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iBook G4?

Frankf300

Frankf300

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2006
201
1
NY
New to the forums and I have a few questions. I've been thinking about switching to Mac for a long time now, but never knew what to go for. I currently have a Toshiba Satellite A35 laptop which has failed me way too many times, and obviously Windows XP is not helping the situation. I want to sell that on eBay and hopefully get some good money. I saw they sell for a good amount and mine is in great condition. What I would like is a system that can handle school work, everyday internet access, iTunes, photos, and most importantly some demanding video editing, not too demanding, but right in the middle. On my Windows I was editing with Adobe Premiere Elements, not sure what the equivalent would be on a Mac, I'm assuming Final Cut or something. Obviously I would like something that can handle that smoothly without slowing up on me. For instance sometimes I like to have iTunes, my video editing software, and some other things running at the same time, just so I can listen to a song that will be used in the movie. At the time I really can't justify spending $1500+ on a brand new Mac even after selling my Toshiba, that is why I was looking at some older systems. What would be some realistic specs on an iBook for what I want? Also, what do you think of buying items like this off of eBay? I guess for a basis I'll list the specs of my Toshiba.
60gb Hard Drive
768mb RAM
Pentium 4 2.3ghz
Wireless internal modem
CD-RW/DVD-ROM

With that it ran OK, could have been better, but it got the job done. Although editing would slow it down a bit, it was a lot worse before I had installed the new RAM. I could have maxed it at 2gb, but never bothered. Anyway, thanks for your help in advance and if I forgot something just ask.
 
myshoeshurt

myshoeshurt

macrumors regular
Jan 17, 2006
155
0
Victoria, B.C.
I think the 14" iBook G4 would suit your needs if you maxed out the RAM. I currently use one (and am actually thinking of selling it), it's great. I do a lot of audio remixing on it, and have done some fooling around with iMovie, etc. It has never crashed while editing anything.

Basically, if you're not looking to drop a load of money on a brand new Mac, get the 14" iBook G4. Again, just make sure you upgrade the RAM.
 
G

Guy Incognito

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2006
100
0
I just went through this same process. I sold my Toshiba A45-S150 on eBay and bought (also on eBay) an iBook G4 with a 1.42 GHz PowerPC processor, 100GB HD and 1GB of RAM. At the same time, my girlfriend's much fancier Toshiba laptop died, so she bought a new Macbook with a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 80GB HD and 1 GB of RAM. I've used both these new macs for a couple of weeks now for a variety of tasks, and I don't really perceive any difference in performance between them. The iBook cost $800-something, while the Macbook cost about $1500+. For the money, I'd say that the iBook is a hell of a deal. Also, none of the Adobe stuff has been released as Universal Binaries yet, so you may actually find that it performs better on the iBook's PowerPC processor than on the Macbook with Rosetta.

In sum, I'd say get a last-generation iBook (1.42 GHz) and at least a gig of RAM (or upgrade it yourself).
 
M

mopppish

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2005
356
1
There would DEFINITELY be a performance difference between a Macbook and an ibook G4, assuming that you're running universal apps (which all Apple programs currently are). My Macbook is arriving in a few days, and although my ibook served me very well for the year that I had it, I can't wait to get rid of this pokey thing! (Sorry, ibook. I still love you!)
 
G

Guy Incognito

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2006
100
0
Right, but that's a big assumption. None of the major Adobe apps are Universal. Neither is MS Office. In this particular case, is the, say, $700 or $800 premium for a new Macbook over a used iBook justified for the original poster, who wants to use his computer now? That seems to be the question on the table.
 
dmw007

dmw007

macrumors G4
May 26, 2005
10,635
0
Working for MI-6
An iBook G4 would likely be faster than your PC laptop, but I would strongly recommend that you go with a MacBook instead. You can get one off of Apple's refurbished site for as low as $949. An iBook G4 would be a fine machine (I know, I used to own a 12" 1.33GHz iBook G4), but the MacBook will be much faster for you Frankf300. :)
 
Frankf300

Frankf300

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2006
201
1
NY
Thanks for the replies. So, it seems the iBook would be a pretty good choice, though a Macbook would be nice. The Macbook could possibly be an option after what I've seen though. I've watched some other auctions on the same laptop I have and some have sold for as much as $1,000 within the past few days. I never expected for them to sell for anywhere near that considering I dished out about $1,100 when I bought it brand new. I'm not sure what you guys were saying about the whole Adobe thing though. I know with the Macbooks you can load Windows on also, but is that possible with the iBook too? I was thinking of selling the program with the laptop and learning iMovie or trying Final Cut and avoid having to take up extra room by putting Windows on it too. Anyway, thanks again for the help while I try to figure all this stuff out. :confused:

O yea, I just thought of something else also. As far as the screen size goes, did you reccomend the 14" screen because of the video editing. The 12" must be a nice portable little machine, but does it kill the ability to edit precisely because of the smaller size? My Toshiba is a 15" and it's good, though it is sometimes just a little bulky. The smallest I've had a chance to play around with is the 13" Macbook at the Apple store, and even that didn't seem too small. Of course I've never worked on a 12" so I wouldn't know if that 1" makes a big difference. What do you think?
 
G

Guy Incognito

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2006
100
0
The Mac version of the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) is compiled for the PowerPC Processor, like the one in the iBook. These applications will run on the new Macbooks using a technology from Apple called Rosetta, which translates the PowerPC instructions so that the Macbook's Intel processor can understand them. See http://www.apple.com/rosetta/. This translation entails a certain performance hit. For now, Adobe recommends running the CS applications on PowerPC chips. See http://www.adobe.com/products/pdfs/intelmacsupport.pdf (PDF file).

While the Macbook's 13" screen is physically smaller than the 14" iBook's screen, it actually has a higher resolution, so you might find that you can actually fit more stuff on the Macbook's smaller screen.

No, the iBook can't run Windows or Windows apps (except using VirtualPC, which is a much clunkier solution than BootCamp or Parallels), but it will of course run the native Mac versions of the Adobe apps. If you want to run Windows or Windows software, you should certainly get a Macbook. If you want to run Mac software natively and want to save the cost difference between the iBook and the Macbook, get the iBook.

Hope this helps.
 
P

Play Ultimate

macrumors 6502
Oct 13, 2005
269
0
Go with MacBook refurb (2GHz w/Superdrive, $1099) or ed discount if student. (2GHz w/Superdrive, $1199)

You'll be happier with this in 6mos.

Now, if you didn't want to do video-editing, I would suggest the iBook to save $$.
 
Frankf300

Frankf300

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 15, 2006
201
1
NY
Sorry to keep bringing up this dying topic, but I had been doing some thinking. I'm in the process of trying to sell my laptop now and the more I thought about it, I'm not sure another laptop is what I want. I'm a senior in high school and for now it doesn't look like I'm going away to school so I think I'd rather go with a desktop. I really have no other reason to get a laptop again. I would love to go for the new iMac, but once again money becomes an issue, soooo lol I started looking at the iMac G4s. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links, if not please remove mods. http://www.macofalltrades.com/G4_1_0GHz_iMac_15_512_80GB_SuperDrive_p/g4800im171.htm

This seemed pretty good, even if I have to upgrade RAM, I will. As far as the operating system goes, is that OS X? Again, I'm new to all this so I'm not sure how Mac OS works yet. I'll be able to use iTunes and all that, right? Also, will not having the OS disks be an issue? Overall, what do you think of that setup? Sorry for all the crap and thanks again.

Edit: One last thing, that iMac should have the port for the airport card right? If not is there any other option for picking up the signal from my router?
 
eRondeau

eRondeau

macrumors 65816
Mar 3, 2004
1,165
389
Canada's South Coast
I've used a 14" iBook G4 as my only home computer for three years now, and I love it. It is absolutely the most reliable machine I've ever used. It has been turned on continuously since Day 1, rebooted only for software updates. It has NEVER crashed, not even once. It's got a 60GB drive that's now got 7GB free; I've just topped 6,000 songs on iTunes. I've done just about everything you could do with a home computer on my little iBook and it just keeps chugging along. If you want a versatile, reliable, relatively-inexpensive used laptop -- you won't regret an iBook G4. (BTW, mine's just at 1GHz, they got up to 1.42GHz before they were replaced.)
 
extraextra

extraextra

macrumors 68000
Jun 29, 2006
1,758
0
California
Frankf300 said:
Sorry to keep bringing up this dying topic, but I had been doing some thinking. I'm in the process of trying to sell my laptop now and the more I thought about it, I'm not sure another laptop is what I want. I'm a senior in high school and for now it doesn't look like I'm going away to school so I think I'd rather go with a desktop. I really have no other reason to get a laptop again. I would love to go for the new iMac, but once again money becomes an issue, soooo lol I started looking at the iMac G4s. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links, if not please remove mods. http://www.macofalltrades.com/G4_1_0GHz_iMac_15_512_80GB_SuperDrive_p/g4800im171.htm

This seemed pretty good, even if I have to upgrade RAM, I will. As far as the operating system goes, is that OS X? Again, I'm new to all this so I'm not sure how Mac OS works yet. I'll be able to use iTunes and all that, right? Also, will not having the OS disks be an issue? Overall, what do you think of that setup? Sorry for all the crap and thanks again.

Edit: One last thing, that iMac should have the port for the airport card right? If not is there any other option for picking up the signal from my router?
Click to expand...


It ships with OS X, but the current OS X is OS 10.4.8 which is Tiger. The one it ships with is 10.3, which is Panther, so you're a whole OS behind. Which may or may not matter to you. You could always just buy it, and then wait till Leopard in Spring '07. You can still use iTunes and all that, but I don't think Panther comes with Dashboard + Widgets, Spotlight, and a few other things.

If you ever need to reinstall the OS, you're going to have a hard time doing that without the OS disks!

I dont know if that iMac comes with an Airport Extreme built in, it depends on the revision.
 
4JNA

4JNA

macrumors 68000
Feb 8, 2006
1,505
1
looking for trash files
eRondeau said:
...absolutely the most reliable machine I've ever used. It has been turned on continuously since Day 1, rebooted only for software updates. It has NEVER crashed, not even once....
Click to expand...

same story here, except mine is a 933, rebuilt from parts, 80gb drive, mismatched keys, etc. best laptop i have ever owned. silent. never has problems. can't remember the last time it was actually turned off. streaming music and typing this reply on it as of now. even runs folding (see sig) in the background with no problems. fast enough for everyday use. wouldn't trade it for a macbook. just my 2 cents.
 
FFTT

FFTT

macrumors 68030
Apr 17, 2004
2,952
1
A Stoned Throw From Ground Zero
If you decide to go for a desktop, the Core 2 Duo iMacs are fantastic.

If you watch the refurb pages you can pick one up for about the same price as a MacBook.

The benefit to the iMac is faster processing, greatly improved storage and dedicated VRAM on the upgrade model.

Hands down, the iMac C2D is your best bang for the buck.
 
S

Synapple

macrumors regular
Mar 29, 2004
243
0
Rome, Italy
eRondeau said:
I've used a 14" iBook G4 as my only home computer for three years now, and I love it. It is absolutely the most reliable machine I've ever used. It has been turned on continuously since Day 1, rebooted only for software updates. It has NEVER crashed, not even once. It's got a 60GB drive that's now got 7GB free; I've just topped 6,000 songs on iTunes. I've done just about everything you could do with a home computer on my little iBook and it just keeps chugging along. If you want a versatile, reliable, relatively-inexpensive used laptop -- you won't regret an iBook G4. (BTW, mine's just at 1GHz, they got up to 1.42GHz before they were replaced.)
Click to expand...

I agree, I've used my iBook extensively for months now and it's never ever given me a single problem.
Still, considering the prices for refurb macbooks and local deals you might get at resellers, I wouldn't suggest buying an iBook now... unless it was at an exceptional bargain price.
 
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