HDD mod - worth the work?

Technical help for Dreamcast console, accessories and games only. Ask questions and find answers here. For Online help see the Online Forum

Moderator: pcwzrd13

thE rZA
dark night
Posts: 55
Contact:

HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#1 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:53 pm

Hey.

I own a bunch of DC originals. About 30 or so. I saw the video of the HDD mod made by pcwrzd. Q: is it worth the work? Is every game compatible and bootable and playable without any lags and problems?
My DC online games: Alien Front Online US,ChuChu Rocket EU,Monaco Grand Prix 2 EU,Planet Ring EU,PSO v1.0 US,Toy Racer EU[/align]

1nick9
Anarki
Posts: 87

Re: HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#2 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:08 pm

the g2-ata or what ever ide mod u talking bout??? for use with dreamshell??? i did it when first came out, rather simple to do hardest part is fitting it all in case with a plug mounted as dc rather tight, i only ever wired it up n played round with it n never bothered fitting it into the case. points are easy to solder to just alot of them and have to keep ya wits bout which cable u up to n its right pin.
when it does work it works well but compatibility not 100% n left me desiring alot more so just ended up getting a usb gdrom controller which is like 100% compatible with gdi (when first got it some games didnt run but the diff region would, however been alot of fw updates since ive noticed that so alot could be fixed), cdi tho bit hit n miss. honestly for the time n trouble involved in wiring it up not worth it, tho sure there's simple tap boards available which takes all the messy work out of it. honestly tho just invest in a usb gdrom controller if can afford it.

User avatar
pcwzrd13
Seen Any Sailors?
Posts: 7041
Contact:

Re: HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#3 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:31 pm

It's really up to you if it's worth the work but the main draw to the HDD mod is that it costs only about $10 in parts which is significantly less than other solutions. The compatibility stands at about 86% currently. I have a compatibility list here that includes every US release and some PAL and Japanese exclusives. The games that work typically work extremely well and have amazing load times.
PSO Characters:
Teal'c - lvl 119 HUcast - GC# 11666
Alto - lvl 39 FOnewm - GC# 12964

YouTube Channel : Dreamcast Live

1nick9
Anarki
Posts: 87

Re: HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#4 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:23 pm

that compatibility list really handy, when did it was barely any info on modes so was trial and error. tho after looking at it alot of games do have issues so compatiblity would be lot less than 86%, sure 86% run or playable but not all of that 86% 100% working.
if ya wanting a project to do it is worth the time as like pcwzrd13 said is bugger all cost involved but if planning to really enjoy dc games better off with a proper ode solution like gdemu or usb gdrom controller, ive only ever had the usb gdrom controller as it seemed lot better to me using a usb hdd than an sd card as able to have complete set on there and easy navigation via menu rather than gdemu. but yeah an ode isnt cheap so really comes down to how much u love the dc and willing to spend for what experience.

User avatar
pcwzrd13
Seen Any Sailors?
Posts: 7041
Contact:

Re: HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#5 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:38 pm

1nick9 wrote:alot of games do have issues so compatiblity would be lot less than 86%


Really the only issues are related to music (and occasionally stuttering cutscenes). The games play perfectly fine but you just won't have any music. These are games that have CDDA audio. The CDDA audio emulation in DreamShell is still experimental.

The compatibly for this mod is all down to software so it can and likely will get to 100% compatibility at some point. The software is open source as well so anyone can take a crack at improving it.
PSO Characters:
Teal'c - lvl 119 HUcast - GC# 11666
Alto - lvl 39 FOnewm - GC# 12964

YouTube Channel : Dreamcast Live

1nick9
Anarki
Posts: 87

Re: HDD mod - worth the work?

Post#6 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:57 pm

yeah is a good project don't get me wrong love that its even about and honestly haven't done it since early days so lot better now with that compatibility list you've made taking guess work out of modes to use. be great to see it get to 100% as is lot cheaper option than an ode. all i was saying is it left me desiring alot more enough to invest in an ode in the state i used it in. mind u i got usb gdrom controller early on when was bit cheaper n dc is my favorite console so happy to spend the couple 100 on it to play 1:1 dumps n keep my originals stored. once again it is good option for price but if its good enough for what u desire in current state comes down to how much u love dc n willing to spend for perfect playback or happy to just get by on current support for the ide mod. if ya like me n just like projects defiantly worth the time to give it test run, still have that dc wired up with it so might fire it up again n try with that compatibility list.

when i did it used a 2.5" ide instead so could just use a usb phone charger to power as didn't have a suitable 3.5" psu on hand and also had a few old 320gb 2.5" ide drives handy so just popped usa set on one n pal on other.

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Support”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users