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g3 clamshell iBook

S

Sean7512

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 8, 2005
857
55
My friend offered to sell me his original tangerine g3 clamshell iBook for $50. It works fine, just the battery is dead. I know it is old and slow, but here are the specs.

300 mhz g3
96 mb ram (64 chip + 32 soldered on)
3 GB hdd
CD
Airport card
OS 9.2

Everything is in pristine condition. Now, why would I want this? Well heres why. I do wedding videos and we always incorporate still pictures onto the DVD. Well, we also put a slideshow together after the ceremony and display it by the guestbook at the reception. Now, I hate taking my new MacBook for fear of damage, and I think this is a perfect and cheap solution. I also would like it to have as a traveling computer, as I'd only use it on the hockey bus or when we travel. It would run iTunes, Safari, iChat, and maybe but probably not, Word.

I would love to get Panther and iLife 04 onto this computer (with some upgrades, of course). I know the ram can go up to 544mb, but what kind of ram and what kind of harddrive should I buy for it. Also, are these easy to upgrade yourself or is it hard? Also, anyone know where a new battery can be found for it?

Lastly, is $50 + the cost of 3 upgrades (ram, hdd, battery) worth it for what I want to use it for?
 
I've got Tiger running on the same model, it's not too bad even with only 128mb of RAM. For what you're looking to do with it, you might consider sticking with OS9. It'll be alot snappier than OSX. The downsides are no Firewire and no CD burner or DVD-ROM drive. For what you're gonna spend to buy it and upgrade it, you could probably find a white iBook with much better specs. Here's a link on how to install the parts:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/iBook-G3-Clamshell/49/
 
SteveG4Cube said:
I've got Tiger running on the same model, it's not too bad even with only 128mb of RAM. For what you're looking to do with it, you might consider sticking with OS9. It'll be alot snappier than OSX. The downsides are no Firewire and no CD burner or DVD-ROM drive. For what you're gonna spend to buy it and upgrade it, you could probably find a white iBook with much better specs. Here's a link on how to install the parts:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/iBook-G3-Clamshell/49/
Click to expand...

In OS9, what program is available to do slideshows? I'm assuming that a older version of iTunes will work in OS 9.2 and I can import my songs over or is there no store in this version so my bought music won't play? The no firewire, cd burner, dvd player has no effect on me. Where do you reckon I look for a white iBook? I was drawn to the clamshells for the colors and they just look soo cool :p
 
Yea, I have 2 old clammies, except with 288MB RAM each, same as yours. They are great little machines. $50 is, in fact, an exceptional deal for it. You should buy it.

RAM: PC133 (I know it's like PC66 but 133's cheaper, and it'll work fine) SO-DIMM

Hard drive: Any 2.5" IDE laptop hard drive that's less than 120GB should do fine.

You have to install OS X on these on a partition 7.45GB or less. Partition the rest as free space.

With iLife '04, Panther, and 544MB RAM, this sucker should run decently. Good luck!

New battery: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook/battery/ibook-g3-clamshell/

It's a bit pricey, but the battery should last you a good 7 to 8 hours.

Hope this all helps you!

EDIT: PLEASE don't get a white iBook instead of a clam! White ones are even harder to upgrade, they're more expensive, and they're not fruitylicious! :D
 
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