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maccrack · Apr 1, 2007, 08:43 PM

I just got a ibook with 1.07ghz 256mb of ram 30gb hd and I was wondering if it would be able to handle tiger? Also can I use the discs that came with my macbook?

Thanks, maccrack.

mfbernstein · Apr 1, 2007, 09:56 PM

It can handle Tiger, but with 256MB of RAM, it won't be very fast. The iBook will also tend to run hotter with Tiger. You cannot use your MacBook restore disks to install onto the iBook: you'll have to go out and get a retail copy of Tiger for that.

maccrack · Apr 1, 2007, 11:08 PM

what if i was to put a 512 mb mem in there would it make a difference?

also if i was to put a 1 gig in would the processor bottleneck?

Big Mac · Apr 1, 2007, 11:20 PM

Of course a G4 can handle Tiger. RAM is the most important thing to think about, and maxing it out would be the best choice. As for the processor being a bottleneck, no it wouldn't be. A processor can only handle so much processing load and can only go as fast as rated (unless you change the clock speed), but that does not mean it's a bottleneck. A bottleneck is usually defined as a slow component that causes the rest of the system to be slower; common bottlenecks are slow hard drives and slow bus speeds. What do you want to do with the iBook? If you let us know what kinds of apps you wish to run as well as how many apps you wish to run concurrently, we can give you a better picture of what to expect performance wise.

maccrack · Apr 1, 2007, 11:44 PM

Ok thanx, I want it to be a Entertainment laptop mostly watch movies listen to music surf the web, also maybe a little photshop use with it.. things of that nature.. and I know this is most lilkely out of its league but maybe play WoW on occasion.. Also with the bottlneck I thought that i ment maybe the proccesor coulnt keep up with the mem if i got a 1 gig and then it would be a waste of money? Thanx for the suggestions!

gooser · Apr 2, 2007, 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by mfbernstein

It can handle Tiger, but with 256MB of RAM, it won't be very fast. The iBook will also tend to run hotter with Tiger. You cannot use your MacBook restore disks to install onto the iBook: you'll have to go out and get a retail copy of Tiger for that.

why would it run hotter? first i've heard of this but then again there's a lot i don't hear about. been away a while, i've found another forum.

gooser · Apr 2, 2007, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by maccrack

Ok thanx, I want it to be a Entertainment laptop mostly watch movies listen to music surf the web, also maybe a little photshop use with it.. things of that nature.. and I know this is most lilkely out of its league but maybe play WoW on occasion.. Also with the bottlneck I thought that i ment maybe the proccesor coulnt keep up with the mem if i got a 1 gig and then it would be a waste of money? Thanx for the suggestions!

sometimes we all want the "latest and greatest" but i don't see how tiger would improve these things. at this stage of the game why not wait to see what leopard has to offer before you make a decision.

mfbernstein · Apr 2, 2007, 07:22 AM

While it never hurts to wait for the next release (and it'll certainly make buying Tiger cheaper if you do), the only thing Leopard is going to offer your iBook is compatibility with whatever new Leopard-centric apps are released. It is pretty much guaranteed to require more RAM, more processing power etc. etc. Then again, this is my view on 10.4 as well: the only real advantage is compatibility.

For most things, I think you'll find 10.3.9 + RAM upgrade to be the best option. For Photoshop, you may have to be more careful: CS3 won't run on 10.3. CS2 will. Of course if you buy CS2 (full) now, you get a free upgrade (cost of shipping) to CS3.

As to why the iBook runs hotter in Tiger, I'm honestly not sure. All I know is that both my TiBook 667 and iBook G3 800 have consistently run hotter, and used the fan far more under OS 10.4 than 10.3 running the same set of applications. Other people have seen this too.