building an ibook? possible?

[onthat]

I was speaking to a guy today who claims to have built a 12" ibook, black of course, with the specs of the 14" version. Says he got everything off ebay and it only set him back a total of $430.00, went on to explain all the fitments and modifications it took to get it to work. If it were possible to build a 12" ibook on your own with 14" parts, why the hell hasn't the rest of the world started doing this?

If this can actually be done, I might look into it for my girlfriend...she's broke and I can't necessarily drop a grand to get her a real one.

p.s. he's also convinced that he can put it all in an alienware case pretty soon...wtf?

 

[mad jew]

Umm, I guess you could do this from parts from defunct and older iBooks but it's a bit pointless and not easy. Putting the 14 inch iBook's internals into a 12 inch case would be difficult at best. The 14 inch case has more room so you'd need to think very carefully about where to put everything.

Also, I would personally take your friend out the back and shoot him for thinking that iBook internals should ever be put in an Alienware case. I'm pretty sure that's the first sign of insanity.

 

[onthat]

If it's possible, is there a reliable retailer with a supply of mobile g4 chips?
How much would a used logic board run?
If I can do this for cheap, I might actually look into it for my girlfriend as a birthday present.
What are my chances of finding all the parts I need, the 1.33ghz 12" iBook isn't really old hardware...most units are probably under warranty still.

Also, I built a desktop pc with a barebone kit not long ago and am wondering how difficult it would be to put this laptop together.

 

[California]

If it's possible, is there a reliable retailer with a supply of mobile g4 chips?
How much would a used logic board run?
If I can do this for cheap, I might actually look into it for my girlfriend as a birthday present.
What are my chances of finding all the parts I need, the 1.33ghz 12" iBook isn't really old hardware...most units are probably under warranty still.

Also, I built a desktop pc with a barebone kit not long ago and am wondering how difficult it would be to put this laptop together.

Well, I've got a new 1.33 trackpad palmrest, battery, bottom case and keyboard for a 12" iBook plus a used frame and toplid for the LCD. Plus the Apple iBook box and install cds. I was going to buy the parts and try to build my own iBook from scratch but then I realized that I m not a mac tech, I have a job. If you are interested in these parts, let me know. Oh, and I've also got 1gig of ram PC2700 200 pin for it to sell.

 

[onthat]

I might be interested in the trackpad and frame if the price is right, considering that I'll have to drop the most money on the boards, chips, and processor...I would definitely help you get rid of that stuff if the price is reasonable.

 

[CanadaRAM]

If it's possible, is there a reliable retailer with a supply of mobile g4 chips?
How much would a used logic board run?
If I can do this for cheap, I might actually look into it for my girlfriend as a birthday present.
What are my chances of finding all the parts I need, the 1.33ghz 12" iBook isn't really old hardware...most units are probably under warranty still.

Also, I built a desktop pc with a barebone kit not long ago and am wondering how difficult it would be to put this laptop together.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

The only way to get Mac motherboards is by pulling them out of other Macs. If you are looking to build am iBook on the cheap by cannibalizing other Macs, you need a lot of patience, luck, and searching on eBay or otherwhere for iBooks that are being parted out.

Don't hold your breath.

GF would be better off with a refurb from Apple with a warranty.

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, I agree with CanadaRAM. Building your own iBook is something for the very competent technician, not as a cheap way to get an iBook but rather as a hobby/challenge.

 

[MUCKYFINGERS]

building an ibook is not worth the effort.

just buy a damn refurb from the apple store

 

[gman71882]

I had a friend put her iBook on her car in the parking lot and then drive off with it on top... Computer slid off and destroyed the screen & HD.

She asked me if i could fix it for her... so i had her buy an Ibook for parts off ebay... she paid $100. Then i had her buy a new notebook HD - 40GB.

So i frankensteined the two computers together to create one LIVING MACHINE hehe
came out really well... about 2 hours of work, alot of fun to do, plus i learned alot in the process. If you like that kind of work then go for it.

 

[onthat]

well, I've got until august 19th...I'm going to give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, I'll just part out what I get and try and get my money back.

Oh, and the 12" iBook with the 14" specs is real, not sure if he just found a way to upgrade the chipset or if he actually put it together from pieces he had acquired from dead books. It has a black matte finish, no gloss whatsoever, had the keys painted black and airbrushed the keys in a goofy looking font, the apple logo on the back of the lcd is grey...possibly from a powerbook, and he used some sort of black latex type material to cover the trackpad...kinda like a rubber examination glove. It was by no means nice, it was obvious that he had done it himself