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I need advice on buying a iBook G3.

M

macgeek2005

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 31, 2006
1,098
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Okay, so my friend is getting a MacBook when they are released. She's willing to sell me her iBook G3 for $400 if I want it.

It's a 600Mhz iBook G3, with everything as it was (no upgrades) except for the ram, which is 384mb. Do you think it's a good idea to buy it?

Thanks.
 
no,

if it's the 16MB vram one then it's worth about 320 if it's the 8MB vram one then 300

the 8MB vram one has a combo drive but the 16 has much better graphics (radeon mobility, i'm typeing on one now)

tell her to ebay it, she'll get more money and you wont get ripped off.
 
Well, i'll tell her what you said, maybe she'll sell it to me for $320. I don't know which version it is, but i've played Cro-Mag Rally on it before, flawlessly, and used iMovie, and it seemed to work nicely, so i'm guessing it's the 16vram one.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Go check in System Profiler before you buy it. The Radeon gives you Quartz Extreme support and nowadays that's a big feature in OS X.
 
From what you say, it seems like $400 isn't that much of a rip-off for the 16vram verison.

edit: I can't check in system profiler, because she lives in another part of the country, but I can ask her to check the next time we talk.
 
macgeek2005 said:
From what you say, it seems like $400 isn't that much of a rip-off for the 16vram verison.
Click to expand...
I can get a 1.07 GHz iBook G4 for $550 around here. That's a big leap for just $150.
 
yeah... well I still think it's a okay deal.. unless someone tells me that is a complete rip-off, I might do it. Is there anyone here who would pay $400 for that computer?
 
You are not getting totally screwed, but I see them going for less on eBay with more stuff.

This one went for $275 with an extra battery and a 20 GB external HD.
 
:eek: :eek: :eek:

Okay, i'm not paying more than $300. That thing friggin had 640mb of ram, and an external hard drive!!!

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
 
People tend to overvalue their own stuff, and I know this is from and friend, but since you do not want there to be any hard feelings make sure you point out these prices on eBay to her. She wants to get the most for it and if they are going on eBay for $300 or so, remind her of the eBay fees and shipping costs. Just let her know - politely - that she is being unrealistic at $400.

Strike a deal with her, but give her your reasons for the new (lower) price. Like most people, she'll probably do it just to be done with it.
 
That seems like a pretty good deal. I would also assume that you'll receive a good deal when the macbooks come out on any left over 12" g4 ibooks
 
macgeek2005 said:
Do you think $680 is a good deal for a 1.33Ghz 12" iBook G4?
Click to expand...

if it comes with disks and everything, yes. Even better since all of them are less than one year old and you can still buy AppleCare for it.

The best price you can get from Apple is $950 on the edu discount.

Apple has the 1GHz iBooks on their refurb store for $699 and the 1.2GHz models for $719 just for reference. You'll be getting a better model for less and still have the AppleCare option if that is important to you.
 
macgeek2005 said:
Do you think $680 is a good deal for a 1.33Ghz 12" iBook G4?
Click to expand...


Apple has been selling factory certified 1.33 GHz 12" iBook refurbs for $799, so that's a pretty good price.

Honestly, I would pass on the G3 iBook completely unless your needs are very basic.

For OSX Tiger and all the newer applications, you're going to be better off with a faster machine.
 
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