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DigitalEl · Jun 3, 2003, 06:41 AM

I'm selling a couple of things on eBay to get a laptop. I want to run only OSX and my most important applications will be the MS Office X suite. I've been reading and hearing the Pismo PowerBooks are/were the best machines Apple ever built. But I've also read to be weary of OS X's performance on such a dated machine.

My question is this:
With about $750 to spend, would I be better off with the best Pismo I can find or with a somewhat newer iBook?

What I don't want to do is buy a Pismo and trick it out with processor upgrades and maxed out RAM. I just want to get a used machine, do a clean OS X install and go to work. For my budget, I could go with a Pismo or a 500 Mhz (or maybe 600 Mhz) iBook, which has been refurbished... Essentially new from Apple.

Looking at recent prices on eBay, if buying today, I'd probably go for something like this,or this.

Any thoughts?

Anything I should watch out for? Are machines that have had their processors upgraded a good buy or is that "askin' for trouble?" Would you buy from an individual or a reseller such as Buy Resale?
---
I've searched these forums for previous threads on Pismos vs. iBooks (one possibly even started by me awhile back), but wanted the most recent opinions... So don't beat me up for not consulting earlier threads on the subject.

webb3201 · Jun 3, 2003, 07:32 AM

In a world of fanatics, the Pismo remains one of the most admired machines years after the end of its production run.

The Pismo is a great machine with wonderful expandability. You can add batteries, zips, hard drives, cdrw drives all in the expansion bay. The internal hard drive is also very easy to replace. If you are planning on investing in some of these add-ons, the Pismo is a better choice. You also have the ability to move to the G4 chip.

Now, if you do not see yourself taking advantage of these upgrades, you may be better off with the iBook. The superior graphics chip and a warranty are huge pluses. My only suggestion is to get the biggest hard drive you can find (or an external drive), as it is very hard to change them.

I have used 2 pismos and one iBook over the course of the last few years and quite frankly cannot pick a favorite.

SubGeniux · Jun 3, 2003, 08:03 AM

I love the Pismo, I bought mine just before it was replaced with the Tibooks. It hasn't let me down yet and I'm running Photoshop, word, dreamweaver etc, it just keeps ticking along nicely. I did get a new 40gb hard drive recently and upped theram to 768mb, it really feels like a new machine now.
But... it does show its age in some areas like graphics performance but not to the degree that it's unusable with 10.2.6, I think it's really nippy, runs fine especially with the ram and har drive upgrades.
I'll be geting a new PB later in the year once the lineup has been sorted out and Panther has been released, probably go for the next 15 inch one.
Not sure what to recommend, I've only used an iBook briefly but preffered the Pismo over it in almost every way.
If I was given the choice between the 2, I'd go for the Pismo, bigger screen, more expandable, 2 firewire ports, etc.

It runs 10.2.6 really well.

SEkker · Jun 3, 2003, 01:08 PM

With the 900 MHz G3 Pismo upgrade available, it can even be updated to a respectable CPU.

Even superdrives can be added.

The only aspect of the Pismo that does not seem replacable is the video system, which at 8MB may be limiting to some.

The biggest difference is the form factor -- the iBook is really a subnotebook, while the Pismo is an indestructable but hefty 7 lbs.

The Pismo is going to go down as one of the Apple 'classics'. Folks will be using them long after their wintels cousins can be purchased for $35 at a used computer store.

Kenstee · Jun 3, 2003, 01:30 PM

One negative of the Pismo is its keyboard. I personally found it very "spongy." Had a very loose feel. It was not very comfortable. If you are going to be using the keyboard alot it may be an issue for you.

The keyboard of the new ALs (both 12" and 17") in contrast are great. Rock solid feel. Arguably the best notebook keyboards out there right now.

I'd also be concerned about batteries. Batteries do wearout and become non-usable over time. Especially older models like that used in the Pismo. They are very expensive. And who knows how long there will be 3rd party manufacturers of them.

Another point. That sucker is HEAVY. If you travel alot or will be carrying it with any degree of frequency it is definitely something to consider, especially if you will be carrying extra batteries, modules, etc.

Another souce of used Pismos (and other models) is powerbookcentral.com. They have a classified sales area on the site.

SubGeniux · Jun 3, 2003, 03:13 PM

That's the thing that bugs me the most now with the pismo, it's insistence on obeying the rules of gravity to the extreme, and pulling me down with it, the thing almost breaks my back lugging it around.
My friend had a tibook and I couldn't believe the thickness of it, or lack of, when I first saw it, and the lightness too.

icruise · Jun 3, 2003, 03:49 PM

If the decision is between a 500mhz ibook and a 500 mhz Pismo, the Pismo might be slightly faster, but it's not a huge difference (I think pricewise you are more likely to be able to get a 400mhz pismo for the same price as the 500mhz ibook, so the difference will be negligable).

What you need to think about is the differences in size and weight, and in expandibility. The Pismo has a bigger screen, but it is inferior in quality to that of the iBook (I have both). The Pismo is much more expandible as has been mentioned, but it is not nearly as portable as the iBook. If you want to bring it with you often, I would get the iBook, if you want to use it at a desk most of the time, probably get the Pismo. If you care about expansion, definitely get the Pismo. But if you can swing it, I would recommend one of the new iBooks or a 12" powerbook instead.

Eug · Jun 3, 2003, 04:08 PM

Ideally, see if you can find an inexpensive 12" iBook 700 with 16 MB Radeon 7500, or in the very least, the older 12" iBook 600/700 with 16 MB Radeon. IMO, anything older than a Radeon is too slow for OS X. Plus you'll need at least 256 MB RAM. Preferably 384 MB.

One of the reasons I sold my iBook 600 with Rage Mobility 128 was because it felt a bit slow for OS X and I had 384 MB RAM for it.

And at the risk of getting flamed, I don't understand the love for the Pismos. Outside the Mac forums, just about nobody has ever heard of them. OTOH the TiBook, AluBook, and the iBook are now what are synonymous with that which is Apple. The Pismo quite frankly just looks like another heavy PC laptop, and an old one at that.

[Runs away]

icruise · Jun 3, 2003, 04:12 PM

Originally posted by Eug:

And at the risk of getting flamed, I don't understand the love for the Pismos. Outside the Mac forums, just about nobody has ever heard of them. The TiBook, AluBook, and the iBook are OTOH now what are synonymous with that which is Apple. The Pismo quite frankly just looks like another PC laptop, and an old one at that.

[Runs away]

I agree that the Pismo is starting to look a bit long in the tooth, but it is considerbly more attractive than any other plastic PC laptop I have seen. It's the curves, man, the curves...

But are you seriously going to use the argument that because PC users have never heard of them, they can't be any good?

Eug · Jun 3, 2003, 04:20 PM

Originally posted by Icruise:
But are you seriously going to use the argument that because PC users have never heard of them, they can't be any good?

No. I just don't understand why the Mac people rave about them. They're pretty old technology by today's standards and the iBooks are much nicer - lighter and more portable, better screen, better looking, etc. The reason I mentioned the iBook, TiBook, and AluBook in the same breath is because just about anyone looking at one is struck by the aesthetics and design quality. To me (and much of the rest of the world methinks) the Pismo just looks like a generic laptop. Just my opinion...

[Runs away again]

DigitalEl · 12:54 AM

iBooks are much nicer - lighter and more portable, better screen, better looking, etc. The reason I mentioned the iBook, TiBook, and AluBook in the same breath is because just about anyone looking at one is struck by the aesthetics and design quality.

The iBook certainly looks good on the table at the Apple Store, but don't they scratch and ding as easily as the iPod, with that white plasticky finish? The three-year-old Pismos I've seen on eBay still look pristine.

I guess it is going to come down to choosing between the 400 Mhz Pismo and a 500 or 600 Mhz iBook.

I'm enjoying reading both sides here in this thread. Please, anyone with an opinion, keep it going.

SubGeniux · Jun 4, 2003, 04:46 AM

Here's a link I found which compares lots of pre-tibooks on the second hand market, covers the Pismo and ibooks.

http://www.macopinion.com/columns/ro.../03/index.html

In another post I mentined that sometimes I prefer style over substance, expecially when it comes to Macs, so when it comes down to gettign a new PB, I'd hold out for something like the 15" I think it's still the best looking one made so far, then my second choice would be the Pismo, the 12" PB's jus dont do it for me, as well as the spec on them. I'll still keep my Pismo once I move onto a new PB, I remember when it came out, nothing on earth looked like it, the curves and style of it weree amazing. It's been bettered by Apple in design, but I still think hte PC makers haven't come up with anything as good looking as it.

Eug · 06:15 AM

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
The iBook certainly looks good on the table at the Apple Store, but don't they scratch and ding as easily as the iPod, with that white plasticky finish?

No. I had the iBook 600 and I used to just throw it in my briefcase. If it did get scratched it wasn't very noticeable. On those, the outside was clear plastic. The paint was on the inside. (On the new ones, it's just opaque white plastic. Dunno how well that one would hold up, but I think it'd be OK.)

For my TiBook, I make sure I have it in a sleeve before putting it in a bag. If that one got scratched it'd be more obvious.

By the way, on a side note, my cell phone shell broke a while back. The only replacement I could find was clear plastic but it looked cheesy with all the circuitry exposed. So I simply painted it on the inside (a la iBook) and it looks great. And it sits with my keys and change and stuff in my pocket. Again, if it's scratched it sure ain't obvious. Looks great.

icruise · Jun 4, 2003, 06:22 AM

Well, I would say they actually do scratch quite easily, but you can't really see it unless you look at it in the right light, so it may not bother you.

iWrite · Jun 4, 2003, 06:31 AM

Get an iBook under warranty.

We have a lot of experience with the Pismos and they're awesome machines.

The problem with them is that one of the more common failures is that the LCD starts to turn slightly pink when booting up or waking from sleep, then dark pink, then red and your LCD goes bad. We had it happen on every single system that we owned over a year old. Because they were under AppleCare warranty they were replaced, but we had a couple of them go bad a second time also.

Because an LCD replacement is VERY expensive, I HIGHLY suggest you simply buy a 14-inch iBook, either a 700Mhz model, or an 800Mhz model.

The Apple Stores are closing out the 800Mhz models (some have fantastic "open box" bargains) and we bought one and couldn't be more pleased with it.

As far as scratches go, the iBook scuffs -- but it doesn't scratch easily -- and it looks like it's supposed to be that way. The Pismo has that "velvet" inset on the top and bottom (soft unfinished part of plastic cover) and that scuffs and scratches a LOT easier than an iBook.

Good luck.

Eug · Jun 4, 2003, 07:25 AM

I HIGHLY suggest you simply buy a 14-inch iBook, either a 700Mhz model, or an 800Mhz model.

Although I find the 12" screen a tad small, the portability of it outweighs the 14"'s size IMO, and I think the 12" screen is a little nicer too, for less cost. But it's personal preference of course.

iWrite · Jun 4, 2003, 07:36 AM

Yes, the 12-inch is nice, but I personally want a larger screen.

I don't understand how a 12-inch system is SO MUCH MORE portable than a 14-inch system? Seriously?

I understand the difference between, say, a Palm PDA and a 14-inch system, but not between a 12-inch laptop and a 14-inch laptop.

Besides, if I'm paying a grand for a computer (or more) I want more to look at -- especially in the LCD.

Eug · Jun 4, 2003, 07:48 AM

Originally posted by iWrite:
Yes, the 12-inch is nice, but I personally want a larger screen.

I don't understand how a 12-inch system is SO MUCH MORE portable than a 14-inch system? Seriously?

I understand the difference between, say, a Palm PDA and a 14-inch system, but not between a 12-inch laptop and a 14-inch laptop.

Besides, if I'm paying a grand for a computer (or more) I want more to look at -- especially in the LCD.

I own a 15" TiBook.

If there existed say a 13" PowerBook with better quality 1024x768 screen, I'd buy it in a shot (esp. if it had a PCMCIA slot). I don't like the heavier weight and awkwardness of the 14" iBook or even the 15" TiBook (although the TiBook is gorgeous). And I would never buy the 17" unless I knew I was not going to take it anywhere very often.

iWrite · Jun 4, 2003, 08:02 AM

Now you've got a good point: Screen quality.

One thing I'm not happy about is the screen rez on the iBook. It's okay, but it's not the quality that I have on my 1Ghz Titanium.

Yes, I'd seriously consider buying a 13.3-inch Powerbook, which I hear might be coming down the pike in a superslim model.

We agree about that!

SubGeniux · Jun 4, 2003, 09:04 AM

Same here, I need the features and screen real estate/quality, the weight and size is secondary for me. I've grown so used to the14.1' on the Pismo that anything smaller would be a problem.

Eug · Jun 4, 2003, 09:10 AM

Originally posted by SubGeniux:
Same here, I need the features and screen real estate/quality, the weight and size is secondary for me. I've grown so used to the14.1' on the Pismo that anything smaller would be a problem.

I went from a 15" 1024x768 laptop to a 12" iBook (same resolution). I preferred the iBook's screen size. However a 13" would be perfect.

SubGeniux · Jun 4, 2003, 09:18 AM

I rememebr when the wall street G3's came out, there were problems with the 13' screen, various colour and other issues were there, but the 14 and the 12"? seemed to be fine, wonder if there's an inherent issue with 13" screens.

Eug · Jun 4, 2003, 11:33 AM

Originally posted by SubGeniux:
I rememebr when the wall street G3's came out, there were problems with the 13' screen, various colour and other issues were there, but the 14 and the 12"? seemed to be fine, wonder if there's an inherent issue with 13" screens.

No inherent problems with 13" screens, although certain brands/models, etc. may have problems. Remember the 14" Pismo problems?

DigitalEl · Jun 4, 2003, 03:39 PM

I think I've read so much stuff over the past 48 hours, I'm more confused than ever. Seems the 500 MHz iBook and the 400 MHz Pismo are pretty comparable. The 'Book may be a little faster running OS X, but the Pismo is infinitely more expandable.

Being as shallow as I am <half kidding>, it may come down to cosmetics. I think I need to go to a reseller and touch both machines... Then it may just come down to which deal I can find on eBay once I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Many suggestions and points here are well-taken, but some forgot I said I only have about $750 in the budget. I'd love to get a 12" AlBook, but just can't afford it. Hell, I'd love to get a 17" PowerBook, just like Mini Me!

Four days+ left on the iMac DV-SE auction. Three days+ left on the PlayStation 2 bundle auction. Then it's buytime!

juanpacolopez · Jun 4, 2003, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
I think I've read so much stuff over the past 48 hours, I'm more confused than ever. Seems the 500 MHz iBook and the 400 MHz Pismo are pretty comparable. The 'Book may be a little faster running OS X, but the Pismo is infinitely more expandable.

Allow me to chime in with an observation of my own.

I had (girlfriend still has) and iBook 600 for about a year. This was the pre-RADEON non QE iBook mind you (same as the 500Mhz you're considering). I have a few comments on the build quality:

Contrary to popular belief, the plastic ibook case is NOT very scratch resistant. You might think I'm crazy, but allow me to explain... The plastic coasting on the outside of the ibook is VERY prone to hairline scratches (like the kind you get on a glossy car). If you have pets (my cat LOVES to try and jump wherever the books are... I'm leaving my tiBook in it's case overnight these days... My ibook has HUNDREDS of hairlines on the top and bottom shells. The inside coated surface actually fairs pretty well, as mine was left opened frequently and never recieved a single scratch.

Just a suggestion, I think the Pismo might be a bit more durable and of higher overall build quality (the ibook has a slightly cheap, plasticy feel to it). Since you won't get QE or other enhancements from getting an iBook 500, I'd say get the Pismo for the expansion and better overall quality.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Riemann Zeta · Jun 6, 2003, 05:27 PM

I had a Pismo that I bought on clearance after the 1st gen TiBook was introduced. It eventually ended up being a G4 500/512 MB/30 GB/Airport/Dual Battery "tweaked-out" machine. The great thing about it was that it grew with me--as Mac OS X was introduced, I was able to upgrade the CPU to a G4 and bump up the RAM.

Alas, I sold the Pismo and bought a TiBook 1Ghz SuperDrive in January. The TiBook is a killer machine.

The one thing that you should keep in mind when looking for older machine:

Mac OS X requires either: (1) a G4 processor or (2) a 32 MB QuartzGL compatible GPU to run at a respectible speed (unless you enjoy waiting for menus to slide down and windows to resize). Also, the more RAM the better. 512 should be considered a minimum.

Best value would be an iBook 700/800, I think. Apple has an iBook 700MHz/128MB/20GB/CD for only 799 USD (it's a refurb).

cdhostage · Jun 6, 2003, 05:57 PM

I bought a 400 MHz Pismo some four years ago, and it is absolutely excellent. It's a little bulky compared to modern iBooks, and it runs OS 10.2.6 noticeably slower than my 500 MHz iMac and significantly slower than the eMacs that I worked on at school.

I heartily recommend a Pismo, but you should check the latches which let out the drive bay and the battery - mine became loose and is now easily discharged accidently, resulting in a powerloss (and dataloss) if battery and possible (but not always) crash if the drive pops out.

The removable drive is nifty - while it's old-school with the tray and all, you can swap in different drives for it, a Zip drive, a SuperDrive, a plain old floppy... I bet someone made a DVD burner drive for it. The default drive is a DVD-ROM.

The battery is not as good as the modern iBooks; it may be a worse battery or mine is just getting older. It used to do five hours Internetting or three hours DVD-playing; now I always take my power cord with me and it conks out DVD-lplaying before mose two-hour movies are up. Whatever. It works for me.

Modern iBooks have brighter screens.

Beware - Apple may come out with a new iBook in the next few weeks, and if it turns out sturdy, I'm going to get one myself.

Bluebomber21XX · Jun 6, 2003, 09:12 PM

Alright, regarding the Pismos.

Why do I like mine? It's built like a tank, I've *never* had a problem with it, and the two expansion bays are wonderful. The expandability of this machine is another reason why people like them, too.

They're just badass laptops!

angelmb · Jun 8, 2003, 01:00 AM

Originally posted by Kenstee:
One negative of the Pismo is its keyboard. I personally found it very "spongy." Had a very loose feel. It was not very comfortable. If you are going to be using the keyboard alot it may be an issue for you.

Weird, I much preffer my Pismo keyboard that my G3 B&W or G4 keyboard due to the lower height of the keys, I have not tried a PB 17 keyboard

My Pismo 500 Mhz 1GB RAM and original 12 GB HD runs very nice 10.2.5. About Office v.X the problem is the soft, not the Pismo or the iBook.

DigitalEl · Jun 8, 2003, 05:05 AM

I was about 1 minute, 17 seconds from being the proud new owner of a 500 MHz Pismo with 1 GB of RAM and a CD-RW drive... But lost in an eBay bidding war! Beat by $10 by some dude from New Zealand! Friggin' Kiwi bast'aad!

Sucks, too, b/c I had my heart set on that particular one. I had exchanged a couple of e-mails with the seller and it appeared he took really good care of it.

Now that I've decided to go with the Pismo, there's just not that much inventory out there. I'm one of those "I want it now" -types and now that I'm ready to buy, this is pretty frustrating.

DigitalEl · Jun 9, 2003, 05:39 AM

Originally posted by juanpacolopez:
Just a suggestion, I think the Pismo might be a bit more durable and of higher overall build quality (the ibook has a slightly cheap, plasticy feel to it). Since you won't get QE or other enhancements from getting an iBook 500, I'd say get the Pismo for the expansion and better overall quality.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Well I went with the Pismo. 500 MHz, 576 MB RAM, but only a 10 GB hard drive. It should be here by Wednesday and I'm jacked.

In anticipation, I've finally given up Entourage, in favor of Mail, Address Book and iCal. It will be cool to keep things synced between the new PowerBook and my G4 iMac.

Since this is my first portable of any kind, any good general advice is appreciated. I've been reading stuff here and over at Low End Mac voraciously, but still feel kind of new to it all, even though I'm a relatively experienced OS X and Mac user.

Oh... And any suggestions for a decent < $50 notebook case?

webb3201 · Jun 9, 2003, 07:49 AM

A few basic Apple notebook notes:

Sleep Mode - just close the lid and go right to sleep. I never turn my Apple laptops off. Saves a lot of time over restarting and is perfectly safe.

Firewire Disk Mode - Buy a Firewire cable and reboot the Pismo while holding the "t" key. This will boot the machine as a firewire drive for you to access on your Powermac. Very handy when transferring large files or using the Powerbook apps with the desktop accessories.

PeteWK · Jun 11, 2003, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by Eug:
No. I just don't understand why the Mac people rave about them. They're pretty old technology by today's standards and the iBooks are much nicer - lighter and more portable, better screen, better looking, etc. The reason I mentioned the iBook, TiBook, and AluBook in the same breath is because just about anyone looking at one is struck by the aesthetics and design quality. To me (and much of the rest of the world methinks) the Pismo just looks like a generic laptop. Just my opinion...

[Runs away again]

Old Technology! Are you kidding? The Pismo has just about everything the current 15in Powerbook has, sans the bluetooth and DVI (which I never use anyway). Its certainly slower and lacks the motherboard refinements and video card upgrade. But still, the Pismo gives you almost everything the new powerbooks do and some things they don't.

PeteWK

PeteWK · Jun 11, 2003, 12:36 PM

Originally posted by iWrite:
Get an iBook under warranty.

We have a lot of experience with the Pismos and they're awesome machines.

The problem with them is that one of the more common failures is that the LCD starts to turn slightly pink when booting up or waking from sleep, then dark pink, then red and your LCD goes bad. We had it happen on every single system that we owned over a year old. Because they were under AppleCare warranty they were replaced, but we had a couple of them go bad a second time also.

Because an LCD replacement is VERY expensive, I HIGHLY suggest you simply buy a 14-inch iBook, either a 700Mhz model, or an 800Mhz model.

...
Good luck.

Pismos can still be had with warranty as well, just at the tail end of it. My wife's Pismo 500 is still under warrenty until September of this year. Some Pismos were still being sold in February of 2001 so warrantied machines can still be had until Feb. 2004.

As for the screen, the problem machines were dumped in September of 2000 with Rev. 2 (which mine is). The LCD was changed to a different company's and the hard drive was upgraded to 10 gig from 6. I would strongly recommend the Rev. 2 machine and I would recommend it over the iBook 500. I've owned one of those as well. A nice computer but nothing compared to the Pismo.

PeteWK

mrgaskell · Jun 11, 2003, 04:04 PM

The 14 inch iBook looks like crap. The screen is too blurry. The keyboard looks wierd jsut sitting there by itself. The Pizmo, on the other hand, is a beautiful machine. I would pick one of those up on looks alone. All of you 'dissing' the Pizmo are obviously on crack, crank, heroine, roach killer, and mouse turds. Kick the habit and get some taste!!

[Runs like mad as fast as he can...crack heads run fast as hell!]

MacNZ · Jun 11, 2003, 09:00 PM

Hey, no slagging off kiwis!!! While we have a dork of a Prime Minister the rest of us are ok. Anyway, tough luck on the Pismo.

My father and I both have Pismo's specced out the same-- Powerlogix G4 upgrade and 40GB IBM Travelstar drives. We've had them since new in 2000 and they haven't let us down yet. The thing I like about them is that they're very easy to upgrade. You can put in a big hard drive and a whole Gig of memory and your away laughing. I wouldn't recommend them if your doing hard out photoshop and quark work but web and office stuff goes great on them.

I agree with the comment about them being tanks! I went over the handlebars on my bike when going to college. I landed on my Pismo but it came out unscathed...better condition than I was. My cousin has an iBook/800 Combo which I set up for him. The combo drive is the one real bonus with the iBook. You can get one for the Pismo but its not the best value. I wouldn't buy the 14" iBook as mrgaskell says; the 12' combo is the pick of the bunch!

DigitalEl · Jun 12, 2003, 12:39 AM

Originally posted by MacNZ:
Hey, no slagging off kiwis!!! While we have a dork of a Prime Minister the rest of us are ok. Anyway, tough luck on the Pismo.

No harm meant on you New Zealanders. Was just frustrating to get beat out on the ultimate machine. My compromise Pismo should arrive Friday. Right now (10:32 p.m. PST Wednesday), it's in Sparks, Nevada. Just one more state to go before it's here in Arizona.

Eventually, I'll max out the RAM and go for a bigger HD, but it's going to be fine for now. Thursday, I have to go find a bag for it. Still no good suggestions from you guys. I'm just looking for somethin' cheap & basic. It's not like I'm still in college and will be slogging it around every day.

T-Minus 38-hours.

Sidenote:
...and I'm getting married a week from Saturday (6/21). How queer is it that I wanted a titanium wedding band. I didn't even know they existed, but once I saw them in the stores, I thought "They make Mac laptops and airplanes out of this stuff. Better than gold!"

And yes. I know the Pismo isn't made from titanium.

SubGeniux · Jun 13, 2003, 08:56 AM

Did your Pismo come yet? Hope you have fun n games with it.

I've got an idea as how to make a pismo titanium, find a building that has titanium cladding (there's one near me) rip some of it off, then panel beat it over the pismo, voila, one mean looking PB. also illegal.

DigitalEl · Jun 15, 2003, 01:03 AM

Did your Pismo come yet?

Yep. It arrived Friday. It's been a wild 36 hours getting her to match the G4 iMac, which will remain my main machine.

The 'Book arrived with 10.2 and the seller didn't wipe his info off first. I even had his .Mac password. You'd think people would know better... But luckily for him, I'm honest!

I installed updates, up to 10.2.5. I'll have it grab 10.2.6 when I go to bed tonight. I only have dialup and updates suck.

I've been using Firewire Target Disk Mode for bigger stuff. Things like iCal and iSync didn't work, even after moving them from the G4. They had to be reinstalled (and painstakingly downloaded) from scratch.

First impressions: It's a beautiful machine. To me, there's no comparison between this and the iBook. This thing feels mad-sturdy. Not fragile at all. The bottom had all four feet, but also a few scratches. The top looks great!

The screen is bright and flawless. No dead or stuck pixels and the battery holds its charge for more than three hours. Not much these days, but better than I expected with a more than two-year-old machine. I'm very happy so far.

ONLY MAJOR PROBLEM!
I planned to max out the RAM. The unit already has 576 MB, so I bought a 512 MB chip, planning to remove the 64 MB and have a pair of 512s.

The RAM came an hour before the 'Book, so I opened up the keyboard and was ready to install the new RAM... But the only RAM that seemed accessible to me was the 512 MB chip. So is the 64 MB chip removable (by me)? What should I have bought to make this machine 1 GB? If somehow I did buy the right thing, how do I install it?

BTW, I couldn't find an answer to this in the Knowledge Base. Hope I don't have to send the 512 chip back! Thanks for all your advice & help everyone.

icruise · Jun 15, 2003, 01:16 AM

You have to remove the CPU card in order to get to the other RAM slot on its underside. It's not that hard, but it is a little scary the first time you do it. I would think there would be some guides on the web for this.

SubGeniux · Jun 15, 2003, 10:34 AM

Glad it came ok, it's a nice wee machine. The ram is quite easy to install but like iCruise said, can be a bit scary at first, I did this just recently by putting a 512mb chip in the bottom slot
On the Apple site you can find the whole manual set in pdf format. But, here's waht to do though to get it upgraded:

Unlock the keyboard and you'll see a silveer plate bang in the middle, unscrew the 2 screws and lift this off, you'll now see the cpu module, take out the screw from that and the screw which is attached to the heat thingy that comes off the cpu at the left side of the computer, you'll see it by the copper pipe. There's a little clear tab which helps you ease out the cpu board, just pull it slowly but firmly, easing it out. Once you have that done, you'll see the memory slot o nthe underneath, it's the same process for putting ram in this as the top slot. Once done, getnly put the cpu board back in, it might be a bit fiddly, but once in, press dwon so it's seated correctly, if iremember correctly, you have to make sure the Hard Drive tab is not caught in there. then just assemble it as you did to unassemble.

but, try and get the maual to just make sure though.

Good luck

DigitalEl · Jun 15, 2003, 03:46 PM

Thanks guys. I did find a guide online... Even with a Quicktime movie. Helped infinitely. In my haste, I forgot to remove the battery while performing the "surgery." I didn't shock myself, amazingly, but upon reassembly, the machine wouldn't come on. I thought I'd fried something.

After disassembling, watching the Quicktime movie on the G4 again, then trying about three more times, it finally works! I was confused as hell by the Airport antenna. I thought it had come off the processor board somewhere and was pulling my hair out trying to figure out where it plugs back in. Finally I just tucked it out of the way and got on with it. Later it ocurred to me just what it was.

I've been using computers every day for about a decade and Macs since 1999 or 2000. I've never before felt like as much of a newbie as I do now.

With a full 1 GB of RAM, this machine is more than adequate for my needs... And dare I say, for the everyday kind of stuff I do (E-Mail, MS Word, etc...), this Pismo performs as admirably as my iMac. I couldn't be happier with this machine!

Thanks again for the heads up about that bottom RAM slot.

SubGeniux · Jun 16, 2003, 05:45 AM

That happened to me too, totally forgot about the battery and jsut got on with puttign the ram in, put it all back together again and the thign didn't turn on, thoguht to myself, 'that's it, i'm buggered', but the ni jsut pulled out the battery and waited adn then shoved i t back in and all was well and good.

doesn;t do the heart any favours though. Lol