[MDWeezer]

Recent switcher here.

My Thinkpad is starting to show its wear, things are starting to click and it's just plain 'ol clunky!

I'm a college student and just need a machine to hold me off till the Intels are released in the spring. I'm looking for a decent used iBook however I have seen lots of mention about the logic boards and such being bad?

Is there anything I should be avoiding when looking at used iBooks (mostly ebay).

I'm pretty much looking for any 12" to run Tiger and I need Airport, how much should I be paying for a setup? My range is around $400.

Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks.

[mduell]

Yes, the G3 (and some early G4?) iBooks had poorly designed or built logic boards. Some people went through multiple replacements to get a good one. Apple will replace the logic board for free, but it can be a hassle to be without your computer.

Rather than eBay I'd suggest somewhere like macofalltrades.com or retrobox.com.
Currently a G3/700MHz iBook 12" 256/20GB Combo for $450 at the former.

[volcano]

Logic boards seem to be a hit or miss situation with iBooks. For instance - I purchased my 12" 1.33GHz G4 iBook in early August, and haven't had a single problem with it. On the other hand, my brother's girlfriend (who I convinced to buy an Apple instead of a PC laptop) has the exact same iBook as I do, but she's had her logic board fail twice on her.

Anyway, price really depends on what the iBook has to offer. Before I splurged a bit more and ordered my new iBook, I was seriously considering some used iBooks - because at the time my budget was around $500. My plan of attack (that was quite effective) was this - I live in the Austin metro area, and I was so sick of eBay that I decided to find my iBook on Craigslist instead. When I found an iBook that was close to my price range, I would just haggle with the seller and often say "Look. I could buy it off of eBay shipped for [insert price here]" It worked nearly everytime and they usually are willing to negotiate. If you live near/around one of the cities listed - I highly recommend it. If that's not an option, take a look at some local pawn shops and you might be surprised.

To get the best idea of a price on an iBook in your range, just do a 'completed listings' advanced search on eBay. That should reap many, many results. Then narrow down your search (once you get a good idea of price) by the features you want - processor, RAM, airport card, hard drive size, etc. Then narrow your search and search those specific completed listings.

As long as the potential seller has good amount of positive feedback, you shouldn't be worried.

One last note - Tiger is RAM hungry. Get as much as you can so it can run smoothly... I would recommend 512MB at the least. Also, older iBooks might only have an 'Airport' card instead of an 'Airport Extreme' card.. the difference? Aiport cards are 802.11b (11mbs) and Airport Extreme cards are 802.11g (54mbs).

I hope this helps.

[Randman]

Check battery life, dead pixels, ram usage. Wireless options, condition of case and try to avoid the iBooks that fell under the logic board woes.

[I was David B.]

Originally Posted by Randman

Check battery life, dead pixels, ram usage. Wireless options, condition of case and try to avoid the iBooks that fell under the logic board woes.

Also check the backlight condition. iBooks tend to have a dim backlight from the beginning. With age it gets worse. You can replace the bulb though for a couple of $, but you have to know what you do.

Hey Randman. Did you move? Your old location was way cooler than this one .

[Randman]

Was it? I thought maybe it was getting old. How about this one?

[I was David B.]

Originally Posted by Randman

Was it? I thought maybe it was getting old. How about this one?

hm, better.
I hope no one will actually click refresh .

[macanon]

The logic board failure is a PITA!! We've had continuing issues with this at my school setting the ibooks up for the kids. Ugh.