iBook G3 Or eMac G4?

[666sheep]

I've done a bit of soldering in my Systems class I'm taking at GCSE. Is the risk worth the extra 333mhz?

Yes, unless you'll be learning how to solder on it Better practice first on old graphics card or something with similar resistors. Check those links I've posted.
You gain 33% CPU power for free. It's also good opportunity to replace HDD with more modern one (I presume it still has stock HDD), thermal paste on CPU and GPU and to give decent dusting to your new machine.
OC'ed eMacs are running great with stock cooling.

 

[macnerd93]

I have both an eMac and iBook G3,

the eMac is by far the faster machine, but then the iBook is portable it depends what you want to do/use them for.

I mean my eMac is easily as fast in general use as my 1.83Ghz C2D Mac mini which is used as my bedroom theater running Lion my eMac has 1.42Ghz G4, 1GB RAM, 250GB HD. The mini has a 1.83Ghz C2D, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD.

My iBook on the other hand is a great little laptop its so under powered and basic that it cant really run much of the internet, to me this is a really good thing (stops me from getting distracted when essay writing) I been using it to type my first Essay for University with it using MS Office 2004. Works like a charm, the specs of the iBook are 500Mhz G3, 320MB ram and I upgraded the hard drive from a stock 10GB to a 40GB I had lying around. Also installed OS 9 for random nostalgia trips.

I do have to say this though pretty much all PowerPC based Macs (I have four PowerPC's) all struggle to run Youtube videos, flash is just such a resource hog on them. Even some iMac G5's i've serviced and cleaned up struggle on HD Youtube videos. If your on a budget i'd perhaps get a first generation intel mac mini that should be more than adequate A G3 processor is no way is going to be able to handle youtube videos at all

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

Ithe eMac is by far the faster machine, but then the iBook is portable it depends what you want to do/use them for.

This is it really, if you must have portability than it's an easy choice, though the eMac will be waaaay faster.

I do have to say this though pretty much all PowerPC based Macs (I have four PowerPC's) all struggle to run Youtube videos, flash is just such a resource hog on them.

Flash sucks, though my dual 1.8GHz can still kick some 720p ass with Mactubes, and technically my 466MHz G4 running Leoplard could run them, but I agree, it was a bit of a slideshow

If your on a budget i'd perhaps get a first generation intel mac mini that should be more than adequate

Hmm... maybe.For me it'd be a choice between a high end G4 Power Mac or G5 Power Mac, with them you get the advantages of upgradability, expansion, better graphics, but the Mini would be Intel, able to do everything that that entails (run Windows, version of the OS past Leopard.)

 

[76ShovelHead]

The eMac is much better. But ask the seller if it has had problems in the past or if Apple fixed it. eMacs are known to get bad capacitors that can cause problems.

My eMac likes to shut itself off when a) It's not plugged in through a power strip and b) When it's in this one room in my house.

But nonetheless, it just randomly powers off, even during boot. I believed this to be a power board problem, but having read your post makes me wonder if it could be a bad capacitor? Is this a known symptom?

Ohh, and to OP:

Having purchased my eMac, I can say it was great for the 80 dollars I paid (shipping included with that price), but given the opportunity I wouldn't purchase another, not because of the above problems, but they're IMO just getting too outdated for Mac OS X. If your purchasing the fine PPC platform with intent to install Ubuntu on it then thats another thing, as 11.10 was just released for PPC and the support community is strong.

But, if your like me you purchase a Mac or build a Hackintosh for the sole purpose of using the Mac OS X Operating System and using all the one-of-a-kind applications known for the platform. In that case, Snow Leoapard, still practically a new Operating System, has lost apple's new iCloud support and now even MobileMe service ceases to exist. Leopard also has like no support, and is just going to continue to decline. And for the longest time I wanted a used iBook G4. But because of Apple's new strategy to push people to upgrade (No Siri for iPhone 4, even though the 4S is pretty much the same phone, No iCloud support on Snow Leopard, only 1 release old) I won't allow myself to purchase another PowerPC, unless for Ubuntu.

Don't get me wrong, PowerPC is a great platform, and the ones with the PowerMacs no doubt have years left on using them, but the eMac/iBooks struggle on today's internet, and the internet is just getting more bloated. Having said that, You can purchase a decent iMac intel from Newegg refurbished anywhere from 350 to 1000 dollars, be sure to get a core 2 duo as core duo won't support OS X Lion. Same goes with the Macbook.

I'm now personally saving for either a System76 laptop or a Macbook white refurb ($849 at apple).

Good Luck!

 

[Nameci]

For the things I do with my PPC macs, who needs iCloud anyway? Of course we all know the limits of the PPC macs, what they can do and what they can't.

Just let people enjoy what they want and what they have. Go on buy whichever and whatever catch your fancy.

But as long as our PPC macs are alive and running the way we want it to be. Intel macs are still a second choice.

 

[WGoins88]

Enjoy your eMac. I know I do. I have mine on my desk next to my monitor as a secondary computer.

 

[Goftrey]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and opinions, yes I know the limitations of owning a PowerPC system as a previous owner of an iBook G3 (Which died a slow and painful death) but I know for sure that a 1ghz G4 with 512mb RAM which I will upgrade to 1gb is going to be leaps and bounds ahead of a 700mhz G3 384mb RAM. I will install iLife 09 and MS Office on my eMac aswell as a few games.

Once again thanks to everyone who's helped me decide to get the eMac.

Catch ya' later