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Performance Difference between 867 and 1.5 PB G4 12-inch

india349

india349

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 19, 2006
83
0
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Hi guys!

I posted in another section about how I just purchased an 867 Mhz PowerBook G4 12-inch for under $200! I'm super excited - I have yet to receive it, but I'm curious about something. Would it be worth it to invest in a 1.5 Ghz model and try and sell the 867? I've been reading that there have been some reliability issues with the 867. Also, does anyone have experience with the performance differences between the models? Am I going to get that much of a speed boost?

For what it's worth, I'm planning on installing Leopard, maxing out RAM if I can, and using it netbook style, so primarily browsing, IM, word processing, social networking, and occasional Flash (Pandora, YouTube, NY Times). It's not my primary computer, so having Flash isn't crucial.

PowerMax has some 1.5 models for just under $500, which is a bit too much for me, considering that I was also considering the much-more-modern iPad. Still, there's the potential for selling the 867 at a profit, and coming out at about the same place after getting a 1.5.

Thoughts? Thanks for your input,

- india349
 
Oh that's right, about the USB 2.0. :( It's only going to be somewhat disappointing, since I don't plan on syncing an iPod with it, but I will probably use a flash drive to transfer files back to my main computer.
 
I haven't really looked into Linux, but I'll be sure to check it out.

As for Tiger, I know that the next release of Firefox won't support it and the current versions of iTunes and Safari run only on Leopard...so I'm hesitant to play around with Tiger. I don't have any experience with Leopard on PPC so I'll have to test the waters before I decide if it's too slow.

And, thanks for the tip about the hard drive. I've actually got one like that - I wonder if I can partition it if it's already got stuff on it.

-india349
 
You'll notice a huge improvement at youtube with the 1.5GHZ revision - you really can't go past Flash 8 with the 867, since 9 and 10 really slow the system down and videos won't play smoothly (if at all).

No reliability issues with mine since 2002. Put in a new travelstar 7200rpm hdd and a 1gb ram stick a few years ago which helped performance. In all practicality, it's relegated to craigslist browsing and checking email when traveling.
 
I believe that leopard requires a 1ghz processor so you are out of luck with the 867. I held on to a 12" as a toy and it really struggles with web 2.0 content. With brand new macbooks under $1k, and many years of more capable models in between, I'm not sure that this dinosaur is such a great deal.
 
The minimum requirements for Leopard are an 867 or faster G4 and 512 MB of RAM.

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP517

I'm also not looking for a Macbook; I love the form factor of these G4s and I really just want to play around with them rather than use them for serious work. That's what my primary computer is for.

- india349
 
I picked up a 867 for my wife off ebay for £175.
On the whole she loves it. Small enough to balance on her knees, nice keyboard and with Neo Office and Mail/Safari/WIFI she has all she needs. She streams radio daily on it but does get frustrated by the lack of power to watch YouTube and other flash videos. Yes no USB2 but who cares, I just over the wifi network into the powerbook from my MBP to copy across files.

Obviously I needed to add a 1GB ram stick to boost it's performance but if it's never going to be your main powerhouse computer then I think it's a great piece of kit. I prefer it to a white MacBook in every way but the power.

My friend got a 1.25Ghz for his mum - I gave it a try, I didn't seem too different from the 867 if I remember correctly. Anyway, the 867 has been reliable for us and has survived a drop on it's corner!
 
Airforcekid said:
Have you considered Linux may be faster on an older system I would stick with Tiger though.
Click to expand...
Don't bother with PowerPC Linux for everyday use. Too many little bits that are included in the Intel code missing, so it can be frustrating. Stick with OSX 10.3 or 10.4. You'll have a much happier experience.
 
Thanks for the tips everyone! Really looking forward to this classic machine...I'll be sure to max out the RAM, stick with OS X, and hopefully I'll have a good netbook esque device that'll last me until at least Leopard support is dropped by modern browsers.

Thanks again

- india349
 
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