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Which would be the best thing to do for my broken G4?

Ariii

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
9
Chicago
I'm using my clamshell iBook as my main computer right now, but there's some problems with AirPort, and I end up just having to plug it into my router, and no other solution worked. I think I want another computer to use, and since I'm planning to help develop this one Linux distro, my iBook has been really good for experimenting around and doing text editing. And I mostly use computers to write music and use the internet/IRC and a couple other things, but I think I might want another one to use as my main computer, and I have some problems with certain applications on mine. I had a very good G4 iBook until it got water damage, and I either want a G4 iBook or a G4 PowerBook (Probably Titanium). I really like the look and feel of Leopard, so having a computer with that would be great. I don't think many of the parts on my computer work, but I have the battery and charger, and I still have the keyboard and maybe the screen, probably a few other things would work as well. Should I try to revive my iBook using replacement parts or should I purchase a new computer?
 
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tom vilsack

tom vilsack

macrumors 68000
Nov 20, 2010
1,880
63
ladner cdn
I would buy a nice G4 powerbook...i own or have owned clams,ibooks,powerbooks ect...and the pb are far and away the fastest....look for one of the 1.5/1.67GHz with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB of DDR SDRAM,and max the ram to 2 gig's and you'll be flying...and as you like to do text editing you might wanna look at the 17" pb for the added 1440×900 space or if you can find a good deal on one of the 1.67GHz 1680×1050....
 
G

goMac

Contributor
Apr 15, 2004
7,662
1,694
You're going to want as fast a G4 as possible for Leopard. I wouldn't use Leopard on anything less than a G4 1.25.
 
Ariii

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
9
Chicago
So I'm sure I'll go with a PowerBook if I get a replacement, but I'm wondering... should I try to fix my old iBook? I see some parts/repair ones going for pretty cheap.

UPDATE: Actually, should I get a lime iBook? It had official support for Tiger, and I could sell mine in order to get one. I'm going to stick with mine for a little while until I can get it to 512 MB RAM, I think, and has a working battery.
 
Last edited:
rossmosis

rossmosis

macrumors newbie
Mar 6, 2012
26
0
What kind of tasks do you plan on doing? If you get a Lime, make sure it's the 466mhz model with FW and DVD, which can be pretty expensive for what it can actually do.
 
Ariii

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
9
Chicago
rossmosis said:
What kind of tasks do you plan on doing? If you get a Lime, make sure it's the 466mhz model with FW and DVD, which can be pretty expensive for what it can actually do.
Click to expand...

Hmm.... it seems that their price is rising, so they might become antiques sometime soon... I mostly use my computers for writing science fiction in a format that I can actually submit to publishers (Most don't accept anything but digital submissions). I would like to pick up one of those G3 iMacs but the shipping costs way too much on eBay, and I can't really trust Craigslist. Also, I'm worried about the power consumption of the desktop computers. I want some kind of desktop to use as an iTunes jukebox/file server, and the Mac Minis hold their value. If the G4 Cubes weren't collectors items, I would definitely want one. I was thinking of getting a NorhTec MicroClient as one, but there's no used market for those. I like how the Key Lime models support Tiger officially, though...
 
rossmosis

rossmosis

macrumors newbie
Mar 6, 2012
26
0
Yeah, the Tiger support is great. They play DVDs perfectly as well, which is pretty nice. If you can get past the low resolution, they are great if all you want to do is word processing and some extremely light web browsing. Definitely max the RAM to 576mb though. They have a lot more character than their dual USB younger siblings. I'd take a Key Lime over Snow simply because
of the need for sunglasses due to the extremely bright color.
 
M

mike457

macrumors 6502
Sep 10, 2010
278
0
Ontario
If you are looking for a Cube, you should be able to get one for ca. $200. I bought one last year on eBay for that price. It will run Leopard, though it is slow (I like to think of it as "stately.") I also just bought a 12" G4 1.3 Powerbook on eBay for $65; beyond a slight dent in the case, it runs fine. How much are you looking to spend?
 
chrisperro

chrisperro

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2009
306
1
canada
Ariii said:
I'm using my clamshell iBook as my main computer right now, but there's some problems with AirPort, and I end up just having to plug it into my router, and no other solution worked. I think I want another computer to use, and since I'm planning to help develop this one Linux distro, my iBook has been really good for experimenting around and doing text editing. And I mostly use computers to write music and use the internet/IRC and a couple other things, but I think I might want another one to use as my main computer, and I have some problems with certain applications on mine. I had a very good G4 iBook until it got water damage, and I either want a G4 iBook or a G4 PowerBook (Probably Titanium). I really like the look and feel of Leopard, so having a computer with that would be great. I don't think many of the parts on my computer work, but I have the battery and charger, and I still have the keyboard and maybe the screen, probably a few other things would work as well. Should I try to revive my iBook using replacement parts or should I purchase a new computer?
Click to expand...
i have a g4 12" ibook broken for parts if u need any,only power supply,dvd drive and bottom case don't work and no airport. the rest is ok.
 
Ariii

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
9
Chicago
chrisperro said:
i have a g4 12" ibook broken for parts if u need any,only power supply,dvd drive and bottom case don't work and no airport. the rest is ok.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I would if I did it through eBay or another trusted auction site, but for many reasons, I don't like to do things like that from MacRumors. Thanks for the offer, though!
G51989 said:
If you are considering desktops, why not a G5 tower? Dual 2.0? Dual 1.8? Dual 2.7 or a Quad 2.5?
Click to expand...

Hmm.... they have a great performance and are a good value, but I don't need that much power. Once I could afford one, they sound like a good idea.

rossmosis said:
Yeah, the Tiger support is great. They play DVDs perfectly as well, which is pretty nice. If you can get past the low resolution, they are great if all you want to do is word processing and some extremely light web browsing. Definitely max the RAM to 576mb though. They have a lot more character than their dual USB younger siblings. I'd take a Key Lime over Snow simply because
of the need for sunglasses due to the extremely bright color.
Click to expand...

And the Snow's display problems. I think I'll sell my Indigo and buy a Key Lime, then a high-end PowerBook later, and then get Leopard for it and max everything out. Does this sound like a good idea? Oh, and thanks for the help! :)
 
rossmosis

rossmosis

macrumors newbie
Mar 6, 2012
26
0
I'm always pro-Key Lime! I have a 466 Key Lime and a 500mhz Snow and the Snow is plagued with GPU problems and it just isn't as fun to be on as the Key Lime. If you can find the 466 edition for a good price, jump on it! Even if you don't need it, they are getting pretty rare.
 
Ariii

Ariii

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
681
9
Chicago
rossmosis said:
I'm always pro-Key Lime! I have a 466 Key Lime and a 500mhz Snow and the Snow is plagued with GPU problems and it just isn't as fun to be on as the Key Lime. If you can find the 466 edition for a good price, jump on it! Even if you don't need it, they are getting pretty rare.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! Do most Key Limes look this good used, or could I get it to that condition easily?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/iBook-Clams...02600822?pt=Apple_Laptops&hash=item1c265b4876
 
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