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

Ibook comparative to PC questions

digitard

digitard

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Okay,
I'm looking into buying a G3 Ibook cause the cost, and well... as mucha s I can say PC's own mac's for gaming... for power per mhz you cant beat an Apple.

I'm going to go back to school. So I figured I'll go w/ an Ibook because

#1. They perform better than laptops (power and stability).
#2. I'm getting into video editing a lot and I wanted a Mac platform to experiment with some programs on (nothing pro so i dont need fast i just need something to learn the in's and outs).

What type of Ibook would you recommend for both RAM and CPU speed?

Its general use will be:
1) School (office apps) so it needs to be smooth enough for that
2) Some edit learning (it can be slow, just operable)
3) General net surfing at home and work (gotta love wireless at work)

I want something that will mainly run general use smooth as butter (like a decent PC).

I mentinoed video editing, but I primarily use my PC for that (adobe premiere) but there are so many GREAT programs for the MAC that I want an Ibook I can experiment with them on (just learn, not really do much hardcore with).

The lower cost the better. I'm selling my paintball equiptment (if you knew me this is a big deal) to get some extra funds for it.

A friend of mine might sell me her 500mhz Ibook w/ maxed out Ram, airport card, etc all included for a really good deal. Would this work well for these basic things?

Thanks.

D the Apple Newbie.
 
A lil bit under 500 I believe. I'd have to ask the gf, its her friend. But I believe just under 500.
 
That iBook is definitely not gonna be sufficient for your planned video editing. Either get the latest iBook or a pb if you can.
but for the general tasks you mentioned, it would be fine.

cheers
 
Well like I said, my one thing on video editing is that this Ibook wont be for it. I wanna use it to learn the operation of programs, but I dont really need it to edit.

I have a PC loaded up to edit and I do all my main editing there (dvd menu creation, video editing, etc).

I am just interested in the Mac editing programs and I figured even a lower end might be enough to take very small files (30 second clips or less) and render them in a few different environments to learn how to run the software to see if its worth actually buying a higher end Desktop for it.
 
I can do stuff in iMovie just fine on my 700MHz iBook (maxed out on RAM - 640MB). Nothing crazy or super elaborate, but it can do simple stuff just fine without getting really bogged down. I'm actually looking to sell it to upgrade to a PowerBook if you're interested.
 
The G4/800 or the G4/1.07 will be more than adequate for a little video editing as well (even though you say you don't want to do that yet), these things are crazy cheap from the Apple refurb store. G4 iBooks rock, especially loaded with RAM. You'd not be disappointed.
 
PM me a price and we can talk. If the price is worth the upgrade I could very well be interested.

Yeah I'm not talking about anything elaborate. I just want to open the programs, and even with VERY slwo rendering I just want to get a feel for the programs.

Being a PC user since I was little I'm very familiar with the PC and I can do some pretty decent editing. But a friend of mine has an INSANE G5 and I would like to be able to cross edit things because some things just work better on MAC software, and some things on PC. I just wanna get the feel for Mac programs to see if they have what I want, and I understand it, enough to save up for an actual desktop to do Mac editing.

The laptop is mainly for school so my main focus is on wether the OS and programs will run smooth enough and not take 200000 days to boot up so I can use it for class, and schoolwork at home/office.

Thanks for the info guys. Very helpful so far.
 
If you get any Mac, you need to get a G4 at this point. The G4 accelerates many many functions in OS X, including video editing. A G4 is even required for some video apps.
 
digitard said:
...my main focus is on wether the OS and programs will run smooth enough and not take 200000 days to boot up so I can use it for class, and schoolwork at home/office.
Click to expand...
Sad to say, but the reality is if you do get into relatively complex stuff, or even just multitasking, a G3 will feel like walking through treacle. Even the fastest G3s (the 900 iBook, which I owned previously) will fell sluggish. You need the Altivec, and DDR memory boost for OS tasks to feel snappy - so if you do get a G3, ad it does take 200000 days to boot up, it's to be expected 🙁

That said, loaded with RAM the faster G3s were very much usable - just make sure you get one with the 100MHz bus; post-clamshell iBook.
 
Yeah I figure a 500mhz G3 (or g3 in general) will not be what I want to use long term.

Right now I need a quick laptop solution for school, and I figured a G3 would be a good starting point to familiarize myself with the MAC software and operation. If I do get into it I will bite the bullet and go w/ a much higher end setup, but I know if I do end up doing that I will still have a use for the laptop (school will be ongoing, etc0.

I'm completely aware this is not something I want long term if I do get into complex editing, etc, and do dig the setup. I just want a starting point solution so to speak. Something that will run my schoolwork smoothly, but still give me enough to at least try to learn the workings of some other programs to see if I like em enough to ditch the PC as the main station.
 
digitard said:
Yeah I figure a 500mhz G3 (or g3 in general) will not be what I want to use long term.
Click to expand...
Sure, sure, was just letting you know it will be hella slow, so just don't have huge expectations, and bear in mind the jumps you will get with your real machine. Best of luck, hope you enjoy using OS X 🙂
 
I'm going to say go aheand a spend a couple hundred more on an iBook with a G4. Here's my thought:

You want to get famillier with the Mac environment but don't really need a ton of power. If you start out with a G3 running Panther, you aren't going to get a very good user experience, and it may tarnish your first impressions of the system. Things like Quartz and having the G4 helping with video and audio will make a big difference. I'm not speaking from experience, just speculation, but I feel like a G3 laptop may be more frustrating than enlightening.

Go ahead and get a low end G4 to get aquainted with the current Mac software lineup. This setup will also serve you excellently for your web surfing and office apps. If you decide that you really want to get into using a Mac for video editing and graphics, you would want to look at something with a G5, such as a Powermac or iMac.


This reminds me of starting out on guitar. If you haven't played before, you need something to learn on. You're not sure if you're going to stick with it though, so there's no way you're going to spend $2,500 on the best. However, if you only put down $100 on the bottom of the line, the components and build quality will hinder your experience to the point that you may quit playing the guitar out of frustration. I feel that it's important to make sure that you're the limiting factor, because you can improve yourself. When the equipment is the limiting factor the situation will not improve as you learn.

[Is there spellcheck in the post composition page? I'm on a Windows machine right now... and I really miss the system wide spellcheck. Well anyway, please forgive the spelling errors that run rampant throughout my post.]
 
Thanks for the info. The other reason I'm looking nito a G3 is that the gf will probably take the laptop if I upgrade so that'd be fine for her (she's running an AMD 400 on her ghetto PC ...lol).

I'm really debating b oth sides now though... G3 for starters and upgrade to my own laptop after, or just buy the G4 and upgrade again if needed.
 
The previous model iBook G4s arn't that much. Check out Apple's hotdeals website. Its on the store site, but on the right side about halfway down. That is where refurb and older model new computers are sold.
 
I would try to swing the G4, but with that being said, I'm typing this from a G3 iBook 500 with only 320 MB of RAM. I use it to do my internet thing, some iPhoto stuff, and I have even used it to do some minor iMovie stuff. For I movie when you are adding effects and stuff just be prepared to wait! But, it sounds like you don't want to spend much money, so I would say go for it. For around $500 you still get a pretty cool looking computer that works great for me doing Office X applications. In fact I do all the Power Point presentations for my church, and we use this computer every Sunday to run the Power Point. So, if you doin't want to spend money, and don't mind waiting a little, and you won't hold some of the slow speed against the Mac, then go ahead and get it. I promise you will enjoy it.

But....I still am trying to find ways to get a refurb G4 for Apple.com!
 
Yeah I'm thinking of going w/ the G3 just so I can have something (cause I do want to start school ASAP and an extra 250 bucks cuts into school funds) and then buy myself a nice used G4 a few months later and give the G3 to the gf as a gift or something.

You guys are giving me some great info. I do appreciate it. I'll be around here lots...lol
 
hehe yeah the "happy girlfriend factor" is very high priority too... since we live together ...lol. She has a old AMD 400 I picked up free from my old work (although she has a nice flat panel we got on sale). Its such a piece of junk.

A G3 500mhz Ibook would be a ton faster and portable.

Then at least I have a nice laptop for school and save up for 3 months and buy a nice Apple refurb G4 1ghz or higher.
 
G3 vs G4

Well, I have run iMovie on a G3 iBook as well as Final Cut Express on a G4 Powerbook.

There's a difference, of course, but if you want to save money and get a taste of things, I have to honestly say the G3 iBook wasn't all that bad. iMovie worked fine for some of the small scale projects I made including a video for my sister's wedding reception. It wasn't Apocalypse Now but heck, it worked!

Of course I don't think they have superdrives so burning DVDs will be problematic, but I could be wrong...
 
I have a burner on my PC I use for all my burning. Until I decide I want to convert over to mac editing I plan to use my PC for editing since I have multiple editing programs and I can read just about any type of video format.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back