Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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

Well, for doing what I want, it was the worst PowerBook G4 Titanium. The laptop I wanted was a laptop able to run Mac OS 9, and also a laptop able to do light browsing in TenFourFox under Mac OS X. the first PowerBook G4 Titanium was great for running Mac OS 9, and if that was all I needed it for it would be great. It had a 1024x768 screen, a 1280x854 screen would be nice, but still fine for Mac OS 9. Though the original PowerBook G4 Titanium, since it only has a 400MHz PowerPC G4 processor, it wouldn't run TenFourFox very well. I mean, my 500MHz iMac G3 can run it at about .5 FPS, so I don't think that would be much good, upgrading the processor a little and downgrading the speed a lot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1
Qrani said:
Well, for doing what I want, it was the worst PowerBook G4 Titanium. The laptop I wanted was a laptop able to run Mac OS 9, and also a laptop able to do light browsing in TenFourFox under Mac OS X. the first PowerBook G4 Titanium was great for running Mac OS 9, and if that was all I needed it for it would be great. It had a 1024x768 screen, a 1280x854 screen would be nice, but still fine for Mac OS 9. Though the original PowerBook G4 Titanium, since it only has a 400MHz PowerPC G4 processor, it wouldn't run TenFourFox very well. I mean, my 500MHz iMac G3 can run it at about .5 FPS, so I don't think that would be much good, upgrading the processor a little and downgrading the speed a lot.
Click to expand...
I had no issues running T4Fx on my old TiBook (when I had it, it's gone now) and that was with older versions. You mention FPS. So that leads me to believe you're using T4Fx for video watching online.

I'm not. I use other apps or Macs for that.

I use T4Fx to post to internet forums and read the news. Unless you're saying T4Fx is going to process all that at .5 FPS - which doesn't make any sense. In any case, it's clear now what you meant by worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1
Qrani said:
I mean, my 500MHz iMac G3 can run it at about .5 FPS, so I don't think that would be much good, upgrading the processor a little and downgrading the speed a lot.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that a 500MHz G4 would likely outperform at 500MHz G3. I know that the G4 is 100MHz slower, but in all reality they're very different processors under the same umbrella architecture. The G4 has a lot of things that the G3 doesn't such as AltiVec and is overall a faster processor family.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1
RogerWilco6502 said:
Keep in mind that a 500MHz G4 would likely outperform at 500MHz G3. I know that the G4 is 100MHz slower, but in all reality they're very different processors under the same umbrella architecture. The G4 has a lot of things that the G3 doesn't such as AltiVec and is overall a faster processor family.
Click to expand...

Yes, but you're still talking about a 20% clock speed penalty. And unless T4Fx leverages the G4's benefits such as AltiVec to a substantial extent, a 400MHz G4 is highly unlikely to be faster browsing the web than a 500MHz G3. There's one thing the TiBook has over the iBook tho - a higher RAM ceiling. T4Fx loves RAM.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RogerWilco6502 and alex_free
Amethyst1 said:
Yes, but you're still talking about a 20% clock speed penalty. And unless T4Fx leverages the G4's benefits such as AltiVec to a substantial extent, a 400MHz G4 is highly unlikely to be faster browsing the web than a 500MHz G3. There's one thing the TiBook has over the iBook tho - a higher RAM ceiling. T4Fx loves RAM.
Click to expand...

With anything lower then 1GHZ I recommend Mac OS 9 and using Classilla if it suits your needs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RogerWilco6502
alex_free said:
With anything lower then 1GHZ I recommend Mac OS 9 and using Classilla if it suits your needs.
Click to expand...

Opera Mini is also worth checking out if you're running Jaguar or later. It sends the URLs you visit to their servers which strip down the page and send the result back to the browser. It's meant for low-end phones and not too bad on my underclocked (867 -> 667 MHz due to no battery) TiBook, although not compatible with every site out there - but still better than Classilla.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RogerWilco6502 and alex_free
Amethyst1 said:
Yes, but you're still talking about a 20% clock speed penalty. And unless T4Fx leverages the G4's benefits such as AltiVec to a substantial extent, a 400MHz G4 is highly unlikely to be faster browsing the web than a 500MHz G3. There's one thing the TiBook has over the iBook tho - a higher RAM ceiling. T4Fx loves RAM.
Click to expand...
You make a good point. I can say that when I upgraded the RAM from 512MB to 1.5GB in my Power Mac it did help T4Fx a lot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alex_free
alex_free said:
Sucks the Mac mini has a 1GB ram ceiling, since it has only one ram slot. Besides that the Mac mini is a ppc beast. Especially on OS 9 that things insane.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Honestly the Mini and the DA are about the same performance-wise given that the Mini has a faster processor but the DA has more RAM. The Mini can load multiple tabs slightly faster and perform other multitasking operations faster, but otherwise they're very similar performance-wise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1 and alex_free
alex_free said:
With anything lower then 1GHZ I recommend Mac OS 9 and using Classilla if it suits your needs.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but I am going to continue to ignore that recommendation. As long as any Mac I own can run OS X, it will do so. I do not hold the same interest or love of OS9 as many others here seem to. Having dealt with all the problems and limitations that OS9 caused me in a professional capacity I have no desire to use that as a main OS.

I will suffer slow loading and slow response because OS X asks more of the hardware - because at least it's NOT running OS9.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1, RogerWilco6502, Windreader and 1 other person
eyoungren said:
Sorry, but I am going to continue to ignore that recommendation. As long as any Mac I own can run OS X, it will do so. I do not hold the same interest or love of OS9 as many others here seem to. Having dealt with all the problems and limitations that OS9 caused me in a professional capacity I have no desire to use that as a main OS.

I will suffer slow loading and slow response because OS X asks more of the hardware - because at least it's NOT running OS9.
Click to expand...

Same here: although OS9 certainly has its uses and with advice from a forum member, I purchased a graphics card that will provide good performance in 9 and X - for me, the latter will always win hands down. My iBook G3 came with OS 9 and the problems and limitations that were presented made me switch to Tiger within days. It just wasn't feasible to use it as my primary OS - the communities of Mac OS 9 Lives and Mac OS 9 - it's still alive! demonstrate that this isn't the case for everyone obviously.

Tiger runs like a champ on my G3 with tweaks and optimisations. @z970mp has produced a script that in their own words "optimizes Tiger out of the wazoo!" :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1, eyoungren, z970 and 1 other person
TheShortTimer said:
Same here: although OS9 certainly has its uses and with advice from a forum member, I purchased a graphics card that will provide good performance in 9 and X - for me, the latter will always win hands down. My iBook G3 came with OS 9 and the problems and limitations that were presented made me switch to Tiger within days. It just wasn't feasible to use it as my primary OS - the communities of Mac OS 9 Lives and Mac OS 9 - it's still alive! demonstrate that this isn't the case for everyone obviously.

Tiger runs like a champ on my G3 with tweaks and optimisations. @z970mp has produced a script that in their own words "optimizes Tiger out of the wazoo!" :D
Click to expand...

Having used both Tiger and OS 9 on my iBook G3, I prefer using OS 9 on it over Tiger. AquaAccelerator and AquaTrim greatly improved Tiger on my iBook, but I still prefer using OS 9 on it. I got curious about Jaguar, so the current OS setup on my iBook G3 is a dual boot of OS 9 and Jaguar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1, z970 and RogerWilco6502
I'd say that OS 9 and Tiger have different strengths. I do most of my web browsing on my Power Mac in Tiger, but when I want to play games on that machine I'll use OS 9. I also use Tiger for file sharing, some photo editing/basic graphic design, and some video editing. I use OS 9 for writing, FTP file transfers, web site design, and CD playing among other tasks such as that.

I only have OS 9 on my iBook atm, and I use it for video watching (via PPCMC-downloded videos) as well as writing and gaming. It's become my main OS 9 machine but my Power Mac still has OS 9 on it and exists as sort of a "compatibility mothership" of sorts for all of my other Macs, no matter what age they are. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1, MacFoxG4 and z970
Qrani said:
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?
Click to expand...
I have three TiBooks. One of which is a 1Ghz model. None of them have these "common problems". They all work. I use the 1Ghz one a lot. If I need OS 9, it's my go-to system. The worst thing with them is that a couple of them have the paint coming off.
I bought them all off shopgoodwill.com.
One of them actually looks likes in been through some hell. A couple dents and scuff from probably being dropped and\or mishandled. Still has none of the defects you mentioned, and works well. That one is a DVI model, I'm not sure which one but it isn't my 1Ghz.
They are absolutely not horribly built. In fact they're some of the best laptops ever built. If you want the worlds most durable laptop go find a toughbook or a thinkpad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dextructor, Amethyst1, eyoungren and 2 others
z970mp said:
I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true. ;)
Click to expand...

I didn't doubt it and that's exactly why looking forward to trying it out imminently. :)

z970mp said:
Tiger simply cannot be performance optimized any further than what AquaTrim-celerator push without seriously breaking things. Same goes for Leopard / AuroraTrim-celerator.
Click to expand...

Again, I'm looking forward to seeing the gains of your handiwork. :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: z970
Project Alice said:
If you want the worlds most durable laptop go find a toughbook or a thinkpad.
Click to expand...
I can attest to the ThinkPad. I have an x61 that has survived multiple fan failures, a case swap, the mobo being shorted a few times, screen replacement, etc (pretty much all my fault, I wasn't as careful as I am now when I first got it). It still boots up and works just find despite the rigorous amount of work I generally put it through and the fact that I got it second-hand :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: dextructor, Amethyst1 and z970
TheShortTimer said:
I didn't doubt it and that's exactly why looking forward to trying it out imminently. :)

Again, I'm looking forward to seeing the gains of your handiwork. :D
Click to expand...

I wasn't challenging you. Just offering a little insight. :)
[automerge]1585967918[/automerge]
RogerWilco6502 said:
I can attest to the ThinkPad. I have an x61 that has survived multiple fan failures, a case swap, the mobo being shorted a few times, screen replacement, etc (pretty much all my fault, I wasn't as careful as I am now when I first got it). It still boots up and works just find despite the rigorous amount of work I generally put it through and the fact that I got it second-hand :D
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've got an R51e, and it's been nothing but wonderful. Serving as primary, no less.

I haven't put it through the same trials of course, but you can nonetheless feel quality exuding off the case, even in a budget model like mine. Bought it a soft rim nub, a matching USB mouse, and now it's all set. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1 and TheShortTimer
Just to chime in, the iBooks G4’s are mostly indestructible. My kids have been giving a hard time to a couple of the pre-last gen 1.2 and 1.33Ghz 14-inchers. I am impressed with their durability still even in their old age - now probably 16 years old.

One of the iBooks took a hard fall off the couch the other night and started intermittently flickering the display backlight.

I dismantled and reseated all the internals, including the wide LVDS behind the LCD and all is A OK again.

Try that with a modern MacBook - one wrong move and it’s an expensive paperweight - or maybe a chopping board...?
 
  • Like
Reactions: dextructor, Amethyst1 and z970
iBooks are a lot chunkier than Apple would ever consider releasing today, which adds to their "structural integrity". Not that I'm OCD about it but I never got onboard with the fact that Apple never designed the battery to sit flat in the base rather than proud by a few mm. It just looks like a lack of attention to detail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Amethyst1
weckart said:
iBooks are a lot chunkier than Apple would ever consider releasing today, which adds to their "structural integrity". Not that I'm OCD about it but I never got onboard with the fact that Apple never designed the battery to sit flat in the base rather than proud by a few mm. It just looks like a lack of attention to detail.
Click to expand...
I haven't really had that issue, other than using a G4 battery on a G3. Which at that point the color was wrong anyways. My old 1.2Ghz iBooks battery matched up perfect iirc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AphoticD
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: lepidotós, dextructor, AphoticD and 3 others
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back