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What's the Fastest/Best Apple Laptop for Running Classic Mac OS?

Qrani

Qrani

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 14, 2020
21
8
Cupertino, CA
I've been looking for the best laptop to run Classic Mac OS. There's been a couple I've seen. The first, is the PowerBook G4 Titanium. The great part about it is that they are really fast, and can get up to 1GHz. This would be great for running TenFourFox under Mac OS X, which is another thing I'd like, the ability to browse the web. The problem with it is that it is horribly built, a lot of them having messed up hinges, paint falling off, and non-working batteries. Another option I've found is a late iBook G3. These are a bit better built, more common, and cheaper due to how common it is, but the opacity of the keyboard makes the computer look cheap, and it doesn't run as fast as the best PowerBook G4 Titanium, with only a PowerPC G3, getting up to only 800MHz, meaning that TenFourFox might not work very well. I don't think that one of the really old PowerBook G4 Titaniums, iBook G3s, and PowerBook G3s would be very good, and well they would run Mac OS 9, they most likely wouldn't meet the goal of being able to run TenFourFox decently well under Mac OS X. I also would prefer that it would be 768p, or more, because the UI of Mac OS X is too big for 600p, at least for me. Which model of which laptop would you suggest the most?
 
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Well, I'd really prefer to be using a laptop that fully supports the regular version of Mac OS 9.2.2, without any hoops or modifications, and I really would also prefer the computer to be somewhat easy to get, like with the iBook G3 and PowerBook G4 Titanium, where all of the different models could run Mac OS 9.
 
Well, in that case an iBook G3 "Snow" is probably your best bet. Fairly common (especially when compared to PowerBooks like the G3 Pismo and Lombard models and the TiBooks) and I'm fairly certain every model is capable of booting Mac OS 9.2.2. :)
 
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I'd go with the iBook - you can also get a 900Mhz model. You will find having a G3 hobbles a lot of OSX goodies we now have though as they're made for G4/G5

forums.macrumors.com

New G3 iBook

I've just got myself an 800Mhz G3 iBook and I'm blown away by the condition it's in - near immaculate! Unbelievably, the original Apple battery, which is at 46 cycles, reports nearly 6 hours at full charge..after 13 years - what are they - nuclear? It came with Jaguar & OS 9 installed but I...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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My favorite OS9 supported portables that I use:

1. Titanium PBG4 867MHz 1GB RAM, 32GB mSATA SSD.

I was lucky to score an intact model in fantastic condition. I have a few more TiBooks of various specs which are not in such good condition though (paint stripped and/or broken hinges), including the 1GHz model. But I find the top of the line model runs MUCH hotter than the 867 - so the 867MHz model is my top recommendation.

2. Pismo PBG3 400MHz 1GB RAM, 32GB mSATA SSD

The Pismo loves OS9 and it flies with the SSD. It’s one of my all time favorite Macs.

3. iBook G3 White 500MHz 640MB RAM, 20GB HDD

This iBook performs practically the same as the Pismo, but in a smaller form factor and batteries are easier/cheaper to source as it is happy with an iBook G4 battery.

I would advise against buying any of the 700, 800 or 900MHz iBook G3s which use the Radeon 7500 chipset as they have all either failed or will fail due to the unreliable solder on the GPU.

I have resurrected quite a few of these by applying pressure to the GPU IC with a shim or thermal pad to push it back into full contact with the main board. It’s not a reliable or ideal fix though, so best to avoid those models completely.

4. iBook G3 Clamshell 366MHz 544MB RAM, 32GB mSATA.

You can’t go past a clamshell for the full retro-chic experience of OS9. Plus the original clamshell is happy running OS 8.6 if you want to take further steps backward to reduce bloat/overhead.

5. Wallstreet PDQ PBG3 266MHz 512MB RAM, 6GB HDD

A beautiful Mac for typing and very happy on OS9. The PDQ can also go back as far as Mac OS 8.1 and will gladly boot this via a CF adapter in about 10 seconds. This old 68K/PPC release absolutely zips along on any G3.

As far as wanting to find one Mac to fit your needs for both OS 9 and OS X (for browsing), I might just recommend you get one for each job. A nice last-gen DLSD PBG4 shouldn’t be too hard to find and will be much nicer in TFF. Either that or a cheap intel Mac from the 2007-2009 era which would give you great performance for your money.
 
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I'll probably get a 2002-2003 iBook G3, or a 2002 PowerBook G4.

@RogerWilco6502:
Yes, from what I know, all of the iBook G3s are capable of booting Mac OS 9.2.2, and I think I will probably go with one of those due to how common they are, and if I get the right one, it would probably be able to run TenFourFox at a reasonable framerate. I might still get a PowerBook G4 Titanium at some point, because I think that they look good, and getting the right one could be faster than an iBook G3, due to the fact that they go up to 1GHz.

@Dronecatcher:
Thanks for letting me know that there is an iBook G3 at 900MHz, I didn't know that! If I can find one of those, I'd probably get it, but I probably won't, so I'd most likely just get the fastest one I can get.

@AphoticD:
I know that I could just get two different laptops, an iBook G3 for Mac OS 9, and a PowerBook G4 Aluminum for browsing in Mac OS X, the only thing is I really want a computer that can do both. The only other PowerPC Macintosh that I have is a Graphite iMac G3 DV SE @500MHz, which is fine for use at home (if not a little slow in OS X), but I want something I can easily bring to other places, and using two laptops would not only be a pain to switch between and transfer files from one to another, but it would take up more space while traveling too.
 
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@Qrani I think given your needs, it would be worth your while to look into the efforts of the folks at macos9lives.com. Their work has opened the door for running OS9 on many OS X-only G4s including the 12" PowerBook G4 (867MHz model), 17" PowerBook G4 (1GHz model) and many (if not all) Radeon Mobility 9200 based iBook G4s.

Some things (like 802.11g) are not supported, but you might be able to find a hardware sweet-spot which does exactly what you need at a reasonable price/availability.
 
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AphoticD said:
1. Titanium PBG4 867MHz 1GB RAM, 32GB mSATA SSD.

I was lucky to score an intact model in fantastic condition. I have a few more TiBooks of various specs which are not in such good condition though (paint stripped and/or broken hinges), including the 1GHz model. But I find the top of the line model runs MUCH hotter than the 867 - so the 867MHz model is my top recommendation.
Click to expand...

Thanks for depriving me of my feelings of regret for having an 867MHz rather than the 1GHz one. :)
AphoticD said:
3. iBook G3 White 500MHz 640MB RAM, 20GB HDD
Click to expand...

If only they weren't plagued by smelly keyboards...

AphoticD said:
5. Wallstreet PDQ PBG3 266MHz 512MB RAM, 6GB HDD

A beautiful Mac for typing and very happy on OS9. The PDQ can also go back as far as Mac OS 8.1 and will gladly boot this via a CF adapter in about 10 seconds. This old 68K/PPC release absolutely zips along on any G3.
Click to expand...

I got 8.1 to boot on a 400MHz Lombard - it was very zippy indeed. :)


My personal favourites for an OS 9 portable are an 867 MHz TiBook when I want a larger screen and/or more than one monitor and an original 12" PowerBook for portability (thanks to the MacOS9Lives distribution). Although I'd gladly swap the TiBook for an original 17".
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Thanks for depriving me of my feelings of regret for having an 867MHz rather than the 1GHz one. :)
Click to expand...

Off topic, but FWIW, I don't think you're really missing anything there. I have both, and can't tell a difference between them except for the fact that the 867 runs cooler. I used to feel the same way as you, had to have that 1 GHz, but I went through three of them before the one I have now. Each one ran hot and eventually killed itself, despite my cleaning, maintenance and care - though I didn't get any of them new and it's likely the damage was done before I acquired them. This last one is in pieces at the moment awaiting a restoration, but it still runs fine.

I've learned the hard way that many of Apple's ultimate designs involved compromises. My 1.42 GHz FW800 MDD is also sidelined right now in need of a new graphics card because its poor thermal design, coupled with my ATX PSU mod, cooked a perfectly good Radeon 9800 Pro to death. I wouldn't have needed to do the ATX mod in the first place if it hadn't been for the time bomb of a PSU that Apple put in these machines.

On a brighter note, my 1.33 GHz PBG4 12" is still happily running Tiger. That's another of Apple's penultimate designs that I prefer over the ultimate because, in my experience, the 1.5 GHz 12's run too hot and seem to have problems - I've had a couple of those die on me too.

Sometimes I feel like some kind of grim reaper for past-their-prime Macs. :(
 
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weckart said:
Cool. As it came with 8.6 did everything work under 8.1?
Click to expand...
Here is my thread on it. I no longer have the Lombard but it booted up fine after these "mods" and the keyboard and trackpad were responsive. I didn't check if all the components, ports etc. worked unfortunately. That reminds me, I need to dust off my 500 MHz Titanium running Mac OS 8.6 :cool:
 
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Raging Dufus said:
I've learned the hard way that many of Apple's ultimate designs involved compromises. My 1.42 GHz FW800 MDD is also sidelined right now in need of a new graphics card because its poor thermal design, coupled with my ATX PSU mod, cooked a perfectly good Radeon 9800 Pro to death.
Click to expand...

On the other hand I have a 1.67ghz 17" PowerBook G4, and it runs surprisingly cool and quiet. Perhaps because there's a lot of space inside the case, I don't know. Apple didn't release a 1.67ghz 12" model so perhaps ventilation was the deciding factor.

I also have a 1ghz TiBook, and as others point it feels slightly kludgy - the fan comes on quickly and stays on. It doesn't feel much faster than the 1152x768 667mhz model I used to have. In their favour the later models have DVI and 1280x854 screens.

I also have a thing for ThinkPads - my 1.8ghz Core Duo X60 is objectively slower than my 2ghz Core 2 Duo X61, but I use it more often because the X61 gets uncomfortably warm. It wasn't just Apple that had trouble stuffing a desktop-class machine into a slim-and-light laptop.
 
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Thinkpads are good computers. My only problem with them is the finish on them, its rubbery, and comes off after a while. I have a Thinkpad T43 and Thinkpad 770z.
 
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AshleyPomeroy said:
I also have a thing for ThinkPads - my 1.8ghz Core Duo X60 is objectively slower than my 2ghz Core 2 Duo X61, but I use it more often because the X61 gets uncomfortably warm. It wasn't just Apple that had trouble stuffing a desktop-class machine into a slim-and-light laptop.
Click to expand...

The C2Ds were just pretty warm processors. I have both the X61 and its big brother the T61 and the fan runs constantly on both. The rubbish graphics don't help but my T61 runs Lion very well.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
With that being said, the later Penryns were an improvement. The 1.4 GHz ULV SU9400 in my 2010 11" MBA is at ~40 deg C no matter what I'm doing.
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Well, it is an ULV after all. I got one of those as well but the 2GB of RAM is as limiting as the processor these days, which seems to spend most of its time spinning wheels, while trying to catch up with my typing. Still looking for a cheap 2015 version as I do like the form factor. Never really took to the 13" MBP I got instead despite its being better in every way.
 
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weckart said:
I got one of those as well but the 2GB of RAM is as limiting as the processor these days, which seems to spend most of its time spinning wheels, while trying to catch up with my typing.
Click to expand...

Same here, I really should have gone for 4GB. 2GB was okay-ish on Snow Leopard but El Capitan is tight - I dread to think what it would be like without an SSD...

weckart said:
Never really took to the 13" MBP I got instead despite its being better in every way.
Click to expand...

I can relate. The 13" MBP, even the Retina, is just not as small and light as the MBA. However, I also have a Sony Vaio Pro 11 which only weighs 870 grams (1.9 lb) and makes the 11" MBA feel like a brick in comparison. Not to mention its 1080p IPS screen demolishes the POS used for the MBA.
 
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I ended up buying an 800MHz iBook G3. There was this PowerBook G4 Titanium I was going to buy, which the guy didn't know the specs. But he said that he removed the original 10GB HDD, the only model of PowerBook G4 Titanium with a 10GB HDD was the original, worst, 400MHz model. So I decided to just get an iBook G3 for way cheaper.
 
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@Qrani that's great! The 12-inch iBook G3 800MHz holds a special place in my memory. It was the first Mac portable that I purchased/owned back in 2002. I hope yours is not affected by the GPU failure I mentioned. Be sure to share your experience!
 
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