Best iBook Clamshell?

[iModFrenzy]

I am planning to get a Clamshell but I'm not sure which model is the best. I would prefer to get the tangerine version, but for the price of these clamshells I wanna make the right choice(prices go up to 200-300 some even reaching 500-700)

By any chance are the Clamshell processors upgradable or overclockable?

 

[bunnspecial]

The best is the 466mhz SE, which only came in Graphite and Lime. These tend to bring higher prices.

The second best is the 366mhz FW model, which came in Indigo or Lime. I have one of these-in Indigo. These are a little bit more reasonable. I paid I think $55+shipping for mine, although I did get the original box, documentation(including restore disks) and the original "hockey puck" charger.

If you want Tangerine, you will need to stick to the first generation model, which is 300mhz and lacks Firewire.

I'm not aware of any overclocking or processor upgrades possible on these. They are completely passively cooled(no fan) and the heatsink is a relatively thin piece of metal. The thermal design is probably at its limit in the 466mhz model.

 

[Hrududu]

Well the best would be the 466MHz SE FireWire models. Those were in only in Graphite and Key Lime. The Tangerine case lacks the opening for the FireWire port that is on the 466 logic boards, so there isn't an easy way to make the left side of a Clamshell in Tangerine. You can't swap the CPU, but if you can solder, you can overlock them. The 300 can run at 400 or 433MHz fairly well, so that would be as fast as you could get a Tangerine model to run.

 

[weckart]

The FW models have twice the video memory of the earlier Clamshells. This allows native DVD playback if you have an SE model and video out if that matters to you. You can also swap out the LCD panel for an XGA resolution panel if you don't mind a little modding. The FW models will also run Tiger natively. The earlier models stop at Panther.

 

[redheeler]

The thermal design is probably at its limit in the 466mhz model.

Yes, there's a reason they were the last fanless Apple laptop ever sold... until this month.

 

[tom vilsack]

I wish I had never sold my clamshell a few years back...there getting more $$$ on ebay as time goes by.