Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
My Windows laptop broke, it was a 2011 model, so right now I'm using a 1.67 GhZ PowerBook G4 from about May 2005, Since I can't afford to buy a new laptop right now, I'm gonna probably be using this for a year and a half, I guess this thread will be like some sort of blog, for updates and tweaks I'm using to make this machine more standard to today's "internet" life :rolleyes:. But anyways here are the details of the machine..

1.67 Ghz
10.5.8 Leopard - Works fantastic! Better than Tiger! and is at least somewhat modern ;)
1.0 GB of RAM --> I'm upgrading this (Bought a 2.0 GB kit for only $20.00)
80 GB HD --> Might buy SSD, chances are when I get off my ass and get a job...
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 - 64VRAM [COLOR]--> Works actually great, Barely any lag on YouTube when watching even 480p videos! :)

PROBLEMS TO FIX ON IT:
- Battery is 100% Dead, it doesn't recognize it
- Need new "J" Key
- Case is pretty scratched, and a little dented --> I can't really fix this, maybe future case solution?
- Wobbly Screen --> I can fix this by tightening
-GMail is ********** slow... - only website with incredibly slow script :(

Photos of this Beast

DSC_0053_zps1ffc4a2e.jpg

DSC_0052_zpsedd5d962.jpg

DSC_0051_zpsde129d36.jpg

DSC_0050_zps0e391032.jpg

DSC_0049_zps86f23ce4.jpg


----------

I'll update later and talk about best browser and how to get flash working better, anyways enjoy! :)
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
2/18/13 -

Simple day really,

- PowerBook G4 was used for about 7 hours, on automatic processor power, seems like it was running really well. I played Halo online for a good 3 hours, no slowdown or lag/ 60 FPS @ a constant rate. I also a clip in iMovie '06, really good version! And it ran super fast!

- YouTube running faster -
All I did to get YouTube to run faster is selecting flash player settings, disabling the hardware acceleration --> causes too much speed up causing laggy video
and also selecting stored FPlayer info to Unlimited.

YouTube runs now at fullspeed for any video playing up to 480p
480p runs at about 15 fps, and speeds up and slows down. Not gonna even try HD video.

As I promised before I will tell you what browser is the best for 10.5.8 Leopard PPC.

I use both Safari 4.0.5, and Firefox 3.6.28, both are really stable browsers. And if you want to be up to date try Firefox NIGHTLY It's still updated alot for Leopard PPC users. But these are the best browsers in my point of view.
 

Goftrey

macrumors 68000
May 20, 2011
1,853
75
Wales, UK
Man I miss my PowerBook. Don't get me wrong I love my MacBook but I just don't get that same magic feeling that I got with my G4. Good luck! An SSD ,or even a Scorpio Blue would be really nice in there.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,698
26,713
I use both Safari 4.0.5, and Firefox 3.6.28, both are really stable browsers. And if you want to be up to date try Firefox NIGHTLY It's still updated alot for Leopard PPC users. But these are the best browsers in my point of view.
Leopard Webkit. (Yeah, I hear all you Macrumors guys who like this browser :) )

TenFourFox or Aurorafox. T4Fx is on version 19 and Aurorafox is on 20. Those numbers equate to the same versions of Firefox. Aurorafox is based off nightly builds.

Note, if you do use T4Fx or Aurorafox, both browsers use the Firefox profiles. So, if you go back down to Firefox 3.6.28 things may be a bit wonky. I don't suggest alternating between FF and these two browsers.
 

PowerPCMacMan

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2012
800
0
PowerPC land
As you mentioned regarding that "magic feeling", RISC PowerPC just feels different and I am not saying this in terms of it being slower than Intel, its just PPC has a heart and soul of its own. It wants to be alive and well, not dead.

Yes, any 1.8 inch SSD should fit in the PowerBook G4, but you will need to get a PATA to SATA converter so that you can use the drive. 2.5 inch SSD's won't fit properly due to lack of space for the cable.



Man I miss my PowerBook. Don't get me wrong I love my MacBook but I just don't get that same magic feeling that I got with my G4. Good luck! An SSD ,or even a Scorpio Blue would be really nice in there.


----------

There are many on here like myself that have tweaked the PB G4 1.67 to run high def video. One such way is to use either Video Lan Player and or XBMC. There was the legendary Coreplayer but that is no longer available.

You can also disable flash all together and install clicktoflash and clicktoplugin which will enable you to watch videos using Quicktime player and yes, it works for 720p and 1080p, though I recommend XBMC or Coreplayer (if you can find it) for anything 1080p.

But even 720p on a 1.67 PB G4 is pretty descent.

YouTube runs now at fullspeed for any video playing up to 480p
480p runs at about 15 fps, and speeds up and slows down. Not gonna even try HD video.

As I promised before I will tell you what browser is the best for 10.5.8 Leopard PPC.

I use both Safari 4.0.5 - I suggest using the latest Leopard Webkit. And if you really want to make Leopard fly, get xslimmer and or Monolingual and remove all INTEL binaries from it making the OS a pure PowerPC OS for double the power.

I did this on my Quad and PB G4 and it just flies.
 

g4manimac

macrumors 6502
Jan 22, 2013
270
0
Arkansas
Keep it up man I love seeing stuff like this,I feel strong about my powerbook because its how I make my money and it has never let me down..I've got an ibook coming in the mail and I'm thinking about painting my case since I have good background in paint and good at electronics repair.I gotta make sure the ibook's gonna be reliable enough to get me through the week though.You can buy cases pretty cheap on ebay but with the right hands you could easily get it straightened out and possibly paint it but that would depend on funds and how far you wanna go with it.Keep it up and good luck there's some really smart people on here that can really help you out!
 

Frost7

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2012
193
2
Republic of Texas
Leopard Webkit. (Yeah, I hear all you Macrumors guys who like this browser :) )
^ What he said.

I cannot recommend Leopard Webkit enough. I discovered it recently, and it shot Safari performance under Leopard on my Quad G5 from annoyingly slow under Safari 5.0.6 to almost as fast as Safari 6 on my MBP. Huge difference. Not to mention all my Safari bookmarks and extensions stayed in place and functional.

If you downgrade to Tiger for any reason, there's also a TenFourKit. I got that alongside Leopard Webkit, and it too made a huge difference on my 1 GHz PowerBook G4 Titanium.
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
For some reason WebKit is really, really unstable on my PowerBook, I'm not sure if it's the settings or anything at all. But when I had it, the thing kept crashing, and making me reopen it. :(
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
For some reason WebKit is really, really unstable on my PowerBook, I'm not sure if it's the settings or anything at all. But when I had it, the thing kept crashing, and making me reopen it. :(

You must have installed it systemwide. Here's the readme:
INSTALLING LEOPARD WEBKIT AS THE SYSTEM DEFAULT IS PURELY EXPERIMENTAL AND YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT IF YOU DON'T KNOW OF A WAY HOW TO RECOVER YOUR SYSTEM!!!
 

Frost7

macrumors regular
Oct 15, 2012
193
2
Republic of Texas
For some reason WebKit is really, really unstable on my PowerBook, I'm not sure if it's the settings or anything at all. But when I had it, the thing kept crashing, and making me reopen it. :(
Did you use the script that comes on the DMG to install it systemwide? That made Leopard Webkit noticeably more unstable for me, so I ran the uninstaller script shortly thereafter and that cleared it up.
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
Did you use the script that comes on the DMG to install it systemwide? That made Leopard Webkit noticeably more unstable for me, so I ran the uninstaller script shortly thereafter and that cleared it up.

IMO: I just didn't need the modern laggy features of WebKit anyways, my friends 2008 MacBook Pro can't even handle Safari well anymore, :O.

I'm just using FireFox 3, and quite happy, and I've tweaked it to work really well, ---> "Smooth Scrolling" Extension with Preferences is brilliant, barely any lag well scrolling! :)
 

tom vilsack

macrumors 68000
Nov 20, 2010
1,880
63
ladner cdn
-before you buy ram have you checked to see if bottom slot is working? (know issue with these powerbooks)
-have you tryed Camino web browser?
 

zackkmac

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2008
879
129
Denver
Is this a DDR or DDR2 model? You said you bought a 2GB RAM kit for $20...where?! :eek:

I have a 1.67GHz DDR PowerBook and all the 2GB kits I see are $45 or more. :(

Nice thread to follow btw, I will be checking it as you update.
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
-before you buy ram have you checked to see if bottom slot is working? (know issue with these powerbooks)
-have you tryed Camino web browser?

It's working since I have two 512MB in there.

And no, I really don't like Camino, ever since I had an iBook G3 and I tried to use it, I just never really got use to it, and to be honest Firefox seems alot more powerful to me.

Is this a DDR or DDR2 model? You said you bought a 2GB RAM kit for $20...where?! :eek:

I have a 1.67GHz DDR PowerBook and all the 2GB kits I see are $45 or more. :(

Nice thread to follow btw, I will be checking it as you update.

This is the DDR model! Go on to Amazon, and there is a great deal for $25.50 for a 2-kit of 2.0GB.

and thanks man! I hope you enjoy it :)
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
Daily update

2/19/13 ~ Little update right now.

So far today, I managed to get Minecraft to work; when I play Survival there is LOTS of lag, which makes it almost unplayable, but I can go into Creative mode quite well, and there is almost no lag at all!

This was sort of a general test, because to be honest, I really don't like Minecraft :p

Also, another needed update: I ordered the RAM, and it should be coming soon :) I can't wait to get my PowerBook G4 up to the MAXIMUM Hardware it can support!

PIC:
Minecraft_zps440af660.jpg
 

MisterKeeks

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2012
1,833
28
get xslimmer and or Monolingual and remove all INTEL binaries from it making the OS a pure PowerPC OS for double the power.

See also: Trimthefat.

----------

IMO: I just didn't need the modern laggy features of WebKit anyways, my friends 2008 MacBook Pro can't even handle Safari well anymore, :O.

Leopard Webkit is optimized for your processor.
I'm just using FireFox 3, and quite happy, and I've tweaked it to work really well, ---> "Smooth Scrolling" Extension with Preferences is brilliant, barely any lag well scrolling! :)

Firefox 3 is very out of date. If you want a Firefox browser, why not Tenfourfox or AuroraFox. They are up to date and faster.
 

zackkmac

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2008
879
129
Denver
This is the DDR model! Go on to Amazon, and there is a great deal for $25.50 for a 2-kit of 2.0GB.

and thanks man! I hope you enjoy it :)

Still couldn't find it. :( Do you mind going to your Amazon orders, find the RAM and post the URL? Two 1GB sticks for $25 would be awesome. :D

Can't wait to see how you max this thing out!
 

Carrot Time

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 18, 2013
24
0
boston
February 21, 2013

Oh my god

This laptop is so great, I copied a 20 GB file to my old Windows XP Desktop in less than 5 mins.. The wonders of USB 2.0 :)

.. Other news:

I ordered the new RAM for the PB G4, along with a new battery, and a new keyboard :)

really looking forward to getting it and seeing the speed raise :apple:

- I installed VirtualPC on it too, going to run Vista, and XP :)

One last question: Does anyone know how to fix the laggy dock on Leopard? it's not unusable but it's quite laggy! and really annoying!
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,698
26,713
- I installed VirtualPC on it too, going to run Vista, and XP :)
Just be prepared for all that wonderful speed to come to a screeching slow down. XP is miserably slow on VPC and Win7 is intolerably slow (yeah, I got Win7 to install). Vista might make you want to pound your head against something.

But if you do install Vista, be aware that VPC has BIOS. There's a switch that needs to be changed in the BIOS or the system may not run or allow you to install.
 

Goftrey

macrumors 68000
May 20, 2011
1,853
75
Wales, UK
Magnification is REALLY lagging.. I actually just turned it off. :p

I find pretty much all PowerBooks lag a little - even my 1.67 with the 128mb 9700 struggled a wee bit. I think it's probably more down to the CPU than the GPU. If you download Menumeters you'll be able to see the CPU rocket up while navigating around the dock.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.