Putting a Solid State Drive into an old iBook G4?

[pilot1226]

Hi,

I have an old iBook G4 1.33 GHz that I use (PPC Chipset), and while it's very old, I was wondering if it's even possible to swap out the existing hard drive for a SSD one. It might give me another year or two of use. I'm able to run 99% of the things I want to run with it, the biggest problems I'm having are HD Streaming Video like on Youtube - which I imagine is more of a processor issue rather than anything else.

That being said, I'll be getting an iPad 3 after they launch. Looking forward to that.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If you find a 2.5" P-ATA (IDE) SSD, then yes. Google Shopping Search results
iFixIt Guides: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iBook-G4-12-Inch-1-33-GHz-Hard-Drive-Replacement/703/1

 

[-tWv-]

Yes it is possible, but you will need to get an IDE SSD because the iBook doesn't use the modern SATA interface

Found this one on a quick search: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000T9QRKE

 

[balamw]

OWC has a series for this: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_Legacy_Pro

B

 

[pilot1226]

What type of performance boost would I most likely see? Would I be able to view HD Video on Youtube, etc? Or would this be a foolhardy cause due to the antequated processor?

Perhaps I will just take the $100 and invest it into a better model of the iPad

 

[simsaladimbamba]

What type of performance boost would I most likely see? Would I be able to view HD Video on Youtube, etc? Or would this be a foolhardy cause due to the antequated processor?

Perhaps I will just take the $100 and invest it into a better model of the iPad

HD video is CPU intensive, as you already pointed out in your first post. An SSD will not help you with that.
Have a look at the video on the site balamw linked to, to see some advantages of an SSD.

 

[pilot1226]

Missed the video first time around. Thanks for the heads up. Pretty cool stuff, I must say. I liked that the older PowerBook had a slower processor too and still won in the race.

I'll consider it and mull it over. It may just be easier to grab an iPad and compliment that down the road with an iMac when my existing computer eats it. Can't remember the last time I truly had a need for a CD-Rom drive or anything else I couldn't do on the tablet.

 

[apunkrockmonk]

Also take into account that an IDE SSD may not perform anywhere near as well as a SATA one. Not just because of the interface, but low end SSDs, especially older ones tend to be worse performers than even some traditional hard drives.

Definitely do research on the specific model you choose before you buy it. An SSD will not make video decoding run any smoother.