Buying an iBook G4

[Satch]

Hello Apple-Fans,

At the moment i'm borrowing a Powermac G4 (533 Mhz, 896 MB, geforce 2 32Mb, Panther) from my Uncle. I'm Fairly impressed by OS X. Impressed in such a way that i've decided to make the jump from Windows to OS X!

The Powermac that i'm using has only 2 disadvantages: It's slow. When I disable Shadows it's a lot snappier, but still to slow. I can't even watch a decent movie on Youtube. The other disadvantage is that the Image Quality is rubbish at my 24" Dell monitor. Any resolution above 1024x768 is unusable for watching movies.

Since my budget is not very big, i'm looking for a iBook G4
For arround 450-500 Euro's (yes I live in Holland) i can get a iBook G4 1,2 Ghz, 1GB ram.
Will this be a lot faster than my Powermac? The clockspeed is doubled...

Usage:
(Wireless) Internet
Garageband!
Watching Movies/Series
a little torrents/limewire
Chatting
Connect to my Dell 24" Monitor. (VGA output isn't better then the powermac Geforce 2 i suspect?)

Is it smart to buy a iBook G4? Or has anyone other suggestions?

Note: I'm from The Netherlands, My english isn't perfect, my apologies for that.

edit: Was i supposed to post this topic in : 'Buying Tips, Advice and Discussion' ?

 

[princealfie]

iBook G4 are an awesome bargain right now. I really love them a lot and I still use them quite a bit.

 

[dartzorichalcos]

You could still get by with a PowerBook G3 with Mac OS 10.2 or 10.3. Just make sure you add the most RAM you could and possibly give it a G4 Processor. I think PowerBook G3 are pretty cheap these days.

 

[CanadaRAM]

You could still get by with a PowerBook G3 with Mac OS 10.2 or 10.3. Just make sure you add the most RAM you could and possibly give it a G4 Processor. I think PowerBook G3 are pretty cheap these days.

Whaaa? You'd have to be nuts to spend the money to upgrade the CPU on a Powerbook G3 when you could buy a G4 machine and maybe even a refurb MacBook CD for the same money... The reliability of BlackG3s is way overrated IMO. They are prone to processor card burnout.

 

[dpaanlka]

The reliability of BlackG3s is way overrated IMO.

Titaniums are much worse. They're prone to literally physically falling apart.

 

[dartzorichalcos]

A Mac Mini will be fine for your needs too.

Subtotal $674.00

Specifications

1.66GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
60GB Serial ATA drive
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Intel GMA 950 graphics
Accessory kit

Also are you going to be burning movies? If so, this would be a good option too.
Subtotal $874.00

Specifications

1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
80GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Intel GMA 950 graphics
Accessory kit

 

[Satch]

A Mac Mini will be fine for your needs too.

Subtotal $674.00

Specifications

1.66GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
60GB Serial ATA drive
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Intel GMA 950 graphics
Accessory kit

Also are you going to be burning movies? If so, this would be a good option too.
Subtotal $874.00

Specifications

1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
80GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Intel GMA 950 graphics
Accessory kit

I want to be mobile, so it has to be a Laptop. I'm sorry that wasn't clear.
I think my best option is to wait for the macbook with x3000 gpu for maximum price/performance.

On the otherside, i can buy a iBook G4 to use it several months and sell it when the upgrades are near..

Btw: thanks for the replies guys!

 

[thequicksilver]

Hello Apple-Fans,

At the moment i'm borrowing a Powermac G4 (533 Mhz, 896 MB, geforce 2 32Mb, Panther) from my Uncle. I'm Fairly impressed by OS X. Impressed in such a way that i've decided to make the jump from Windows to OS X!

The Powermac that i'm using has only 2 disadvantages: It's slow. When I disable Shadows it's a lot snappier, but still to slow. I can't even watch a decent movie on Youtube. The other disadvantage is that the Image Quality is rubbish at my 24" Dell monitor. Any resolution above 1024x768 is unusable for watching movies.

Since my budget is not very big, i'm looking for a iBook G4
For arround 450-500 Euro's (yes I live in Holland) i can get a iBook G4 1,2 Ghz, 1GB ram.
Will this be a lot faster than my Powermac? The clockspeed is doubled...

Usage:
(Wireless) Internet
Garageband!
Watching Movies/Series
a little torrents/limewire
Chatting
Connect to my Dell 24" Monitor. (VGA output isn't better then the powermac Geforce 2 i suspect?)

Is it smart to buy a iBook G4? Or has anyone other suggestions?

Note: I'm from The Netherlands, My english isn't perfect, my apologies for that.

edit: Was i supposed to post this topic in : 'Buying Tips, Advice and Discussion' ?

Your English is fine - no need to apologise. Better than our Dutch that's for sure.

Now for the uses that you mentioned, the iBook G4 would work well. I don't know how much faster it would be than your Powermac but I owned a 1GHz iBook with 768MB memory until about a year ago, and I used it for everything from iDVD to YouTube watching - it worked well. But there is a snag. Officially, the iBook can only mirror its output to a second monitor - no extended desktop, just mirroring. Mirroring the 12" screen on a 24" Dell isn't going to be pretty.

There is a hack which does allow the extended desktop thing but I don't know if it will allow you to use the full resolution of your monitor. I used the hack on mine to output to a 17" CRT at 1024x768 and it was fine, but 1920x1200 might be a step too far. Check this before you buy.

If you can't do this, then you're probably struggling to find a well-performing portable in your pricerange. In this case I'd strongly tip you to simply to save your cash until you can afford the one you really want. The Intel Macs are so much faster than the G4s that the extra wait would be worth it - I promise.

 

[EvilPaysRent]

There is a hack which does allow the extended desktop thing but I don't know if it will allow you to use the full resolution of your monitor. I used the hack on mine to output to a 17" CRT at 1024x768 and it was fine, but 1920x1200 might be a step too far. Check this before you buy.

I am currently using the extended desktop hack on my iBook G4 1.33 with a 20" monitor at 1280x1024, it works pretty well, though dashboard (and expose, I'm told) runs a bit slower than norm due to the video ram being split between the two screens.

In addition, there is a clamshell hack for the iBook which allows you to use all of your VRAM for an external monitor, while the iBook LCD is turned off. Just Google screenspan doctor (or something like that?) for more info.

Also this is my first post!

 

[Satch]

Your English is fine - no need to apologise. Better than our Dutch that's for sure.

Now for the uses that you mentioned, the iBook G4 would work well. I don't know how much faster it would be than your Powermac but I owned a 1GHz iBook with 768MB memory until about a year ago, and I used it for everything from iDVD to YouTube watching - it worked well. But there is a snag. Officially, the iBook can only mirror its output to a second monitor - no extended desktop, just mirroring. Mirroring the 12" screen on a 24" Dell isn't going to be pretty.

There is a hack which does allow the extended desktop thing but I don't know if it will allow you to use the full resolution of your monitor. I used the hack on mine to output to a 17" CRT at 1024x768 and it was fine, but 1920x1200 might be a step too far. Check this before you buy.

If you can't do this, then you're probably struggling to find a well-performing portable in your pricerange. In this case I'd strongly tip you to simply to save your cash until you can afford the one you really want. The Intel Macs are so much faster than the G4s that the extra wait would be worth it - I promise.

Thanks for the reply!
I've decided to wait and save for an Intel Apple. Thanks for your advice!!