I decided to test and compare a few different mass storage options in one of my favourite systems this weekend, the classic 1998 Beige G3 :)

I compared using MacBench 5.0 with the following:

• Seagate Momentus 160GB 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive running at 5400 RPM (which I was already using)

• Transcend CompactFlash Industrial CF170 32GB (onto which I installed Mac OS 9.2.1 from CD)

• Zulu SCSI (I copied in the “Open Retro SCSI” image of Mac OS 9)

Here’s what I got, notice the big difference in the “Disk” section:

I admit my testing protocol might have been a little more rigorous - I tested each only once, and given I’ve been using the 160GB HD for a while I’m sure there is a speed penalty due to the typical cruft that accumulates in any system, but interesting results nevertheless. I think the Zulu SCSI would have performed better if I looked into tweaking the settings - I seem to recall it defaults to slower, more compatible options.

I will stick with the Seagate HD for now, but I may eventually switch over to the Industrial CF card…

Currently listening: Xnot - “Atmospheric breaks 2 🌊”