900Mhz iBook G3....... I bought one.

[macgeek2005]

I know this is kinda invalid to be posting here, because i've already bought it, but i'm feeling a little skeptical.. so I thought i'd just ask what you guys think.

I just bought for $484 (including shipping and insurance), a pre-owned 12 inch 900Mhz G3 iBook. It has everything the way it came originaly. Radeon 7500/32mb, 256mb of ram, 40GB hard drive, and Combo drive.

Do you think what I did was a good idea? Keep in mind that i'm not planning to get a macbook pro until they have Merom, so I got this to hold me over until then.

Thanks,

edit: I don't have it yet, I only ordered it yesterday.

 

[baby duck monge]

I would say you overpaid by a bit, BUT it's not a bad computer. As long as you're not looking to do anything terribly intense on it, and if you're planning on ungrading to a new laptop in the vaguely near future, you should be fine. Though I would look into adding a bit more RAM to that bad boy - you will see a vast improvement by knocking it up to 640MB.

I used the 800mhz version as a backup computer until recently (though I had wireless, which was nice), and it served its purpose nobly.

 

[Arnaud]

Hi,

It all depends on what you plan to do with it...
I've got one, albeit 700MHz, in addition to my iMac G5 1.8GHz.

I like the fact that it's small and compact, and still decent for all I plan to do with it - i.e., what I need to do when away from the G5, like word processing, excel, small graphic works, video playing and the like -.

It runs fairly well, I must say, for these tasks, even Illustrator and Photoshop (for small tasks, and with some time for the filters). But I go back to the iMac for video edition and heavier works.

You might want to max up the ram, though. And beware: iLife'06 won't run on it.

Hope it helps,
Arnaud.

 

[Arnaud]

The thing is, a laptop never loses all value, as it's always portable. The same cannot be said for (more powerful) desktop units (about the value, and also the portability of course )

A.

 

[macgeek2005]

Hi,

It all depends on what you plan to do with it...
I've got one, albeit 700MHz, in addition to my iMac G5 1.8GHz.

I like the fact that it's small and compact, and still decent for all I plan to do with it - i.e., what I need to do when away from the G5, like word processing, excel, small graphic works, video playing and the like -.

It runs fairly well, I must say, for these tasks, even Illustrator and Photoshop (for small tasks, and with some time for the filters). But I go back to the iMac for video edition and heavier works.

You might want to max up the ram, though. And beware: iLife'06 won't run on it.

Hope it helps,
Arnaud.

iLife 06 won't run on it? Why not, is it in the system requirments?

edit: How easy is it to install ram in an iBook? I've never done it, nor seen it done.

 

[Eidorian]

iLife 06 won't run on it? Why not, is it in the system requirments?

edit: How easy is it to install ram in an iBook? I've never done it, nor seen it done.

You need a G4 for iLife '06.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/50.4.0.html

 

[macgeek2005]

Alright thanks! I can't afford a 512 chip right now... for some reason they're like $90, and the 256's are $27. Maybe i'll get a 256, and have 384mb in my computer.. that wouldn't be so bad would it?

 

[Eidorian]

Alright thanks! I can't afford a 512 chip right now... for some reason they're like $90, and the 256's are $27. Maybe i'll get a 256, and have 384mb in my computer.. that wouldn't be so bad would it?

It'll be a little sluggish but you'll survive.

 

[macgeek2005]

It'll be a little sluggish but you'll survive.

Wait a second. The computer operates fine with 256. Going to 384 would be an upgrade, making it work fairly well. Am I wrong?

 

[Eidorian]

Wait a second. The computer operates fine with 256. Going to 384 would be an upgrade, making it work fairly well. Am I wrong?

I used an iBook G3 500 MHz with 10.3.9 and 384 MB of RAM. It was sluggish from time to time. That's with just Finder and Safari open. I believe it was due to the lack of Quartz Extreme though.

 

[macgeek2005]

I used an iBook G3 500 MHz with 10.3.9 and 384 MB of RAM. It was sluggish from time to time. That's with just Finder and Safari open. I believe it was due to the lack of Quartz Extreme though.

What's Quartz Extreme? Will I be able to get it?

 

[Eidorian]

What's Quartz Extreme? Will I be able to get it?

Yes, you have a Radeon in that iBook.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz_Extreme

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/quartzextreme/

 

[baby duck monge]

What's Quartz Extreme? Will I be able to get it?

Quartz Extreme is a method of taking some of the load from graphics work off your processor, and yes your computer will support it. As to your question about RAM installation, it's exceedingly simple, and only requires a small screw driver.

 

[macgeek2005]

Quartz Extreme is a method of taking some of the load from graphics work off your processor, and yes your computer will support it. As to your question about RAM installation, it's exceedingly simple, and only requires a small screw driver.

Is Quartz extreme built into tiger? Cause i'll be installing Tiger the minute I get the computer (It comes with Panther on it).

 

[Eidorian]

Is Quartz extreme built into tiger? Cause i'll be installing Tiger the minute I get the computer (It comes with Panther on it).

It's been in OS X since 10.2.

 

[macgeek2005]

Oh right! The 500mhz ibook doesn't have a radeon. Alright.. well I won't get any ram for starters, and see how it runs.. if it's a bit too slow, i'll get a 256, if it's alot too slow, i'll get a 512.

Thanks for the help.

 

[human657]

wait for the 512 chip

you'll be glad you did. I promise.

 

[FF_productions]

The more ram, the better, have at least 512 if you want acceptable performance.

 

[macgeek2005]

The more ram, the better, have at least 512 if you want acceptable performance.

Damn, I really don't have the money for it though. I have $16!!! That's all! Like seriously. I could sell my Extended Lord of the Rings Trilogy or something.. but I don't really want too.

 

[Play Ultimate]

My wife uses the computer that you have.
It uses iLife '05, etc. Has I think 640MB of Ram. Works fine with OS10.3.9 no problems. (Didn't see a need to go to Panther since we can't get DSL/Cable at the house. Not willing to pay for satellite yet.)

Be aware of the logic board issue. On that computer there is a known problem of a wire breaking across the hinge and the screen going out. (We've had it repaired twice in the <3 years that we've had it, most recently two months ago.)

Take a look at the Apple website here:
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/

Note that the program ended in 2005, or 3 years after original purchase;which is probably coming up real soon on that computer.

Also, it takes the original Airport card only, which Apple no longer makes.

 

[macgeek2005]

My wife uses the computer that you have.
It uses iLife '05, etc. Has I think 640MB of Ram. Works fine with OS10.3.9 no problems. (Didn't see a need to go to Panther since we can't get DSL/Cable at the house. Not willing to pay for satellite yet.)

Be aware of the logic board issue. On that computer there is a known problem of a wire breaking across the hinge and the screen going out. (We've had it repaired twice in the <3 years that we've had it, most recently two months ago.)

Take a look at the Apple website here:
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/

Note that the program ended in 2005, or 3 years after original purchase;which is probably coming up real soon on that computer.

Also, it takes the original Airport card only, which Apple no longer makes.

What exactly do you mean by "Note that the program ended in 2005, or 3 years after original purchase;which is probably coming up real soon on that computer."??

I don't quite understand.

 

[baby duck monge]

What exactly do you mean by "Note that the program ended in 2005, or 3 years after original purchase;which is probably coming up real soon on that computer."??

I don't quite understand.

He means that if you haven't already passed it, you're quickly coming up on the date after which you will no longer be eligible for the repair. You probably won't need it, though, so don't worry about it too much.

And as far as the RAM goes, I ran my 800mhz one with only 128 until I could afford the 512 stick to add to it. It was slow as all get out, and you could only really run one program at a time, but it worked. When I got the 512 to add it was like getting a whole new computer! So stick with what you've got until you can go all the way, and then don't hesitate to max it out. Be sure to keep your eyes open at dealram.com for good deals.

 

[macgeek2005]

He means that if you haven't already passed it, you're quickly coming up on the date after which you will no longer be eligible for the repair. You probably won't need it, though, so don't worry about it too much.

And as far as the RAM goes, I ran my 800mhz one with only 128 until I could afford the 512 stick to add to it. It was slow as all get out, and you could only really run one program at a time, but it worked. When I got the 512 to add it was like getting a whole new computer! So stick with what you've got until you can go all the way, and then don't hesitate to max it out. Be sure to keep your eyes open at dealram.com for good deals.

Okay, so the logic board thing doesn't happen on every unit right? Good. In that case, it won't happen on mine, because my computers never have problems. It's not that i'm lucky in getting perfect units, I just believe that they will not have problems, and as long as I believe, it happends.

About the ram... yeah, i'll stick with the 256 for now, and then upgrade to 640 later. All i'll really be doing is typing, playing some old games (Reckless Drivin, Cro-Mag Rally etc), and maybe composing in Sibelius 3, which runs fine on older systems.

 

[macgeek2005]

Hey guys, sorry for double posting, and bringing this thread back up... but this is giving me a headache. What are the chances that my logic board is gonna fail, and my screen will go black, and i'll have thrown $484 into the garbage?

Did this problem happen on EVERY unit? Please tell me it wasn't that common a problem.........

thanks.....

 

[topicolo]

hey macgeek, I sent you a PM about some ram for your ibook if you're interested.