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iBook G3 600 to G4 1.2

D

deebster

macrumors 6502
Original poster
It feels like time to replace my 2.5 year old iBook with a new one, so I was wondering how much faster it will feel in normal use.

I mainly use mine for web stuff, iTunes, watch the occasional movie and sometimes do a bit of video ripping / encoding to VCD.

Obviously it will be faster on the CPU intensive stuff like encoding (some idea of the increase would be nice though), but will I notice a marked improvement in speed of less demanding applications?

My current iBook has maxed out RAM (640 MB) and the 512 chip I put in is 133 Mhz I believe. Of course it is only running at 100 as that is my iBook's max. Will this chip still work in the new one, as that has a 266 Mhz RAM? It is from cruical, by the way, not generic RAM.

At home I only have crappy dialup (broadband still unavailable), but now that all ~Books come with Airport Extreme, I was thinking about going wireless. Would I be able to get a cheap (ie non Apple) base station to use within the house, or would I be better off with Airport? I like the Airport Express iTunes linkup but not the price.
 
I think you'd see quite a big step up from your current setting because you're doubling the processor speed and adding alti-vec, which is good for apps like iLife and Photoshop I believe.

The iBook G4s have better keyboards than the G3 ones too and you'll see imporvements in graphics, etc. I believe your iBook may not even be able to run Quartz Extreme as it may only have 8MB VRAM. Depends which model you have.

As for wireless, you need broadband to take advantage of AirPort Express (although AirTunes is very good!). The other (less convenient) option is to have another computer (Mac or PC) that connects to the internet and has a cheap Wireless card in it (AirPort/AE card if it is a Mac) and then set it to share the internet connection. You wouldn't need a base station because you could set up a computer to computer network adn that would give you wireless internet but only when the other computer (that is plugged in) is on and connected.

I'm not sure about routers with modems in, but you should be able to get a cheap wireless router for not that much money (certainly much cheaper than Apple's offerings) but you may have to check for Mac compatibility first.

One thing's for certain, the new iBooks are extremely good value, especially the 12" model. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Thanks Johnny.

Yes, it is an 8 MB VRAM model, so I don't get Quartz Extreme support. I had been thinking about waiting until the iBooks were (hopefully) revised again to be compatible with Tiger's Core Image, but from reading other posts it seems to be not much of a big deal.

I like the second Mac idea, but sadly I have just the one, and where I live (Thailand) there isn't much of a second hand market. There isn't much of a new one either though, so no chance of any BTO options here 🙁

I'll have a look around at routers. Presumably I need one with a built in modem, but would it need to be ethernet or USB?
 
You should be able to find something on the PC side of things that has a modem in it. USB routers will work (check Mac compatibility) and are generally cheaper but the disadvantage (especially with laptops) is that they have to be plugged in to your computer to access the internet (therefore not being wireless) and can only be used for one computer per internet connection (the one that it's plugged into) unless you use internet sharing as I previously stated.

Ethernet routers are better because you can plug them in and then connect your iBook to them via AirPort (if they are a wireless router) or ethernet. Once you do eventually get broadband, you'll only have to plug it into there and you'll get an always on connection.

Again I'm not sure that much about these routers for dial-up 56k modem connections but there must be some around. I've found it's quite confusing the range of products out there. For example, I now use ADSL broadband (most common form of broadband in UK) and this comes from our phone line but in the US they use cable broadband mainly. Obviously, you're looking for something like a non-Apple branded version of the Airport Extreme base station with built in modem so you could check out the specs on Apple's page and then try to find a cheaper alterantive that contains most of those specs.

Sorry this post is proabably not that coherent 😛

As for core image, I wouldn't worry about that. Tiger will still run very well - you just won't necessarily get all the snazzy effects on dashboard but I'm not sure if I will on my PB either. It doesn't hamper system performance and you'd need a G5 if you wanted to use Motion or similar type things anyway.

I haven't looked but is there an Apple Online Store for Thailand? Then you could get BTO options. The other alternative is to go to the US on holiday 😀. The main problem with the 12" iBook stock machine is that it only comes with a 30GB HD, which is a little on the skinny side these days.

You should get the new iBook 🙂
 
Dang, reading this forum, I wonder if I shouldn't just save up for a brand new iBook because I don't want to only have like 8MB of VRAM and that. I was thinking about buying a G3 iBook from this one person on the net. But reading this, I may not. I may just save up, hey I have $100 saved up and its not going anywhere.
 
Thanks again. I reckon that was pretty coherent mate 🙂

As you can tell, I don't know a fat lot about wireless and routers, having never had a broadband connection of my own. Hence the stoopid USB question 🙄

I could get an iBook BTO from the UK (where I hail from), but it's around £100 more expensive than Thai prices at the moment. Unless of course I can find a way to get it via Edu or VAT-free discount. As for that trip to the States, meh, don't fancy being fingerprinted all that much.

Yeah, the skinny HD is a bit of a bummer though. Right now I only have 20 GB and it's not full, but I know I would find plenty of stuff to put on a nice fat 60 Gigger.

Ho hum, guess I can't have it both ways.
 
slooksterPSV said:
Dang, reading this forum, I wonder if I shouldn't just save up for a brand new iBook because I don't want to only have like 8MB of VRAM and that. I was thinking about buying a G3 iBook from this one person on the net. But reading this, I may not. I may just save up, hey I have $100 saved up and its not going anywhere.
Click to expand...
The steady price drops and increase in specs of the new iBook lines have meant that buying a second hand machine is less of a viable option. You could always have a look at Apple refurb machines too - they are essentially new but with a discount and they come with full warranty. You wouldn't find a refurb model of any of the new machines yet though.
 
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