The iBook G3 Challenge

[three]

This thread is pretty awesome! It's inspired me to do a similar challenge. I've already got a 350MHz iMac G3, a 600MHz iMac G3, a 700MHz iMac G4 15", and a 1.42GHz eMac. I wanted to do it on the 600MHz iMac G3 but the screen has developed a horrible flicker which is sad. The eMac is way too loud (almost sounds like an airplane) for daily usage so I've been looking for a iBook G3 or G4. Spent most of the afternoon looking at different Thrift Stores around town and (not surprisingly) didn't find anything. I'm actually pretty excited about doing this challenge.

 

[BJonson]

How much did it cost you to fully restore it? I always wanted a clamshell ibook and was wondering how much it will cost me to restore it into brand new form

1. Battery - $80
2. PRAM Battery - $35
3. RAM - $20
4. Hard Drive - ? I had a 120gb Western digital lying around.
5. LCD Backlight - $8 ebay
6. Unless you get a perfect condition pismo (rare) look at $30 for each main piece such as bottom or top. Mine, I did not go there. I decided to deal with scratches.
7. Foot pegs. I found perfect size ones at target. $5.


I would say with the cost of the laptop on ebay you would be under $250 for it to be like new. Not too bad. All depends on how much you get the computer for and what condition its in. I ran into tons of bad sellers. They lie in the auction descriptions constantly. They say things like "tight hinges", "no bad pixels", blah blah and when the parts show up, always bad pixel, loose hinges etc. Have to get lucky.



I have restored many systems this month. Here is my list of fully restored and better than new macs that are running tip top. All the quicksilvers have had the fans all replaced with Noctua fans for silent operation.

- I restored 4 quicksilver G4s. 1 x 933, 2 x 1ghz DP, 1 x 933mhz upgraded with Sonnet Dual G4 1.27ghz
- 1 x DP 2GHZ G5
- 2 x Powerbook G3 Pismos
- 1 x Mac Plus
- 1 x Mac Classic
- 1 x Mac Classic II
- 1 x Power Mac 9600/350 upgraded with a Sonnet G4 450mhz and Sonnet SATA card that BOOTS!

These are all of my favorite Macs. I even sent off the motherboard of the Classic II and had all the caps replaced with updated ones. Works perfect. Cost me $80.

 

[Altemose]

1. Battery - $80
2. PRAM Battery - $35
3. RAM - $20
4. Hard Drive - ? I had a 120gb Western digital lying around.
5. LCD Backlight - $8 ebay
6. Unless you get a perfect condition pismo (rare) look at $30 for each main piece such as bottom or top. Mine, I did not go there. I decided to deal with scratches.
7. Foot pegs. I found perfect size ones at target. $5.


I would say with the cost of the laptop on ebay you would be under $250 for it to be like new. Not too bad. All depends on how much you get the computer for and what condition its in. I ran into tons of bad sellers. They lie in the auction descriptions constantly. They say things like "tight hinges", "no bad pixels", blah blah and when the parts show up, always bad pixel, loose hinges etc. Have to get lucky.



I have restored many systems this month. Here is my list of fully restored and better than new macs that are running tip top. All the quicksilvers have had the fans all replaced with Noctua fans for silent operation.

- I restored 4 quicksilver G4s. 1 x 933, 2 x 1ghz DP, 1 x 933mhz upgraded with Sonnet Dual G4 1.27ghz
- 1 x DP 2GHZ G5
- 2 x Powerbook G3 Pismos
- 1 x Mac Plus
- 1 x Mac Classic
- 1 x Mac Classic II
- 1 x Power Mac 9600/350 upgraded with a Sonnet G4 450mhz and Sonnet SATA card that BOOTS!

These are all of my favorite Macs. I even sent off the motherboard of the Classic II and had all the caps replaced with updated ones. Works perfect. Cost me $80.

I don't think I could afford to drop that kind of cash into a Mac this old. I love them but it is too much to spend!

 

[jrsx]

My brother just won a bid for a $30 iBook G3 (600 MHz?, 128 MB RAM?). Kinda exited to see it, I've only worked on a 900 MHz once before, and it (in my opinion) doesn't look as cool, because it didn't have the silver paint on the palmrest!

 

[Altemose]

My brother just won a bid for a $30 iBook G3 (600 MHz?, 128 MB RAM?). Kinda exited to see it, I've only worked on a 900 MHz once before, and it (in my opinion) doesn't look as cool, because it didn't have the silver paint on the palmrest!

I personally prefer the later model G3s in terms of looks, but the earlier models were by no means ugly. Slap some RAM in there and let it roll!

As a summary to my challenge, they still are usable! YouTube doesn't work, and quite frankly I wasn't expecting a 900 MHz PC or Mac to run with it. Like Intell stated before, the G3 and G4 are close siblings, however if you need an affordable Mac definitely go for a G4 if you can afford it. I am totally shocked everything I needed to do ranging from gaming to web browsing to office work to Rosetta Stone all ran fine.

This proves my point that Apple computers are investments rather than expenses!

 

[MacBH928]

I doubt website run ok?
It has all the HTML5 which is probably too much for a G3 . Am I wrong? Does it take long for websites to load? I am guessing the Wifi maybe slow?

As for Rosetta Stone, are you running the current software? Or is it an older software they released back then?

 

[MacCubed]

PowerBook G3

My MPB's HDD had crashed and I had no computer for a day or two until I found my old PowerBook G3. 1999 model 333 MHz, 64 Mb RAM, 4 gig HDD with a CD-ROM Drive. I was busy for around a month, so my MBP sat collecting dust waiting to go to the Apple store. The G3 went for a month at my desk connected to Ethernet and the power cable (bad battery). I had around 3 projects to do for school but the G3 pulled through all the tasks I needed, like checking email, browsing the web, word processing, and making powerpoints. It was a little sluggish but it made it! I now have 304 MB RAM and a 30 gig drive in it. It is used as my music laptop and the battery now suddenly works. 1 month with a G3, not so bad....

 

[SimonUK5]

I'm definitely going to try and pickup an 12'' G3 again i think, loved that machine, great little workhorse.

 

[reco2011]

My MPB's HDD had crashed and I had no computer for a day or two until I found my old PowerBook G3. 1999 model 333 MHz, 64 Mb RAM, 4 gig HDD with a CD-ROM Drive. I was busy for around a month, so my MBP sat collecting dust waiting to go to the Apple store. The G3 went for a month at my desk connected to Ethernet and the power cable (bad battery). I had around 3 projects to do for school but the G3 pulled through all the tasks I needed, like checking email, browsing the web, word processing, and making powerpoints. It was a little sluggish but it made it! I now have 304 MB RAM and a 30 gig drive in it. It is used as my music laptop and the battery now suddenly works. 1 month with a G3, not so bad....

That's the thing about older systems. At one time they were cutting edge and managed to do these tasks just fine. Today the software has placed higher demands on the hardware while the general user has not increased their demands of the software. I think it's not until a situation like yours arises that we realize how basic our needs are.

This is not to say that progress is unwelcome. I can do much more with my systems today than back then. But for several tasks it's a shame developers have left the old behind.

 

[SkyBell]

Phooey. My 800 MHz 12" iBook G3 bit the dust after I'd owned it for about two years; of course, not before it had literally every defect those models are known for, and then some. $350 down the drain.

They're cheap enough now of course that even if they don't last very long, it wouldn't be a huge loss. I don't think I'll ever go looking for another, though; I couldn't type accurately or quickly to save my life on that keyboard. Forget that infamous stench, the overbearing squish and mushy feedback they provide is the real problem.

I did, for a few months in 2008 near the end of its life, use my iBook G3 as my only machine after I stupidly killed my Mac mini while attempting to upgrade it. At the time, it was totally doable: it took a few weeks to get accustomed to the speed drop, but I had no real complaints about its performance.

Nowadays though? I dunno, my eMac is pretty big leap ahead in specs, and it noticeably struggles with certain tasks more than I would like. I mean, I'm sure a G3 can still get the job done... eventually.

But I do approve of your quest, and am glad it seems to be going better than you expected. I like doing the same sort of thing myself: three or four years back, I pulled out the ol' family PC from storage and challenged myself to see how long I could live with a Pentium III and Windows 98. A year and a half later, the motherboard gave out before I did.

 

[Altemose]

I doubt website run ok?
It has all the HTML5 which is probably too much for a G3 . Am I wrong? Does it take long for websites to load? I am guessing the Wifi maybe slow?

As for Rosetta Stone, are you running the current software? Or is it an older software they released back then?

I was using TenFourFox 24 for G3 processors for web browsing. YouTube wasn't working well at all. And as for Rosetta Stone I was using Version 3.

I'm definitely going to try and pickup an 12'' G3 again i think, loved that machine, great little workhorse.

If you get it cheap enough it may be useful! Check Goodwill and thrift shops!

That's the thing about older systems. At one time they were cutting edge and managed to do these tasks just fine. Today the software has placed higher demands on the hardware while the general user has not increased their demands of the software. I think it's not until a situation like yours arises that we realize how basic our needs are.

This is not to say that progress is unwelcome. I can do much more with my systems today than back then. But for several tasks it's a shame developers have left the old behind.

Most people would be able to use their computer for a very long time if software devs took the time to optimize their code before shipping it. I am never going to be the one who judges the usefulness of any tool by certain specs. The fact that my iMac G3 can't go on YouTube doesn't affect its other features that it does well.

Phooey. My 800 MHz 12" iBook G3 bit the dust after I'd owned it for about two years; of course, not before it had literally every defect those models are known for, and then some. $350 down the drain.

They're cheap enough now of course that even if they don't last very long, it wouldn't be a huge loss. I don't think I'll ever go looking for another, though; I couldn't type accurately or quickly to save my life on that keyboard. Forget that infamous stench, the overbearing squish and mushy feedback they provide is the real problem.

I did, for a few months in 2008 near the end of its life, use my iBook G3 as my only machine after I stupidly killed my Mac mini while attempting to upgrade it. At the time, it was totally doable: it took a few weeks to get accustomed to the speed drop, but I had no real complaints about its performance.

Nowadays though? I dunno, my eMac is pretty big leap ahead in specs, and it noticeably struggles with certain tasks more than I would like. I mean, I'm sure a G3 can still get the job done... eventually.

But I do approve of your quest, and am glad it seems to be going better than you expected. I like doing the same sort of thing myself: three or four years back, I pulled out the ol' family PC from storage and challenged myself to see how long I could live with a Pentium III and Windows 98. A year and a half later, the motherboard gave out before I did.

Further proves my point! The fact that simply because something is old doesn't mean it is useless. I really hope the poster in the other thread sees this thread. I had a great time doing it, and would do it again if I had to!

 

[eyoungren]

I really hope the poster in the other thread sees this thread. I had a great time doing it, and would do it again if I had to!

No offense, but I think you're expecting too much there. Generally, that kind of person only cares about what's new. 5 minutes ago is history and they spare no thought for it. Even if you managed to nail them down and get their attention on the matter the response you'd get would be "So what, it's still useless to me."

I know of the user you speak and frankly they've probably moved on. The fact that they were even in that thread to begin with was probably a fluke.

I'm not trying to be discouraging or anything, it just is what it is. Don't waste your time on those kinds of people. They certainly aren't thinking about you my friend.

 

[Altemose]

No offense, but I think you're expecting too much there. Generally, that kind of person only cares about what's new. 5 minutes ago is history and they spare no thought for it. Even if you managed to nail them down and get their attention on the matter the response you'd get would be "So what, it's still useless to me."

I know of the user you speak and frankly they've probably moved on. The fact that they were even in that thread to begin with was probably a fluke.

I'm not trying to be discouraging or anything, it just is what it is. Don't waste your time on those kinds of people. They certainly aren't thinking about you my friend.

I know but I was always the type to try and prove someone wrong if they were wrong! It doesn't bother me at all but it would be nice as kind of an "haha Erik and I were right" type of thing!

 

[eyoungren]

I know but I was always the type to try and prove someone wrong if they were wrong! It doesn't bother me at all but it would be nice as kind of an "haha Erik and I were right" type of thing!

I get it, but it's really only satisfying when you know the other person has a stake in it. This kind of person only cares about the here and now. Anything else is insignifigant…even being proven wrong.

 

[Altemose]

I get it, but it's really only satisfying when you know the other person has a stake in it. This kind of person only cares about the here and now. Anything else is insignifigant…even being proven wrong.

Oh well... I had fun with the challenge and the results shocked even me, a huge PPC enthusiast! I am glad to be back on my G5 that's for sure!

 

[2001imac]

I still use my G3 in 2014!

Thing is... Even though people tell me it's old. It never gives up on me.
I got this G3 iMac earlier this year to replace one that I thoroughly DESTROYED when I was younger. This one's slower that the old one at 400 MHz compared to 600MHz but it still packs an impressive punch for it's age. I use it as my secondary computer next to my two primary computers, my Macbook pro, late 2012 and seven year old C2D iMac. I use this one for using PowerPC apps that my newer computers cannot use, due to lack of rosetta support *COUGH* Apple *COUGH* and it works for litterally everything as I've not yet found anything that it cannot handle for day to day usage, and If you don't believe me. That's what I'm writing this on now. Oh and Bugdom's good too not the crappy so called "Bugdom 2".

 

[128keaton]

How much did it cost you to fully restore it? I always wanted a clamshell ibook and was wondering how much it will cost me to restore it into brand new form

Depends on the condition. Most of the time, you'd want to upgrade it a bit to use it. You'd want to get an 80GB harddrive here, then max the ram from here. If any of the plastic pieces are missing or broken, you can purchase them here.

 

[RedCroissant]

late to the party..

Hello everyone!

I haven't been here for a LONG TIME because I have been incredibly busy as of late but now I have a little bit of time to post a response again!

Even though I recently divested myself of all of my PPC macs, my brother-in-law gave me an iBook G3 that I originally gave him! Ha!! So much for limiting my computer use and possessions!

Anyway, the specs for this iBook are as follows: 500MHz iBook G3, 384MB RAM, 10GB HDD. I know that the RAM isn't optimal for a better experience, but the WiFi capabilities are not enough to take advantage of the modern internet (and if no ethernet is available then it's really slow).

If the demands of the user are minimal and limited to basic email through the Mail app and very basic browsing using alternate browsers that allow changes to the useragent, then sure. Otherwise though, the iBook G3s are very basic machines that do not make them good machines as daily drivers in my opinion.

 

[eyoungren]

redcroissant, those iBook G3s I gave you in exchange for the QS have found some good homes.

 

[Altemose]

Hello everyone!

I haven't been here for a LONG TIME because I have been incredibly busy as of late but now I have a little bit of time to post a response again!

Even though I recently divested myself of all of my PPC macs, my brother-in-law gave me an iBook G3 that I originally gave him! Ha!! So much for limiting my computer use and possessions!

Anyway, the specs for this iBook are as follows: 500MHz iBook G3, 384MB RAM, 10GB HDD. I know that the RAM isn't optimal for a better experience, but the WiFi capabilities are not enough to take advantage of the modern internet (and if no ethernet is available then it's really slow).

If the demands of the user are minimal and limited to basic email through the Mail app and very basic browsing using alternate browsers that allow changes to the useragent, then sure. Otherwise though, the iBook G3s are very basic machines that do not make them good machines as daily drivers in my opinion.

Glad to see you are back on MacRumors! You are the person who made this challenge possible! They are not good daily drivers but they are far from the unusable trash that the person described them as in the other thread.

----------

redcroissant, those iBook G3s I gave you in exchange for the QS have found some good homes.

I know the 900 MHz model sees daily use here.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

After reading a post by a forum member here about how he threw away his iMac G3s because they were "completely useless", I decided it was time for a test. On YouTube, a couple of prominent PowerPC activists were doing "PowerPC Challenges" like ItsMyNaturalColour (Great YouTube Channel for Mac Fans) and Jack S.

They however are using G4 and G5 machines which we all know are very capable especially when heavily upgraded *cough* eyoungren's QuickSilver *cough*. I was recently given an iBook G3 by RedCroissant, a very nice forum member here. I decided to put it through its paces in 2014, testing whether I could complete all my school work and entertainment on an older 2003 iBook G3.

The specs are a 900 MHz PowerPC G3, 640 MB of DDR RAM, a 40 GB 4200 RPM hard drive, and an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 with 32 MB of VRAM. Hardly desirable specs for use in 2014. In fact, most PCs from the era are not in use today either.

In terms of software, I am going to pick the best selection tailored to the machine. For Office purposes I am going to use Microsoft Office 2004, while the web will be handled by Tiger WebKit. I am a fan of Leopard WebKit and prefer it over TenFourFox, but that is a discussion for another thread. I am going to need to perform foreign language class work, so I will have to load Rosetta Stone for French. Now on to entertainment... I am a huge fan of iChat and will use that in conjunction with Skype 2.8 for IM and calling. Everyone loves YouTube, so I am going to use the infamous MacTubes. And a little gaming never hurt anyone so I will load Assault Cube and attempt to load Battlefield 1942.

When I got this iBook it was pretty dirty looking. RedCroissant didn't really mess with it and essentially put it on the shelf as soon as he got it. Some 91% isopropyl alcohol took the stickers right off and revealed some pretty fresh looking hardware. In fact, aside from some light scratches and a small crack on the corner, it looks pretty much new! Talk about generosity amongst our peers! Thanks again RedCroissant...

I am going to use this iBook until Saturday and give a check in every day until then. Oh, and the best part of my challenge is that in addition to being limited to a G3 for my portable, I am not going to use my PowerMac G5 or Intel MacBook Pro. Talk about a challenge! Now we will wait to see the results...

Why am I doing this? Well I just want to see if that forum member is right or wrong. Are these machines really useless trash or do they still have some life left in them. This challenge is specific to a G3 machine, to prove the point even more.

I got one from my school when a graduated (14-inch, 600Mhz, 512MB?? RAM). I miss using the thing; the HD died some time ago after suffering from the "light saber" sounds. I tried Webkit once and didn't find it so hot... TenFourFox is great on fast PowerPC computers, but it chews more RAM than even Safari. I find it ironic how the TenFourFox home page shows an iBook running it, yet it's slow even on my 2.1Ghz iMac G5. Good luck with the challenge. Mine was my first laptop, yet it was still 8 or 9 years old at the time.

 

[eyoungren]

I know the 900 MHz model sees daily use here.

LOL!

SMH. All three of those iBooks were my mom's daily use G3s at one point. Beaumont Unified School District. She used them for yearbook, getting junior high yearbooks out year after year under OS X 10.1 or less.

 

[iamMacPerson]

My two iBook G3 Snows keep chugging along! These two I got from eBay within the last year and I am glad I did. When I bought them I was wanting to make sure that they were the original models with the non-problematic video chipset. I found this lot of two, one a 500MHz original and one a 600MHz original. Both had the name of the school carved (yes, carved) into the top of the lid, however thanks to the white/translucent shell, you can't see it without looking real close.

They are awesome machines. Whoever had them, took good care of them. They have never been opened, and they are going to stay that way unless something happens because the white finish is perfect (even on the catch for the bottom case in the battery compartment). They were covered in sticker residue and dirt, but rubbing alcohol and water got rid of all that. One (I forget which) came with an original G3 translucent battery, the only one I have ever seen. The other came with a standard opaque battery. Both still hold a charge, so thats good!

I also have 3 clamshells, but that is a story for another time.

 

[Altemose]

LOL!

SMH. All three of those iBooks were my mom's daily use G3s at one point. Beaumont Unified School District. She used them for yearbook, getting junior high yearbooks out year after year under OS X 10.1 or less.

The school district got their money's worth out of them and I continue to use it every day! Albeit not for yearbook purposes since that runs on Adobe Flash for my school. I use that iBook for recording in Audacity for chapel speakers.

My two iBook G3 Snows keep chugging along! These two I got from eBay within the last year and I am glad I did. When I bought them I was wanting to make sure that they were the original models with the non-problematic video chipset. I found this lot of two, one a 500MHz original and one a 600MHz original. Both had the name of the school carved (yes, carved) into the top of the lid, however thanks to the white/translucent shell, you can't see it without looking real close.

They are awesome machines. Whoever had them, took good care of them. They have never been opened, and they are going to stay that way unless something happens because the white finish is perfect (even on the catch for the bottom case in the battery compartment). They were covered in sticker residue and dirt, but rubbing alcohol and water got rid of all that. One (I forget which) came with an original G3 translucent battery, the only one I have ever seen. The other came with a standard opaque battery. Both still hold a charge, so thats good!

I also have 3 clamshells, but that is a story for another time.

I really do like the later iBook G3 and iBook G4 design. I was not a fan of the silver style earlier models.

 

[iamMacPerson]

I really do like the later iBook G3 and iBook G4 design. I was not a fan of the silver style earlier models.

Both look good but to me the translucent ones look better. Only one reason, the see through lid that reminds me of an eMac's front panel.

I did have an iBook G4 before. Awesome machine. Very last 14" 1.42GHz.