Dreamcast options with a Spare 1 TB SATA Hard Drive

[tripletopper]

I assume a 1 TB SATA hard drive is faster than a 512 GB Micro SD Card.

 

Is there a way to install Hard Drive Dreamcast games and access them on Real DC hardware without destroying the GD ROM?

 

I asked this question about a Micro SD card earlier and people said an SD card was too slow for running DC games?

 

Any ways to get  a SATA 1 TB hard drive running on real DC hardware and save the Micro SD for the Saturn Saroo?

 

Do the only ways involve hiring someone to cannibalize a Dreamcast with a bad disc reader?

Edited May 10 by tripletopper
Typing new subject after previous one repeated and you can't erase repeats

[+-^CrossBow^-]

The only option I know that allows use of an actual HDD with a Dreamcast is the TerraOnion M.O.D.E. But that does require removing the original GDRom drive since the MODE is an ODE. One nice thing about the MODE though, is that you can use an actual SATA HDD (I have an SSD in mine), but also allows use of the SDcard slot on it at the same time. So what I did was to install all of my actual DC library of games onto the SSD. And then stuff that I get for the collection later, I've been adding to the SDcard and playing them that way. Thus far, I've not seen any issues with playing stuff from the SDcard vs the SSD in regards to FMV or streaming data for the game.

 

 

[tripletopper]

Some people said that Dreamshell 4.1 running games straight from the Micro SD card is a little slow.  At best you just have to wait a little longer to load, and at worst, the video stutters.

 

I heard the Dreamcast extension port is a fairly standard port type (I don't know what it's called, I think it was Serial Port, but don't quote me on it) , therefore there should be a way to connect a SATA hard drive, and if Dreamshell itself is not slow, and if SATA drives are faster than Micro SDXC, maybe there's a way to add a SATA hard drive and have Dreamshell work with a cable and not have to destroy the GD ROM drive to get it to work.

[phoenixdownita]

1 hour ago, tripletopper said:

Some people said that Dreamshell 4.1 running games straight from the Micro SD card is a little slow.  At best you just have to wait a little longer to load, and at worst, the video stutters.

 

I heard the Dreamcast extension port is a fairly standard port type (I don't know what it's called, I think it was Serial Port, but don't quote me on it) , therefore there should be a way to connect a SATA hard drive, and if Dreamshell itself is not slow, and if SATA drives are faster than Micro SDXC, maybe there's a way to add a SATA hard drive and have Dreamshell work with a cable and not have to destroy the GD ROM drive to get it to work.

Don’t twist words.

The DC serial port is slow and that is the cause of dreamshell solution based on a serial adapter for the sd card being slow. SD card themselves can be fast enough as the GD drive in the DC is a 12x or about 2MB/s.

 

All other solutions hook to the GD drive connector, I think I’ve seen one that keeps it working but most are full on replacements, I linked you to an aliexpress vendor that sells premodded DC with Sata drive installed and bios mod to boot from it and that comes cheaper than Mode … at present there are no DC solutions to simply hook up a hard disk to the DC via serial port or broadband connector.

 

The GD drive is not destroyed simply removed, it’s a couple of screws and it lifts right up from its connector on the motherboard with no ribbon nonsense, if you opened your DC you would know by now.

 

 

All told some say the DC serial interface could be fast enough … https://www.dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14926 but I am not sure … give it a try, you have it no?

Edited May 10 by phoenixdownita

[tripletopper]

Hey "destroyed" is a relative term.  I was being overly dramatic with that term, but if you don't plan a return trip roadmap well, a disassembly might as well be a destruction.

 

I'm having trouble reading my files on micro SD.  It seems either I'm doing it wrong, or Dreamshell 4.1 does not read micro SDXC (512 GB) well.  I was told it only works on SDHC (4-32 GB).

 

Maybe if I find a Dreamcast to SATA adapter, assuming the serial (?! not sure of proper name of port) port can pump data fast enough, I just boot into Dreamshell 4.1 and access the SATA 1 Gig through the port and adapter.

 

If that doesn't work, I prefer to put my spare 1 TB SATA HDD to use and I think there are a couple local guys who have a video game shop (if you define eastern Summit County as local) called duckduck.games  who has their store near Stow Ohio.  They sell these.  If they are out of stock, I could get an otherwise working DC with bad GD drive, send them that plus my 1 TB drive and some money and return shipping and they can build one for me.