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1150A · Jan 7, 2008, 12:33 PM

Hey,
I have a MBP and an ibook G4. I recently got a external monitor and am going to keep my MBP permanantly connected to it.
I do need a portable once in awhile, but I HATE using my MBP. First, it gets way too hot.. Second, battery life is crap compared to the ibook. Third, though not a big issue, it's bigger.

I got the ibook new in 2004. It's was the lowest model at the time.. 1.2ghz, 30GB HD, 1 gig of ram.
I formatted the HD and I'm getting the beachball once in awhile, I'm afraid it's going to die soon.. but then again, I don't really know. It might just be that I'm used to having the fast MBP.

Is their anything I should do before using my ibook for college? (get a new logic board, clean it, anything?
BTW, I'm only going to be using this for word processing and surfing the net.

ghporter · Jan 7, 2008, 12:57 PM

We got my wife's 800MHz G4 iBook specifically for school-at the time, it had the best "bang for the buck" for the power and capability it had. It's still a great machine. Yours is pretty good for most of the school-related stuff I might do (online research, writing papers, building presentations...).
On the other hand, which MBP do you have? I have one of the last Core Duo (not C2D) MBPs and while it gets warm, it's not "hot," nor is the battery life at all bad... So maybe your MBP is not quite "healthy" and it could use a check up. While you're rocking out at school with your iBook.

Enjoy! (My classes start Thursday. Whee. It'll be a lot of fun, but having several weeks off is fun too!)

Koralatov · Jan 7, 2008, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by 1150A

I got the ibook new in 2004. It's was the lowest model at the time.. 1.2ghz, 30GB HD, 1 gig of ram.
I formatted the HD and I'm getting the beachball once in awhile, I'm afraid it's going to die soon.. but then again, I don't really know. It might just be that I'm used to having the fast MBP.

I use a Clamshell (specs in sig) for a lot of my day to day internet use--I use Adium, Safari and Mail all the time, and occasionally Word if I'm feeling too lazy to use the iMac. As such, your G4 iBook--with its commensurately better spec--should be more than up to the task.

If you're having problems, I'd recommend running a complete reformat and install (also check the SMART status of your drive, and repairing permissions if need-be). I'd keep the apps on it to a minimum to prevent anything clogging it up. Finally, maybe install TinkerTool, and use it to disable Dashboard (a total memory-hog, and a real impediment to performance). You should be good to go then.

If you're feeling really brave, you could open the iBook up and give it a clean; no doubt the fan is quite clogged with dust and crap. If you feel brave enough to do it, I cannot recommend the iFixit guides highly enough.

Oh, and one final thing: you'd be better off installing Tiger, as the iBook may be a tad wimpy for Leopard.

1150A · Jan 7, 2008, 03:34 PM

The MBP is already not in great shape. The keyboard is busted and it's about $250 for the repair. So instead, I bought a monitor like I had always wanted, and am using it as a "stationary computer"

For the ibook, any suggestions on word processing? I want something that I could use a flash drive to transfer from the ibook and MBP.. I'm using microsoft word on the MBP, should I also use this on the ibook?

seanc · Jan 7, 2008, 03:39 PM

I think Microsoft Word would be the best option since it's 'industry standard'.

On a slightly off topic note, why not sell the MBP for something like an iMac?

1150A · Jan 7, 2008, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by seanc

I think Microsoft Word would be the best option since it's 'industry standard'.

On a slightly off topic note, why not sell the MBP for something like an iMac?

I actually did the exact opposite like 2 months ago. I traded my 17" 1.8 ghz imac, for a 2.0 ghz MBP. I wanted the mobility of the MBP but did not realize how much of a difference a 12" to a 15" is.. and also how hot it gets, as well as the battery life.

ghporter · Jan 7, 2008, 06:07 PM

At many schools, you can get really good deals on software as a student. I bought Office 2004 for about $20. Works great on my MBP-but note that the biggest gripe people have about Office 2004 apps (that they're slow because they're not Universal or Intel-only) is not big deal for your iBook and its G4 processor. Word is a very good choice. Open Office/Neo Office is a very viable option too, except that if you're an experienced Word user you'll have to figure out the app before you get really good with it-its interface is different enough that some things will take you a while to figure out.