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BlackFC3s · Oct 22, 2006, 10:30 PM

I am considering buying a ibook g3.

I'm looking at the 800 or 900mhz G3 with 30 - 40 gb HD, and 256mb of RAM.

I was wondering if anyone that had an ibook G3 before could give me some advice? I was more focused on hard drives space, battery life, wireless, and performance of the G3 ibook.

Note that the main uses that this ibook will see are internet browsing, wordprocessing, and itunes.

Thanks

Joe

ChasingApple · Oct 23, 2006, 12:49 AM

Get a G3 Powerbook Pismo, nice amount of power, swappable HD's (upgradable easily) and even modern Superdrives can be installed into them. They for for like $100-300 and just look sexy. One of those will do everything you listed quite well, and be a good DVD player too!

Just a quick ebay search for powerbook pismo landed me to this little hottie...

eBay: Powerbook Pismo G4 550, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB HD (item 290041805486 end time Oct-27-06 12:43:07 PDT)

BlackFC3s · Oct 23, 2006, 12:13 PM

Thanks alot!

It seems that the prismo's are cheaper than the ibooks, but the ibooks are so so sexy. Does the Prismo have an airport card slot or is there a model with one built in?

gooser · Oct 23, 2006, 12:30 PM

i also prefer the look of the g3 ibooks. a pismo will do all you want it to. like all apple laptops of that era it had an option to include an airport card. one can be added later, or a much cheaper card can be inserted into its slot. ibooks have no such slot. of greater concern is that are you aware that a significant number of g3 ibooks come with logic board problems. serious problems. not all though, if you choose an ibook choose it carefully. finally a pismo is easily repairable and can be easily upgraded by the user. good luck.

Cucucachoo · Oct 23, 2006, 01:16 PM

I had a iBook G3 600 it did everything i wanted it to. It was slow at some heavier tasks like dreamweaver and fireworks but it worked. If you do get a G3 make sure you max that memory out. It will help a whole lot.

gooser · Oct 23, 2006, 01:41 PM

if you're sold on the form factor, itunes will like it if you get a g4 ibook. they start at 800mhz. importing will be much quicker with a g4. everything else will be about the same with a g3. also the newest ipods seem to require usb 2.0 which all the g4's but none of the g3 ibooks have.

Tuoder · Oct 23, 2006, 03:43 PM

The machine you have listed should suit your needs nicely. Those particular iBooks have a bit of a durability problem when it comes to logicboards. I'd opt for a powerbook, as others have mentioned. The problem with getting a powerbook with similar specs is that it is older. That just gives you a whole different set of problems. A TiBook should be good, or an early Albook.

gooser · Oct 23, 2006, 05:10 PM

g3 ibook? g4 ibook? pismo? albook? tibook? we're really narrowing the choices down here aren't we? well any of them that's in good shape i guess will work.

ChasingApple · Oct 23, 2006, 05:23 PM

It all comes down to taste actually. He could do everything he listed there on the original iBook Clamshell with all honesty. I think the upgrade options on the Pismo sell it though. If I ever go back and look for a rugged older Mac laptop that is what I will be buying

BlackFC3s · Oct 23, 2006, 09:46 PM

Thanks for the discussion guys!

well im going with the ibook g3, probably not the pismo, i dont like how it looks haha. But could you elaborate more on the logic board problems with the G3? what goes wrong or how long do they last?

Also, if i have a wireless internet and my apple has an airport, can it still connect to the wireless? I heard that PCs can not connect to an apple based wireless so thats why I thought i would post it.

mikemako · Oct 23, 2006, 11:29 PM

The 800MHz G3 iBook is a good machine if you're just using it for internet, email, and iTunes. Like the other posts said, make sure to max out the RAM (640MB), and make sure the Logic Board has already been repaired/replaced.

This model of the G3 iBook had a problem with the Logic Board that would cause the screen to stop working, and it costs $300 to have Apple repair it. I just got my 800MHz G3 iBook's Logicboard replaced 2 weeks ago. The computer was 3.5 years old when the Logic Board died.

gooser · Oct 24, 2006, 01:09 AM

yo black! someone once told me that the ibook 5 & 600's had fewer logic board problems thn the 7,8 & 900's. don't know if this is true though. as far as your internet question goes i have no idea what you're talking about. macs & pc's can connect on the same wireless network.

BlackFC3s · Oct 24, 2006, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by gooser

yo black! someone once told me that the ibook 5 & 600's had fewer logic board problems thn the 7,8 & 900's. don't know if this is true though. as far as your internet question goes i have no idea what you're talking about. macs & pc's can connect on the same wireless network.

Thanks man, maybe my friend was just bullshit'n me. I just got a wireless router for my dorm and my roommates love it, but sense i dont have a laptop yet i cant use it

Damn i cant wait till i have funds to buy myself a ibook!

Cucucachoo · Oct 24, 2006, 04:52 PM

Yeah, Airport is just a brand name for 802.11b. It's the same wireless standard. And if you bought an 802.11g your still going to be able to connect. It is backwards compatible.