WTB: ram, hdd, discs for BlueBerry iBook G3

[skwij]

As the title says. Got this little gem for cheap cheap cheap. It's the real basic one, with the 4GB hdd and no extra RAM.

Looking for RAM, hdd, and OS discs that are compatible. Please and thanks!

[Maxwell Smart]

Not necesarily cheap, but I have a 512MB PC133 stick which will max it out for $65 shipped.

EDIT: I should also say that I have used this in my own clamshell and it works perfectly. I guarantee it will work with yours :)

[LimeiBook86]

Hey, I just replied to let you know a bit more about your iBook in case you were wondering. Here (http://lowendmac.com/pb2/ibook.shtml) are some detailed specifications of the iBook including what type of RAM it can handle and what operating systems it can run.

About Mac OS:
I'd suggest Mac OS 9, but the machine can also run up to Mac OS X 10.3, but you will need to add more RAM for it to run Mac OS X at all, and a bit more if you want it to run smoothly. You can find older versions of Mac OS 9/X in various online stores, any full installation will work on the iBook, and it is easier than searching for a compatible restore disc. Just remember your iBook has a CD-ROM drive, so DVDs won't work. Luckily Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X 10.3 are on CDs.

Technically it can run up to Mac OS X 10.4 using XPostFacto (http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/), but you will need to take out the hard drive, or install a DVD-ROM drive (or find Mac OS X 10.4 CD-ROM versions of the install discs, etc)... and it is unsupported by Apple. However it can work fine.

About RAM:
I'm guessing your machine has the 32 MB of RAM built-in? Later models had 64 MB built-in with a 6 GB Hard Drive.

Your best bet is to find a 256 MB compatible RAM module. Some places report that you may be able to use a 512 MB piece of RAM (giving you a total of 544 MB of RAM) - which would run pretty well in Mac OS X 10.3. But your milage may vary. Crucial (http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=iBook%20%28G3%20300MHz%29&pl=Apple&cat=RAM) has a 256 MB RAM stick for about $67, however this is pricey, you can probably find it way cheaper elsewhere. Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820172003) is a 256 MB chip for $30, however it may not be compatible.

Your iBook takes PC-66 Memory, this is PC-133, however some chips are backwards compatible. I'm sure you can find out which chips are compatible with some searching.

About Hard Drives:
Replacing the Hard Drives in the Clamshell iBooks isn't easy. But, if you have a compatible Hard Drive and are feeling adventurous, here (http://caslis.com/mac/ibook/ibdrive.html) is a guide to show you how to do it.

Good luck with your iBook! :D

[shu82]

I have a 40 gig HD, a 512 stick which is tested in a clamshell, and an airport card I'll sell you all together for $150 shipped.

[skwij]

Thanks folks!

I've just fired her up to double-check some things, and she's got 64MB of builtin ram, and the HDD is only a 3Gig or so.

I've found some compatible ram on eBay, pc133 sodimm, so I'll probably go that route. I'll see if I can find some Panther discs/OS9 discs on there, too. Now to find me a HDD, as 3G isn't even enough for the newer OSes!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/luvfishies/blueberry%20iBook/100_0033.jpg

The innards:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/luvfishies/blueberry%20iBook/100_0034.jpg

And a closeup of the current ram module:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/luvfishies/blueberry%20iBook/ibookram.jpg

I also need to find a battery, as this one's pooched. Still works great if plugged in.
The speaker is also pooched.

Hey, I got it for a song, and don't want to drop a tonne o money into it, as I'm saving for a new iMac :D

[macEfan]

FYI: that the mac has 32mb ram built in on the logic board. The expansion slot has another 32mb stick. So if you decide to get a larger ram stick you'll need to take out the 32mb stick and replace with the larger stick... the ibook only has 1 ram slot.