PowerBook G4 for $250

oldhifi said:

This for sale for $250, seems like a pretty good deal, any thoughts? I need to use the Adobe programs..


17'powerbook G4,was used lightly for graphics work and photo editing.
still like new.it has 1.0ghz,1.5gb memory,new 80gb ssd, bueatiful 17' lcd,(no dead pixels)gforce4 MX graphics,airport extreme wifi installed,cd/dvd rw,new charger,battery holds charge,fully restored to factory specs.
has osx 10.4.11 can be upgraded to 10.5.1,(ilife 09,iwork 09,photoshop cs 6,toast titanium,stuffit,and vlc,will include restore cd set,and charger.has great audio,and backlit keyboard.
still performes as good as any mac on the market today,verry fast and reliable.we bought a new mac and it still performes as good as it does. will sell for 250 or trade for a nice windows laptop,may trade for a surface tablet.or clean galaxy mega 6.3..

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Pass!

About the only thing of any real value here would be the SSD. I HAVE the 17" 1.0Ghz PowerBook and I paid $152.50 in 2009! Granted, mine was not flawless, but the 17"s then were going for around $200.

Sounds like they are trying to get rid of it but still make money off it. They cannot claim that it performs "as good as any mac on the market today". Put this Mac up against an Intel MBP and feed it HD 1080p Youtube video with Flash and you'll get the idea. Not even the full 2GB of RAM and 80gb on the SSD? Come on. I can load 80GBs easy on one 80GB drive with just my Applications folder.

They are being deceptive by trying to fool people into thinking they're getting the performance of an Intel Mac in a PowerPC Mac. And most people don't know the difference until AFTER they buy. And they don't even include Leopard!

My PB is (was) great, but like any PowerPC Mac it's got it's limitations.

That sounds expensive to me - there are 17" MBPs going for around that.

Unless the install disc/license keys for Adobe come with it, I'd pass.

Don't buy a PPC machine for work related stuff. Out of the question.

He does not have CS6 running on that machine. Definitely pass.

A G4 is good enough for Photoshop, but find a machine with Leopard on it, makes a huge difference.

T'hain Esh Kelch said:

Don't buy a PPC machine for work related stuff. Out of the question.

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SIGH!

No it's not.

I'll repeat myself. Coworker: PowerPC G4/450 AGP, running QuarkXPress 8.5, InDesign CS4, Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, Suitcase Fusion 2, Acrobat 9 Pro with Enfocus Pitstop 7.5. 1.75GB ram on Leopard 10.5.8. Two newspapers, monthlies and quarterlies, legals, classifieds, ads, design, layout from 2008 to 2012. Same Mac was used from 2004 to 2008 with me and one other person with similar apps.

I did the exact same work with a G5 from 2005 to 2012 when the G5 logicboard died. It's been replaced and now my coworker uses it. 1.8Ghz single G5 with 4GB ram running Leopard 10.5.8 with the same apps I mention above.

We get it done every week on time or early. So, I'm sorry. It can still be done on PowerPC.

No way. $150 is more realistic for that model. Maybe $175 for the 1.67 GHz version.

I figure a rough guideline for a decent condition PowerBook G4 today would be as follows (based on prices on Amazon, YMMV)

12"- $90-120

15" - $100-140

17" - $120-175

With variations depending on condition, battery, charger, installed RAM, and CPU speed.

556fmjoe said:

No way. $150 is more realistic for that model. Maybe $175 for the 1.67 GHz version.

I figure a rough guideline for a decent condition PowerBook G4 today would be as follows (based on prices on Amazon, YMMV)

12"- $90-120

15" - $100-140

17" - $120-175

With variations depending on condition, battery, charger, installed RAM, and CPU speed.

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I think even that is a little high. I'd slash $40 off your low to high end prices. As I said earlier, I got my 17" for 152.50 in 2009. It's probably worth only about $80 now, $120 or so in mint condition with accessories and Leopard.

eyoungren said:

I think even that is a little high. I'd slash $40 off your low to high end prices. As I said earlier, I got my 17" for 152.50 in 2009. It's probably worth only about $80 now, $120 or so in mint condition with accessories and Leopard.

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$150 seems to be roughly where they are today on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1...&keywords=powerbook+g4&ie=UTF8&qid=1400104107

This doesn't mean they're selling for that price, of course.

556fmjoe said:

$150 seems to be roughly where they are today on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1...&keywords=powerbook+g4&ie=UTF8&qid=1400104107

This doesn't mean they're selling for that price, of course.

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That's true.

I'm estimating based off what I see on eBay and had not considered Amazon pricing. Thanks!

Its a bit much! However, providing you understand the limitations of this machine then I would offer a lower amount. I was using a Mac Mini 1.25 G4 with 1GB of ram on off for a few years but it used to get frustrating when you were browsing the web and you came across a flash video - lets face it the web is full of time.

The machine will run and probably run well, but remember, you are purchasing a machine that is at least 8 years old - in PC terms that's ancient! Have you had a look at eBay and some of the other places for Intel macs? In the UK our eBay is full of 2006/2007 15" Macbook pros for the £170-200+ mark, i's sure yours will be similar.

oldhifi said:

This for sale for $250, seems like a pretty good deal, any thoughts? I need to use the Adobe programs..


17'powerbook G4,was used lightly for graphics work and photo editing.
still like new.it has 1.0ghz,1.5gb memory,new 80gb ssd, bueatiful 17' lcd,(no dead pixels)gforce4 MX graphics,airport extreme wifi installed,cd/dvd rw,new charger,battery holds charge,fully restored to factory specs.
has osx 10.4.11 can be upgraded to 10.5.1,(ilife 09,iwork 09,photoshop cs 6,toast titanium,stuffit,and vlc,will include restore cd set,and charger.has great audio,and backlit keyboard.
still performes as good as any mac on the market today,verry fast and reliable.we bought a new mac and it still performes as good as it does. will sell for 250 or trade for a nice windows laptop,may trade for a surface tablet.or clean galaxy mega 6.3..

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If you need power from this era Mac, then get a desktop. If you need a laptop, a much better deal would be checking out the Marketplace. You gain access when you are a 6502 rank or higher.

I found someone selling a PowerBook G4 on Kijiji in BC for $600, with only half a gig of RAM. Really? It's insane!

Listed as "Limited edition", which I believe to be total nonsense.

I don't think it will sell. Or maybe it will.

LOLZpersonok said:

I found someone selling a PowerBook G4 on Kijiji in BC for $600, with only half a gig of RAM. Really? It's insane!

Listed as "Limited edition", which I believe to be total nonsense.

I don't think it will sell. Or maybe it will.

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I've seen a Titanium G4 17" listed...

catzilla said:

I've seen a Titanium G4 17" listed...

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LOL!!!!!

That's funny because it doesn't exist!

eyoungren said:

LOL!!!!!

That's funny because it doesn't exist!

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I'm thinking about buying to to keep in my '96 Wrangler.

Ditto on eyoungren's answer. Bought a 15" 2GB 1.67 for $120 (with shipping )and I thought that was high

way too high. wouldn't consider buying any ppc unless as a collector. I love my PB but can't recommend buying one now in 2014.

oldhifi said:

Well thanks for all the info guys. I did buy it for less. It has Adobe CS2, Photoshop CS4, but nice machine..It will do for now, I need Illustrator.

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How much did you get it for?

oldhifi said:

$220

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What condition is it in?

oldhifi said:

I would say a 8+ out of 10, minor scuffs, no damage everything works..

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As long as you're happy with it is what matters. Personally, I think the price was a little high but if it serves your needs it was well worth it!

Let us know if you need any tips for that Mac to be running like new.