iBook G3 -- Good Buy?

[macJC50640]

Hi MacRumors, I am new to the forums, I just registered 5 mins ago!

Anyway, I am thinking about buying my Spanish teacher's White 12 inch iBook G3 (not the clamshell) for $50. I thought it was a great deal, considering I am hoping to start some sort of an Apple collection. I already listed it in my signature along with the specs. It is running 10.2 Jaguar. Some of the problems are:
- Battery doesn't hold a charge anymore
- Shift key broken (not the one I use anyway)
- G3, which means I can't run Leopard or Snow Leopard

I am new to the Mac, and this is my first Mac. My question is do you think this is a good buy, considering the problems? Thanks.

 

[doubleohseven]

Welcome to MacRumors!

I think that's a very good deal there. Since there are two shift keys, it doesn't particularly matter if one of them is not working- you can always use the other one. Regarding the battery, new ones cost around $50 if you're planning on taking the iBook on the go. Depending on the specs, you could even run Tiger on it too. Seeing your signature, you're getting a MacBook unibody soon, so it shouldn't be a big problem if you can't run Leopard or Snow Leopard on the iBook, because you've got your unibody MacBook (when you purchase it).

I say buy it- it's a great start to your Apple collection.

 

[SkyBell]

Well, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news is, the white iBook G3's are notorious for their flaws. Among those are the GPU becoming unseated, the the backlight cable for the display becoming pinched. (Mine has both of these problems) so you could potentially be buying a troublesome computer.

The good news is, if its made it this long without those problems, it's probably one of the few unaffected ones. And it's also a great machine for web browsing, emailing and iTunes. (YouTube, eh, don't hold your breath. It'll do it, but expect a few hiccups.) Plus, it could run Panther or Tiger with maxed out RAM, both excellent OS's to use.

Heck, for $50, it's a steal.

 

[LordOfTheMacs]

Yeah, I guess. Just to let you know, that model of G3 iBooks suffered from problems like the famous "Chip Creap'', plus the fact that some produced a dirty sock smell. Batteries may be pricey, for apple doesn't sell parts for them.
But for 50 bucks, it's a good deal. As a clamshell owner , I say keep it on 10.2
because if it is stock config. it wont bog down the whole thing. Try adding Ram, which will only speed things up. Ash your teacher what the specs are and if she has extras laying around. Also, ask if it has wireless card.

 

[macJC50640]

Welcome to MacRumors!

I think that's a very good deal there. Since there are two shift keys, it doesn't particularly matter if one of them is not working- you can always use the other one. Regarding the battery, new ones cost around $50 if you're planning on taking the iBook on the go. Depending on the specs, you could even run Tiger on it too. Seeing your signature, you're getting a MacBook unibody soon, so it shouldn't be a big problem if you can't run Leopard or Snow Leopard on the iBook, because you've got your unibody MacBook (when you purchase it).

I say buy it- it's a great start to your Apple collection.

Well, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news is, the white iBook G3's are notorious for their flaws. Among those are the GPU becoming unseated, the the backlight cable for the display becoming pinched. (Mine has both of these problems) so you could potentially be buying a troublesome computer.

The good news is, if its made it this long without those problems, it's probably one of the few unaffected ones. And it's also a great machine for web browsing, emailing and iTunes. (YouTube, eh, don't hold your breath. It'll do it, but expect a few hiccups.) Plus, it could run Panther or Tiger with maxed out RAM, both excellent OS's to use.

Heck, for $50, it's a steal.

Yeah, I guess. Just to let you know, that model of G3 iBooks suffered from problems like the famous "Chip Creap'', plus the fact that some produced a dirty sock smell. Batteries may be pricey, for apple doesn't sell parts for them.
But for 50 bucks, it's a good deal. As a clamshell owner , I say keep it on 10.2
because if it is stock config. it wont bog down the whole thing. Try adding Ram, which will only speed things up. Ash your teacher what the specs are and if she has extras laying around. Also, ask if it has wireless card.

Thanks everyone! I just bought it today for only $40!!!! It does not have an AirPort card, by the way. The same teacher has a G4 iMac (flowerpot) that I would like to add to my collection, but he is still using it as his daily machine. I think he might be purchasing a unibody soon also, so maybe I can buy the flowerpot off of him towards the end of the school year, or something.

Thanks for the welcome, doubleohseven!

 

[leighonigar]

Well, there's good news and bad news.

The bad news is, the white iBook G3's are notorious for their flaws. Among those are the GPU becoming unseated, the the backlight cable for the display becoming pinched. (Mine has both of these problems) so you could potentially be buying a troublesome computer.

The good news is, if its made it this long without those problems, it's probably one of the few unaffected ones. And it's also a great machine for web browsing, emailing and iTunes. (YouTube, eh, don't hold your breath. It'll do it, but expect a few hiccups.) Plus, it could run Panther or Tiger with maxed out RAM, both excellent OS's to use.

Heck, for $50, it's a steal.

IIRC it was the radeon graphics which had the problem. The 500MHz version had mere RAGE! Hence no problems.