ive been looking to buy a 1.67 powerbook g4 off craigslist for about 350-400, is it worth it to get it? are the ati radeon 9700 graphics better than the macbooks intel gma x3100?
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should i get a powerbook g4?
- Thread starter ceezy3000
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I'd spend $1,000 on the MacBook White before I spent that much on a PowerBook G4. Such a computer is going to be very outdated very quickly when Apple stops supporting PPC processors, probably with Snow Leopard. Any C2D processor-based Mac will get you through at least another 3 years.
At $400, a 1.67 PB is a steal. It may not be the fastest machine in the world, but it's very usable. I'd say go for it, unless you think you'll need more speed. i.e, those machines are no longer very good for professional uses, but they're definitely enough for the average user. My 1.33 iBook G4 is great for general internet usage, music, movies and light photoshop. So a 1.67 PB should be more then enough for those things.
Really depends of what you'll want to do. For browsing and word processing it will be a great laptop. But for anything else it would lack a lot of performance.
Edit: I've writed it with the 12'' G4 in the head. totally forgot they came into 15'' and 17'' versions.
If you intent to game on this, the PPC and 3-4 years old Graphic card would really remove lot of possibilities (Performances, no boot camp), but I've heard that they're still good for Photoshop and the likes.
Edit: I've writed it with the 12'' G4 in the head. totally forgot they came into 15'' and 17'' versions.
If you intent to game on this, the PPC and 3-4 years old Graphic card would really remove lot of possibilities (Performances, no boot camp), but I've heard that they're still good for Photoshop and the likes.
My Power Book G4
I am sitting here using my new 15" MBP and looking over the screen at my Old Workhorse Power Book G4 sitting behind the MBP. I am here to tell you that that darn thing was great, did all I asked of it and more, and was my first Mac.
I had it running a 22" Monitor
A Wacom Tablet
An external aluminum Apple Keyboard
and A Wirless internet Card
All at once without flinching.
It has served me well, no, exceptionally.
I know the question that's coming....If its so good why get the new one......Well I am doing more and more heavy graphics in my job, and needed to step up into some programs that are intel only, and I do prefer a glossy screen to a matte screen. And I deserve a new computer now and again....lol
But I can tell you for a couple of hundred bucks you cant beat the Power Book G4's. And there was and still is a subculture out there that likes the small and highly portable 12" Power Books.
I am sitting here using my new 15" MBP and looking over the screen at my Old Workhorse Power Book G4 sitting behind the MBP. I am here to tell you that that darn thing was great, did all I asked of it and more, and was my first Mac.
I had it running a 22" Monitor
A Wacom Tablet
An external aluminum Apple Keyboard
and A Wirless internet Card
All at once without flinching.
It has served me well, no, exceptionally.
I know the question that's coming....If its so good why get the new one......Well I am doing more and more heavy graphics in my job, and needed to step up into some programs that are intel only, and I do prefer a glossy screen to a matte screen. And I deserve a new computer now and again....lol
But I can tell you for a couple of hundred bucks you cant beat the Power Book G4's. And there was and still is a subculture out there that likes the small and highly portable 12" Power Books.
Maybe Snow Leopard wise, but Safari and iTunes and stuff should still be fine for awhile.
Not only snow leopard but iLife and iWork and other Apple 'Non Mainstream' software....
Its kinda a habit of Apple to get rid of old stuff..... They have already dropped a ton of support in the '09 software package! Wonder what happens when their whole OS goes 64bit only!
Hey, PowerBooks are in most cases very reliable and great computers. The PPC end support with snow leopard is true though. Anyway, if it is 17 inch and 400 that is a great deal. If it is 15, then you have a very high chance of getting a computer that will fail (google horizontal lines on 15 inch 1.67 PowerBook G4).
My advice.
My advice.
This is actually almost identical to how 68ks were treated. It's unrealistic to expect Apple to support PowerPCs forever, which seems to me some people are actually wishing.
Agreed. I find Msft to be a bit well behaved in this regard. They dont exercise complete control over something that we are paying hard earned money for! They have system recommendations and ultimately its up to you to decide if you wish to or you dont. Where as Apple softwares all have a Test that runs it self to determine if our systems are 'prudent'..... just so that Apple doesnt get flak for "slow running software" <sigh>
The only problem with the G4 powerbooks under leopard (having used a late 15" model) is that unless you max out the RAM, it is slow as a dog. 512MB under Leopard = nightmare for anything but looking at the desktop and perhaps light internet (forget iMovie, i tried it, and it hurt)
For $400 I would definitely purchase it. I go to the library once or twice a week and I'd bring it along with me. I'm usually eating some food or drinking a Gatorade and to think if I were to spill on my computer, at least the G4 would take the fall. Stolen in a public place? I'm only out $400 vs $2000.
If it is the last revision of Powerbook 15", with the faster ddr2 ram and the 128mb VRAM, and the high resolution screen, get it and max it out with the 250gb Western Digital hard drive and two gigs of ram and it will run leopard and even a 30" Apple monitor for you very well. I was waiting for these machines to come under the 500 mark for some time myself.
The last revisions of the PPC machines are wonderful across the line from the iMac G5 iSights, iBook last revisions, Powerbook and Powermac last revisions. Even the final PPC Mac Mini is has a 64mb VRAM chip. They basically had all the things the new Intels were going to have on them. 2.0 bluetooth, faster ram etc. Also disabling Dashboard saves CPU on PPC machines.
I am typing this from the last and best revision Powermac G5 Quad.
The last revisions of the PPC machines are wonderful across the line from the iMac G5 iSights, iBook last revisions, Powerbook and Powermac last revisions. Even the final PPC Mac Mini is has a 64mb VRAM chip. They basically had all the things the new Intels were going to have on them. 2.0 bluetooth, faster ram etc. Also disabling Dashboard saves CPU on PPC machines.
I am typing this from the last and best revision Powermac G5 Quad.
PowerPC is dead... I have a maxed out 17' and i can't even watch videos from Hulu without hiccups (with flash 9 and/or 10). If your only use is web surfing, email, word processing well fine, for other stuff, wouldn't go for it. It's sad to see them G4's go. I got a black MacBook Core Duo for $350 a couple of months back, so i think you can do better than that... Good Luck!!!
