Debating between getting a PowerBook G4 DLSD or a 2006 MacBook Pro

[MacFoxG4]

Hello all,

So for a while I have been thinking about getting an Apple laptop that has similar capabilities to my upgraded Sawtooth. I love the Sawtooth, but sometimes I feel the need for the convenience of a laptop. It would also be nice to have a backup Mac in case the Sawtooth dies. I would love to have an Apple laptop that can run Leopard/Snow Leopard and be able to do the same things on it that I can do on the Sawtooth. What I mainly do on the Sawtooth is web browsing along with writing via Word 2004. I also use PPCMC a lot. For reference, here's some of the Sawtooth's specs:

1.5 ghz G4 7455 CPU
2 GB of RAM
128 MB of VRAM

The only PPC Apple laptops that match or exceed all of these specs is the 1.67 ghz 17'' non-DLSD and the PowerBook G4 DLSD, which seems to be highly sought after. The non-DLSD 1.67ghz 17'' doesn't seem to be that common either. There is also the option of early Intel. The 2006 MacBook Pro has the same aesthetics as the PBG4 DLSD, but seems to be easier to find (it is often cheaper as well, though prices on old Apple Macs seems to be rising lately). My concern with the MacBook Pro is that PPC native apps are emulated.

So, on the one hand I love PPC and the DLSD would be the best for native PPC app compatibility. On the other hand, the 2006 MacBook Pro seems to be easier (and occasionally cheaper) to find.

Which laptop should I go with? Any other models I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Imixmuan]

Macbook Pro

1) Two processors these days better than one
2) Can in theory run x86 Linux (although my 2007 has a jittery trackpad, making it essentially useless-no fix for it)
3) Can run Windows 10, and it runs well (search youtube for NeilMaztr's video of his SSD upgraded 2006 Macbook Pro, snappy and can stream 720p in Edge no issue).

Powerbook G4

1)Nostalgia for the Apple of old
2)Fun
3)More Fun

 

[bobesch]

Hello all,

So for a while I have been thinking about getting an Apple laptop that has similar capabilities to my upgraded Sawtooth. I love the Sawtooth, but sometimes I feel the need for the convenience of a laptop. It would also be nice to have a backup Mac in case the Sawtooth dies. I would love to have an Apple laptop that can run Leopard/Snow Leopard and be able to do the same things on it that I can do on the Sawtooth. What I mainly do on the Sawtooth is web browsing along with writing via Word 2004. I also use PPCMC a lot. For reference, here's some of the Sawtooth's specs:

1.5 ghz G4 7455 CPU
2 GB of RAM
128 MB of VRAM

The only PPC Apple laptops that match or exceed all of these specs is the 1.67 ghz 17'' non-DLSD and the PowerBook G4 DLSD, which seems to be highly sought after. The non-DLSD 1.67ghz 17'' doesn't seem to be that common either. There is also the option of early Intel. The 2006 MacBook Pro has the same aesthetics as the PBG4 DLSD, but seems to be easier to find (it is often cheaper as well, though prices on old Apple Macs seems to be rising lately). My concern with the MacBook Pro is that PPC native apps are emulated.

So, on the one hand I love PPC and the DLSD would be the best for native PPC app compatibility. On the other hand, the 2006 MacBook Pro seems to be easier (and occasionally cheaper) to find.

Which laptop should I go with? Any other models I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

Oh, You've got a nice collection of Macs, covering os8/9, Tiger/Classic and Leopard.
So I'd go for an early intel.
My choice would be an early 2008 MBP4,1 that give's you the full range of OSX from Leopard to Mojave and throw in a medium-size 240GB SSD for dual-boot.
But the early intels are at risk to have a sudden GPU-failure (unless the GPU had been replaced/refurbished).
So on the long run a late Powerbook might be more reliable ...

 

[eyoungren]

Hello all,

So for a while I have been thinking about getting an Apple laptop that has similar capabilities to my upgraded Sawtooth. I love the Sawtooth, but sometimes I feel the need for the convenience of a laptop. It would also be nice to have a backup Mac in case the Sawtooth dies. I would love to have an Apple laptop that can run Leopard/Snow Leopard and be able to do the same things on it that I can do on the Sawtooth. What I mainly do on the Sawtooth is web browsing along with writing via Word 2004. I also use PPCMC a lot. For reference, here's some of the Sawtooth's specs:

1.5 ghz G4 7455 CPU
2 GB of RAM
128 MB of VRAM

The only PPC Apple laptops that match or exceed all of these specs is the 1.67 ghz 17'' non-DLSD and the PowerBook G4 DLSD, which seems to be highly sought after. The non-DLSD 1.67ghz 17'' doesn't seem to be that common either. There is also the option of early Intel. The 2006 MacBook Pro has the same aesthetics as the PBG4 DLSD, but seems to be easier to find (it is often cheaper as well, though prices on old Apple Macs seems to be rising lately). My concern with the MacBook Pro is that PPC native apps are emulated.

So, on the one hand I love PPC and the DLSD would be the best for native PPC app compatibility. On the other hand, the 2006 MacBook Pro seems to be easier (and occasionally cheaper) to find.

Which laptop should I go with? Any other models I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

Being the owner of a 2006 17" MBP, I can say there isn't really much difference between it and a late model PB. You can run Snow Leopard of course, which is really an enhanced version of Leopard. Install Rosetta and you're covered for your PowerPC options.

Other than a faster processor though, you're still limited to 2GB of ram.

The downside is that apps for SL are hard to find, sometimes much harder than finding PowerPC apps. Your browser options are limited. TenFourFox does not work on SL. There's been a number of recent browser releases around here, which has helped considerably though and those are basically your only real choice. Safari on SL is old and there is no SLWK. Opera is old, Chrome is old. Unlike with PowerPC, you can't really work around stuff. No one is doing for early Intel what is happening for PowerPC. That may change in the future, but IDK.

On the other hand, Office 2008 runs well, Adobe CS5 can be run and you have access to the App Store (assuming you can find anything to run on SL).

I guess it just depends on what you want to do. I mean a 2006 MBP is only going to marginally be better.

 

[Amethyst1]

Other than a faster processor though, you're still limited to 2GB of ram

A Core (2) Duo is a lot faster than a G4.
[automerge]1592057419[/automerge]

Unlike with PowerPC, you can't really work around stuff

You can install an up-to-date version of Windows or Linux natively or in a virtual machine and get access to a current browser.

​

 

[eyoungren]

A Core (2) Duo is a lot faster than a G4.
[automerge]1592057419[/automerge]

You can install an up-to-date version of Windows or Linux natively or in a virtual machine and get access to a current browser.

​

Faster processor, sure. I'm just not certain about where that really comes into play.

And the last time I tried to install Windows natively it did work. But because Win 7 was not Bootcamp supported, I had to track down drivers myself. The ethernet driver was a real PITA to find.

 

[Amethyst1]

Faster processor, sure. I'm just not certain about where that really comes into play.

Literally everywhere I'd say.
[automerge]1592058337[/automerge]

But because Win 7 was not Bootcamp supported, I had to track down drivers myself. The ethernet driver was a real PITA to find.

That's right but it's still an option not available on PPC (VPC doesn't count in my book as it's way too slow).

 

[2984839]

The 2006 MacBook Pro is the faster, newer, better supported choice.

I'd take the PowerBook G4 over it any day.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Hello all,

So for a while I have been thinking about getting an Apple laptop that has similar capabilities to my upgraded Sawtooth. I love the Sawtooth, but sometimes I feel the need for the convenience of a laptop. It would also be nice to have a backup Mac in case the Sawtooth dies. I would love to have an Apple laptop that can run Leopard/Snow Leopard and be able to do the same things on it that I can do on the Sawtooth. What I mainly do on the Sawtooth is web browsing along with writing via Word 2004. I also use PPCMC a lot. For reference, here's some of the Sawtooth's specs:

1.5 ghz G4 7455 CPU
2 GB of RAM
128 MB of VRAM

The only PPC Apple laptops that match or exceed all of these specs is the 1.67 ghz 17'' non-DLSD and the PowerBook G4 DLSD, which seems to be highly sought after. The non-DLSD 1.67ghz 17'' doesn't seem to be that common either. There is also the option of early Intel. The 2006 MacBook Pro has the same aesthetics as the PBG4 DLSD, but seems to be easier to find (it is often cheaper as well, though prices on old Apple Macs seems to be rising lately). My concern with the MacBook Pro is that PPC native apps are emulated.

So, on the one hand I love PPC and the DLSD would be the best for native PPC app compatibility. On the other hand, the 2006 MacBook Pro seems to be easier (and occasionally cheaper) to find.

Which laptop should I go with? Any other models I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

The reason why the Powerbook G4 DSLD is holding its value is because it is one of the fastest G4 laptops that still come with both the Firewire 400 & 800 port, S-Video output and the internal modem for faxing purposes. There are still businesses that need the Firewire 400/800 port for scanning film or scanning legal and medical documents, attaching to high end Firewire DACs and mixers that are cheaper than the USB versions, legacy video format conversion and the faxing feature is still used today for sending legal and medical documents over the phone line even in 2020, where email is considered unsafe unless you know PGP and or ProtonMail!! But most business people really want simplicity and a fax machine or fax modem is really simple to operate. Most modern iOS app that support encrypted VOIP also support fax reception. That is also the reason why I still own the G4 DSLD because of the internal fax modem and the Firewire 400 and 800 port for legacy Firewire equipment. The only other machine that has these is my PowerMac G5, but is obviously not as portable as my G4 DSLD. The Macbook Pro 2006 dropped those 3 connectivity and put an Express34 expansion port in its place.

So if you want to mirror the function of your sawtooth, then the G4 DSLD is the best closest machine that does that. Again, it's unfortunate that demand drove its current prices above the Intel Core Duo Macbook Pros even if it is a slightly better machine overall.

In regards to writing, I standardised on Libre Office on all my computers be it Linux, Mac OSX and Windows 10 and 8.1 and I have a copy of the PPC version running on my G4.

 

[bobesch]

Being the owner of a 2006 17" MBP, ... [snip] On the other hand, Office 2008 runs well, ... [snip snip]

As of Office'08: a jack of all trade! Works on all of my used OSX versions from PPC/Tiger up to Mojave.
My choice would be a "late" early-intel with Core2duo and dual-boot or more (Leopard or SL and ElCap or HighSierra or Mojave Patch). As @Amethyst1 said, they are also fine for virtual machines with old Windows (W2k runs blazing fast), Linux, BSD etc. VMware Fusion also offers virtualization of Leopard/SL-Server (e.g to run Office'04 or Rosetta-stuff), but the virtual machine gets a fixed harddrive volume, that consumes some space on the drive.

@iluvmacs99 ... and the late early-intel also sport FW400/800, but offer S-video only through DVI-S-Video-adapter and fax through an old Apple-USB-Modem (/w Leopard - BTW my favorite fax-app is "PageSender"). And they have the ExpressCard-slot for USB3, CardReaders etc.
Well, I like them both, the late early-intel and the late Powerbooks (and like the donkey standing between to bales of hay I choosed to eat them both one after the other rather than to starve in the middle)

Here's to the late PB and the late-"earlies" ...

 

[Amethyst1]

The reason why the Powerbook G4 DSLD is holding its value is because it is one of the fastest G4 laptops that still come with both the Firewire 400 & 800 port, S-Video output and the internal modem for faxing purposes.

If it's just because of the ports, a 1.67GHz SLSD will do the job just as nicely. The lower screen resolution, DDR1 and less capable SuperDrive don't matter (all that much) in this case. It's my impression that the DLSD is mainly sought after simply because it's the last PowerBook produced - after the Intel switch was announced to boot.
[automerge]1592071654[/automerge]

My choice would be an early 2008 MBP4,1 that give's you the full range of OSX from Leopard to Mojave

The 4,1 will run everything from Tiger to Catalina so it really is the jack of all trades MBP once the GPU has been fixed - I'm actually looking forward to seeing macOS 10.16 hacked onto it just because.

 

[bobesch]

The 4,1 will run everything from Tiger to Catalina so it really is the jack of all trades MBP once the GPU has been fixed - I'm actually looking forward to seeing macOS 10.16 hacked onto it just because.

I didn't mention Catalina 'cause I don't like it. Don't like to loose 32bit-support and I don't like the loss of downward compatibility of file-system- and connectivity support for elder Macs.
Well, if you're about to make a fresh start without looking back or if you depent on the latest and fastest, Catalina and the macOS versions, that will follow might be something to be happy with.
Makes me think, that early intels and PPC will get the status of 68k-machines for the future generations of Macs.
So what ...

 

[Amethyst1]

I didn't mention Catalina 'cause I don't like it. Don't like to loose 32bit-support and I don't like the loss of downward compatibility of file-system- and connectivity support for elder Macs.

I totally agree with you - Mojave is where the journey ends for me but Catalina is still an option on the 4,1 if you don't mind the bugs etc.

 

[iluvmacs99]

If it's just because of the ports, a 1.67GHz SLSD will do the job just as nicely. The lower screen resolution, DDR1 and less capable SuperDrive don't matter (all that much) in this case. It's my impression that the DLSD is mainly sought after simply because it's the last PowerBook produced - after the Intel switch was announced to boot.

Not just because of the ports, but because some PPC software don't run all that well under Rosetta or under emulation with Intel.
I almost forgot the SLSD version. We don't see them all that much here. More the DSLD. I love my DSLD; though I didn't pay an arm and a leg for it in mint condition. Only $10 and to be honest, they should be at this price.

 

[Macbookprodude]

The 2006 MacBook Pro is the faster, newer, better supported choice.

I'd take the PowerBook G4 over it any day.

Sadly, my Gateway P-7805U FX is a lot faster than the G4 and the 2006-2007 Macbook Pro - It has 1.5GB video memory and allows up to t9300 or x9100 3.06 ghz C2DUO. I actually hackintoshed it years ago and its running Yosemite and Mavericks, old, but useful.

 

[weckart]

The 2006 1st generation MacBook Pros were not without their foibles as well. Overheating and random shutdowns were the order of the day. Repasting the processors helped a bit. Apple was heavy handed here.

2006 MacBook Pro overheating

Anyone else run an older non-unibody MacBook Pro in clamshell mode? I have a 2006 2.3Ghz MacBookPro 2,2 connected to a 23" ACD. Even with nothing running, the CPU is 96°C and both fans run at 6,000 RPM. It seems to be running slower than it should, and I'm thinking it might be the heat causing...

arstechnica.com

 

[Amethyst1]

The 2006 1st generation MacBook Pros were not without their foibles as well.

I can fry an egg on my Core Duo MBPs. Repasting will be done as soon as I can work up the courage.

 

[weckart]

I can fry an egg on my Core Duo MBPs. Repasting will be done as soon as I can work up the courage.

It should help and iFixit has a guide. Part of the problem IIRR was the thermal passthrough. Apple rejigged the layout a bit in the C2D successor line to improve airflow. Echoes of the PowerBook 867MHz mess - never buy a first generation Apple product, etc.

MacBook Pro 15" Core Duo Model A1150 Heat Sink Replacement

The heat sink helps keep the processor cool and happy.

www.ifixit.com

 

[bunnspecial]

For actual use with MBPs, I would suggest avoiding CoreDuos and get a Core2Duo.

I'd also suggest an MBP 3,1 or 4,1. Look for one that either has been fixed by DosDude, or that has a green dot on the RAM slots-the latter indicates an Apple repair with the fixed GPU. The 4,1 especially can go really far forward in terms of OS compatibility.

 

[Amethyst1]

For actual use with MBPs, I would suggest avoiding CoreDuos and get a Core2Duo.

Definitely - they are more of a curiousity than anything else (to me at least) and I have a soft spot for anything Pentium M.

 

[bunnspecial]

Definitely - they are more of a curiousity than anything else (to me at least) and I have a soft spot for anything Pentium M.

I've been hunting for a 1,1 for a while, and so far every deal I've had on one has fallen through for one reason or another. It's a curiosity for me also.

I used a Mini 1,1 as a file server for a while, although eventually I upgraded it to a C2D. I've actually upgraded twice-I don't remember CPU numbers off the top of my head(the first was maybe a T7500?), but when the fastest C2D of the generation that would work became affordable I swapped that out.

 

[dbdjre0143]

Seems like OP is pretty hung up on being a 17" portable. If you're dead-set on 17", definitely go with the MBP, as finding a battery for a 17" PB is an expensive endeavor. As far as the 2006 specifically goes, I've personally experienced buying one with a failed ATI GPU, so watch out for that as well. I can vouch very well for the 15" DLSD though, as they can generally be found significantly cheaper than the 17" model, and batteries can be found quite reasonably.

 

[MacFoxG4]

Seems like OP is pretty hung up on being a 17" portable. If you're dead-set on 17", definitely go with the MBP, as finding a battery for a 17" PB is an expensive endeavor. As far as the 2006 specifically goes, I've personally experienced buying one with a failed ATI GPU, so watch out for that as well. I can vouch very well for the 15" DLSD though, as they can generally be found significantly cheaper than the 17" model, and batteries can be found quite reasonably.

The reason I mentioned 17'' is that the 17'' non-DLSD PBG4 has 128 MB of VRAM, where as the 15'' non-DLSD only has 64 MB of VRAM. Both the 15'' and 17'' DLSD have 128 MB of VRAM. All of the early intel MBP have at least 128 MB of VRAM, some have 256. This is based on what I have seen at EveryMac Specs. In my experience, Leopard needs all the VRAM I can throw at it, so that's why I am so concerned about VRAM. I'm not concerned about screen size, I just want to run Leopard (or Snow Leopard if it's an intel) on a laptop and have it be as good as my experience on the Sawtooth. I haven't run Leopard with 64 MB of VRAM, so maybe 64 is enough, but I would feel better having 128.

 

[Amethyst1]

the 15'' non-DLSD only has 64 MB of VRAM.

Not quite - it was optionally available with 128MB and dual-link DVI. My 15" SLSD is one of these
[automerge]1592233982[/automerge]

I haven't run Leopard with 64 MB of VRAM, so maybe 64 is enough,

Actually I have two SLSDs, the second being a 64MB one. I'd say Leopard's UI is OK-ish on the internal 1280x854 LCD.

 

[rampancy]

It should help and iFixit has a guide. Part of the problem IIRR was the thermal passthrough. Apple rejigged the layout a bit in the C2D successor line to improve airflow. Echoes of the PowerBook 867MHz mess - never buy a first generation Apple product, etc.

MacBook Pro 15" Core Duo Model A1150 Heat Sink Replacement

The heat sink helps keep the processor cool and happy.

www.ifixit.com

Be especially careful with replacing the thermal grease. I ruined a perfectly good used Core Duo MacBook Pro when I replaced the thermal paste -- as soon as I plugged in the MagSafe (after putting it all back together) it immediately powered on (not a good sign) and booted to a black screen. I was careful to avoid ESD issues (I wore an anti-static strap, grounded myself, etc.) but a short circuit with the power circuitry due to ESD is the only explanation I can think of.

Good luck.