooking up the hard drive to it?
 
[quote name='"jkam"'][quote name='fraeone']
Back to the topic:

To install your HD/format it:

1. jumper the hard drive to MASTER
2. plug ps2 network adapter into back of hard drive
3. plug network adapter / hard drive combo into back of ps2 (must remove a small door first)
4. put hd loader disc in your ps2 and boot.
5. it will ask to format your hdd, agree to.
6. you're ready to go
Click to expand...

I just got a hard drive and a network adapter. Just wondering....since I never had a network adapter to begin with do I have to run a setup for that prior to hooking up the hard drive to it?[/quote]

I don't believe you need to run any set up for the NA, since it is just being used to connect the hard drive to the ps2.
 
[quote name='Sheik Rattle Enroll']I'd actually reccommend a samsung drive, they're much quieter, faster, and cooler running than the maxtors. You can pick up an 80 gig SP0802N from newegg for $65.[/quote]

Thanks! That's what I picked up, good price, free shipping.. :D
 
[quote name='js1'][quote name='Sheik Rattle Enroll']I'd actually reccommend a samsung drive, they're much quieter, faster, and cooler running than the maxtors. You can pick up an 80 gig SP0802N from newegg for $65.[/quote]

Thanks! That's what I picked up, good price, free shipping.. :D[/quote]

Yeah that is the one I grabbed too. Thanks.
 
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