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Need help picking an ibook for $1000 or less

N

NewT

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 29, 2003
1
0
Hello all, I am looking into getting an ibook, used or new, and all I have to spend is $1000. I would like a machine that runs OS X very nicely (i.e. its snappy, smooth, etc) and runs applications like office and photoshop. It would be nice if it could play games like Quake 3 and Enemy Territory, however, I do not want it to play today's latest games.

I have looked at some mac web sites and it seems like I can get an ibook that is an 800mhz g4 for around $800, however, it only has 128 megs of ram and a simple cdrom drive. I am leaning towards ebay, because it seems to offer good prices for ibooks. Specifically, I was looking at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2776355333&category=4602 . Is this a good value for $900? Its 900mhz g3, 384mg ram, 40 gig, and a combo drive.

I'm really not sure what is good in mac terms. Would I be getting ripped off for $900? Can you show me a better deal? How is that link above?

Also, should I be considering a g4 or will a g3 suffice?

Thank you for your time. Hopefully, you will have another mac user shortly :)

///EDIT-- ///

I just found out that I can get an ibook with these specs for $999 as a student from apple: 12.1TFT/800MHz g4/256SD/30G/Combo/E/56K/FW. Is that any good as well?

thanks for helping me find the perfect notebook!!!
 
I'd go with the student-price iBook from Apple. I also recommend checking out Apple's refurbished offerings. My iBook 700 MHz is really snappy in terms of the OS and it's pretty good about playing yesterday's game offerings.
 
Definitely go to http://store.apple.com and either use the student discount or go to the "Special Deals" section (which is the refurbished spot). There are some iBook G3s and G4s there now, I believe -- the G3s are dirt cheap, far below $1000.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT buy an iBook on eBay. There are too many things to go wrong with that route, and it would be cheaper anyway to buy direct from Apple. (I know too many people that thought they were saving a bundle buying "as is" iBooks on eBay only to end up with broken track pads or screen deformities.) And anyway, buying direct from Apple will give you the full one year warranty and the possibility to upgrade to three year AppleCare, something most eBay Mac purchases will NOT give you.
 
g4 ibook is 999 with student discount and has 256mb of ram and a combo drive, think this would be your best bet you'd get a brand new laptop and it would be faster than older G3's
 
I agree with the other posters about going the education route, if you can. However, the computer is going to end up being more than $1000 because of taxes and shipping, if the free shipping deal ends. Another thing to consider is if you are getting a new iBook, then you might want to get it bluetooth ready and that will cost $45 too.
 
I have a G3/900 12.1" ibook that runs return to castle wolfenstien ok, so I am sure the G4 will run Quake 3 fine.

The 12" G4 for $999 sounds like a good deal. At least for me it would be worth the trade off in screen size for the combo drive.

You would have to figure adding more memory to the 14", 128MB is not enough, and 256 is really the minimum. Also, figure in the cost of an airport card if you will need one.
 
If you want to run Photoshop and Games you should really be looking at a G4 processor. While it will be more expensive it will last a lot longer. You also need 256 MB of ram at least, ideally 512MB if you are going to use Photoshop. Don't buy additional memory from Apple though it is expensive. You can always buy additional ram later though if your budget it tight.
 
I would get the iBook G3 900MHz (12"). I have seen them on Dealmac.com for 849$ or 899$. Thats a good price. With the extra cash, you can get an Airport card, extra RAM, or whatever you want.

I don't think that the iBook G4 800MHz will be THAT much faster (if ANY) then a iBook G3 900MHz.

If you are looking for a laptop that will last longer, get the G4 iBook. Apple has discontinued the G3, so I wouldn't reccomend it. Its not a bad chip or anything, just that it will be obsolete in a year or two.

My sister got the iBook 933MHz G4 (14"). Its snappy, real snappy. Only down side is that its a 14"er. She wanted 14" though.
 
eBay iBooks

If you do decide to buy an iBook (or any other Apple computer on eBay) make sure to do a search for those that the seller has purchased AppleCare for. That'll give you a little peace of mind. I just did that on eBay and got a great little iBook with just over two years of AppleCare left on it.
 
yeah, ebay is not all bad... I have sold 2 ibooks there to happy customers... so there could be a good deal for you there; just be careful of who you deal with.
 
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