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PowerBook G4 screen vs early MacBook Pro

As above, find one with a fixed GPU, either a 3,1 or a 4,1.

I've got 2 3,1s (A1226) with the GPU fixed, and after you stick an SSD in them and max the ram out they are great general use machines with El Cap on, and can run later OS acceptably with dosdudes patches, or they are lightening quick in Snow Leopard if you want to go that route.

I've also got a 2,1 (A1211) (with the less failure prone ATI chip) which I've retrofitted an LED screen assembly from a 4,1 (A1260) into, it's a bit of a fiddly conversion process but the result is worth is as the LED panels are much brighter.

All of the above are using the matte screens though, I'm really not a fan of the glossy MBP screens, far too reflective for use anywhere with any amount of light!

I've got (and had) a few PB G4s as well and I like them for different reasons, but the screens are nowhere near as nice as even the CCFL lit MBPs.
 
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Hi amedias,

Is your retrofitted LED screen the 1920x1200?
I also did that and it looks great. I have one little snag though, going up and down
in brightness turns backlight off midway and then on again.
Does yours do that?

Best regards,
voidRunner
 
vddrnnr said:
Hi amedias,

Is your retrofitted LED screen the 1920x1200?
I also did that and it looks great. I have one little snag though, going up and down
in brightness turns backlight off midway and then on again.
Does yours do that?

Best regards,
voidRunner
Click to expand...

No mine is the normal res one, (suits my eyes better in a panel that size!)

Yes I have the same snag with the brightness buttons, but it's easy to work around, the first X (6 I think? but my memory may be off) steps work normally increasing to full brightness, then (lets say 7) the next one dims it about halfway, then 8 goes up again, then 9 is zero backlight, then 10 is back to full brightness.

So basically I only use the fist 6 steps, and I often just leave it on max anyway.

Did you also move the inverter one 'pocket' to the side to get the cables to reach? or did you extend the inverter cable that comes from the LoBo? I opted to cut the inverter cable free from the display data ribbon on that side and re-route it a bit and use the original cable that runs to the LoBo but it's working fine :)
 
What's the best way to find a fixed GPU unit? Can't find much of anything locally nor on eBay. Not gonna shuffle machines to find one
 
I might just buy a 2008 and hope it doesn't fail. I won't be using it for more than an hour at a time, only viewing locally stored content. No Internet.

Only reason I wanted a MBP was for a better screen for doing those things.
 
retta283 said:
I might just buy a 2008 and hope it doesn't fail.
Click to expand...

If it hasn't had the replacement fixed GPU then it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when, that may be ages away, or it may be tomorrow so the gamble is up to you.

If you can get one cheap then just use it while remembering that it may die one day, that's a not a bad approach, you can always get it fixed if you become attached to it. Besides, you may get lucky but don't spend a lot on an unknown one.

I've bought several as 'fixer-uppers' over the last few months for between £10->£20, and a couple for 99p! Three turned out to have already had the GPU replaced but had other issues (cracked screen, duff power, dead optical etc.) but swaps with other inversely broken machines has resulted in 4* 100% working machines for < £100, I sold one of the fixed ones for £150, and I'm still stripping and selling spare parts from the other donors and clawing back some more cash as time goes on so now I've got 3 working MBPs, £50 in the bank and still going :)

If you're handy with the screw drivers this can be a great way to learn about the machines and get yourself a bargain (or free!) MBP

*three with fixed GPUs and one with the older ATI chip.
 
amedias said:
If it hasn't had the replacement fixed GPU then it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when, that may be ages away, or it may be tomorrow so the gamble is up to you.

If you can get one cheap then just use it while remembering that it may die one day, that's a not a bad approach, you can always get it fixed if you become attached to it. Besides, you may get lucky but don't spend a lot on an unknown one.

I've bought several as 'fixer-uppers' over the last few months for < £20, and a couple for 99p! Three turned out to have already had the GPU replaced but had other issues (cracked screen, duff power, dead optical etc.) but swaps with other inversely broken machines has resulted in 4* 100% working machines for < £100, I sold one of the fixed ones for £150, and I'm still stripping and selling spare parts from the other donors and clawing back some more cash as time goes on so now I've got 3 working MBPs, £50 in the bank and still going :)

If you're handy with the screw drivers this can be a great way to learn about the machines and get yourself a bargain (or free!) MBP

*three with fixed GPUs and one with the older ATI chip.
Click to expand...
I'm still using a 360 Elite almost every day, which is also a ticking time bomb for the same reason as these MBPs. I'll look for a deal on a 2007/08. I really want a 2008 unibody MBP, but they are priced too high for me to consider, and I think they suffer from the same GPU issue
[doublepost=1552399116][/doublepost]I was originally gonna go with the late 2006 but since it seems they have issues too I might as well go for the best one I can find.
 
retta283 said:
I really want a 2008 unibody MBP, but they are priced too high for me to consider, and I think they suffer from the same GPU issue
Click to expand...

Are you absolutely determined to get a 2008 unibody? I ask because the 2009 15in unibody was available in a 2.53 GHz config without a discrete GPU and I believe those 9400M-only machines don't exhibit GPU-related issues - they lose the battery and hard drive doors though.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Are you absolutely determined to get a 2008 unibody? I ask because the 2009 15in unibody was available in a 2.53 GHz config without a discrete GPU and I believe those 9400M-only machines don't exhibit GPU-related issues - they lose the battery and hard drive doors though.
Click to expand...
2009 is again out of my price range now, and I want to be certain I can run Leopard on it. Having the door is nice too.

If the screen on the 2008 Unibody MB wasn't junk I would just use it. Might try and get some help withthat...
 
Amethyst1 said:
The 15in 2.53 GHz mid-2009 MBP shipped with Leopard. Its identifier is MacBookPro5,4.
Click to expand...
But what I'm wondering is will I be able to install it from a retail disc, most likely will never get the original discs for it
 
retta283 said:
But what I'm wondering is will I be able to install it from a retail disc, most likely will never get the original discs for it
Click to expand...

It came with a special build of 10.5.7 and the last retail edition of Leopard was 10.5.6, so you would need the restore discs.

Alternatively, clone a 10.5.8 install from another PB/MBP onto this.
 
retta283 said:
But what I'm wondering is will I be able to install it from a retail disc, most likely will never get the original discs for it
Click to expand...

Good catch. The MBP5,4 shipped with a custom build of 10.5.7 which would suggest even a retail 10.5.6 disc is too old. However, the 2008 unibody MB (5,2) was the first machine with a 9400M and shipped with a custom build of 10.5.5, so a retail 10.5.6 disc should at least have the 9400M drivers (I can't check as mine is 10.5.0), and the other drivers will be pulled in by updating to 10.5.8. If the MBP refuses to boot 10.5.6 altogether you could put it in FireWIre TDM, install Leopard onto its hard drive using another Mac that supports booting from the retail disc and update to 10.5.8 before booting the installation on the MBP.

edit: Wrote too much; @weckart beat me to it :D
 
I'm in a hard spot with these then. Seems like every model I can easily get and put Leopard on has problems. Not sure which model to go with now... Are the 2006 models really that bad?
 
1) The 15" 2009 c2duo 2.5x Unibody books are top of crowd, but on a higher price-tag and the don't offer the PCExpressCard-Slot for USB3.0.
2) The 15" late 2008 c2duo Unibodies with battery door have got the PCExpressCard-Slot, but suffer from a draining battery. AFAIK there are no GPU issues?
3) The early 2008 silverkey/matte-display c2duo pre-Unibody offer that great screen and overall experience. Batteries are cheaper and more reliable. But you'll have to be cautious not to be tricked in with a "backed" unit.
My current personal low limit price-tag for the different models would be: 3) 80-100$ 2) 150$ 3) 200-250$
(If you're an enthusiast add another 120$ for the MBP4,1's GPU fix)
Take into account, that the best of best pre-Retina 15" MBP, the 2012 MBP with 2,3/2,6GHz quad-i7 (USB3.0, Thunderbolt, swappable harddrive) are available starting at 500-600$,
and stay off all past c2duo 15" MBP from 2010 to 2011, since they're prone for a nasty GPU failure ... (I always wonder, how Apple got away with these GPUgates !?)

Well, I'm happy to stick with my MBP4,1 (A1260) sitting on an iLapStand, when at home. And with no cold fingers anymore! :) (I guess that's not an issue in Arizona ... ;) )
 
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Coming to the realization I cannot buy any of theses Pros right now... I'm actually thinking of getting a cheap 2009-10 white unibody MacBook. Does anyone know if you can install 10.6.0 retail or the 10.6.3 retail on the mid 2010 MB? Need SL for Rosetta.

Before anyone says "can't run an OS older than shipped" 10.5.0 retail installed fine on my 2008 iMac which shipped with 10.5.4, and Tiger Server installed too. Leopard can be installed on some 2010 Mac minis. This is a flexible category
 
retta283 said:
Coming to the realization I cannot buy any of theses Pros right now... I'm actually thinking of getting a cheap 2009-10 white unibody MacBook. Does anyone know if you can install 10.6.0 retail or the 10.6.3 retail on the mid 2010 MB? Need SL for Rosetta.

Before anyone says "can't run an OS older than shipped" 10.5.0 retail installed fine on my 2008 iMac which shipped with 10.5.4, and Tiger Server installed too. Leopard can be installed on some 2010 Mac minis. This is a flexible category
Click to expand...

I don't think it matters which retail version you opt to install.

The reason why is this:

If the mid-2010 MacBook was shipped with a minimum SL version, say 10.6.3, and for whatever reason the firmware didn't permit a 10.6.0 install from the retail disc, then go with the workaround of removing the MacBook's drive and connecting it directly to your iMac 2008. Install a 10.6.0 SL base (and upgrade with Software Updates), whilst still attached to (and booted by) the iMac. This will ready the final 10.6.8 SL build once you return it to the MacBook.
 
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B S Magnet said:
I don't think it matters which retail version you opt to install.

The reason why is this:

If the mid-2010 MacBook was shipped with a minimum SL version, say 10.6.3, and for whatever reason the firmware didn't permit a 10.6.0 install from the retail disc, then go with the workaround of removing the MacBook's drive and connecting it directly to your iMac 2008. Install a 10.6.0 SL base (and upgrade with Software Updates), whilst still attached to (and booted by) the iMac. This will ready the final 10.6.8 SL build once you return it to the MacBook.
Click to expand...

...Or you could do the @Amethyst1 way and extract just enough machine specific .kexts and bundles from 10.6.3 to inject them into 10.6 in order to barely boot and update to 10.6.8.

Or maybe we could call it the MacRumors PowerPC Forum way.

Technological mechanics unite.
 
The only issue I can see is the lack of 320M drivers in 10.6.0 (at least I believe) The 2009 uses pretty standard hardware for the era so it should work fine
 
retta283 said:
The only issue I can see is the lack of 320M drivers in 10.6.0 (at least I believe) The 2009 uses pretty standard hardware for the era so it should work fine
Click to expand...

320M machines shipped with 10.6.3 build 10D2125 or later. So you'd need to update to 10.6.4 (at least) before booting on a 2010 MB. FWIW, I have successfully booted Leopard on a 2010 MBA with the 320M but had to nuke the GeForce kexts, resulting in no acceleration.
 
weckart said:
Just about any notebook on the market with an nVidia 8600/9600 mobile chip was affected.
Click to expand...

So would you also advise to avoid the Late 2008/Early 2009 unibody MBP5,1? Reports of GPU failures don't seem nearly as common with these and one could always fall back to the 9400M. (I'm looking at a 15in with an ExpressCard slot so newer models are out.)
 
Amethyst1 said:
So would you also advise to avoid the Late 2008/Early 2009 unibody MBP5,1? Reports of GPU failures don't seem nearly as common with these and one could always fall back to the 9400M. (I'm looking at a 15in with an ExpressCard slot so newer models are out.)
Click to expand...
The late 2008 and 2009 had some failures, but they were not very commonplace. As long as you don't push the card too hard and stay with the 9400M when possible you should be good for quite some time.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Good to know, thanks :)
Click to expand...
I started to get into MacBooks whenever the unibodies came out so I know a bit more about them... The late 2008 is the best Leopard notebook IMO. Solid machine. Hoping to find a good deal on one again to replace my regular 2008 uMB.

Everything about the late 2008 unibody MacBook is just as great as the 15-inch Pro, except for the screen. It's just as bad as the 2006 MacBooks with only a little extra brightness. Terrible viewing angles. Besides that it is a great machine
 
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