# iBook G3 vs G4



## twister (Mar 29, 2004)

Hello All

My fiancée wants to get a laptop and I'm trying to get her to go Mac.  My question is, would an iBook G3 be just as good as a G4.  Now  she won't be running photoshop or playing unreal but will want all the messenger apps, Microsoft apps, maybe some turbo tax stuff, internet games (like on yahoo) and stuff like that.  It just seems to me that an iBook G3 is less money, but since I don't have one I'm looking for opinions.


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## Zammy-Sam (Mar 29, 2004)

Even if the ibook G4 and G3 would be at the same price, I would still consider the G3. Why? Silent, more duration and less heat. Is there anything more to say? I simply love my ibook G3 eventhough I have a tibook. Just max out the ram and get an airport card and it will be your best friend. However, if she is into messenger apps, you shouldn't go for less than a G3 600 ibook. I think this is the limit for ichatav.. But all other ms apps will run fine.


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## twister (Mar 29, 2004)

Ohh good to hear.


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## mdnky (Mar 29, 2004)

A few suppliers still have new in box 12" g3 800 ibooks for around $699.  MacMall.com is one.

That should be more than enough for her, especially if you drop the $130 (approx.) for a 512mb chip.  I bought a 14" g3 900 version as a cheap hold-over until the new g5 release and am quite happy with it.  Runs ID & PS fine even on the heavier projects.  Surfing the net and M$ office work great as well.


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## Randman (Mar 30, 2004)

Yep, a G3 12 iBook should be fine. I agree about the max ram and AirPort. Also, get her iLife and if you can find a copy of Office around as well.
   But I disagree with Zammy on thing. I went from a G3 600 iBook to a G4 1Ghz and the heat difference isn't noticeable. The iBook is still virtually silent and the battery time is actually better on the G4. The keyboard has a better feel, with more solid keys and the slot-loading cd beats the tray on the G3s.


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## powermac (Mar 30, 2004)

The G3 iBook is certainly still a great computer. I would get the G4, I agree with Randyman's points. Moreover, future versions of OSX or beyond may drop G3 support since Apple's current line has no G3. I purchased the G4 iBook after owning a G3 ibook. Stay a current as possible. The slot-loading cd/dvd drive and Keyboard make the G4 iBook a much better product. That is my .02-cents.


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## Lycander (Apr 2, 2004)

Get the iBook G4 and you won't have to worry about the logic board bug present in G3 iBooks.


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## Ifrit (Apr 4, 2004)

As far as I know the logic board bug is only present in the older G3 500MHz ibook models.


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## Lycander (Apr 4, 2004)

Ifrit said:
			
		

> As far as I know the logic board bug is only present in the older G3 500MHz ibook models.


Nope, my iBook G3 800 went out a few weeks ago, after I sold it to a friend. He was able to get it fixed because it was still under warrenty. No biggie, just the inconvienece of sending it out, wait, receive it.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 5, 2004)

what exactly is this "logic board bug"? I have an iBook here which is doing just fine..


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## Ifrit (Apr 5, 2004)

Most times, if you are affected by a logic board "bug", it renders your machine unusable or your machine starts to show odd behaviour. 

Some ibook models got shipped with faulty logic boards. Unfortunally most models show their faulty nature only after weeks/months have passed, or even worse, after the warranty time. 

The results:
The effects vary (it depends on what part of the logic board broke) 
Some people get horizontal lines across the ibook screen and heavy artifacting, other screens remain blank even if the machine is running and, others get notorious kernel panics... This are just some examples.


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## Lycander (Apr 5, 2004)

The most popular one that I heard of (and the particular bug that affected my iBook) is that the video cable inside the lid would become faulty due to wear and tear. Once that cable goes, you lose video to the LCD screen. It may still work if you use the mini-VGA plug to an external monitor. A lot of angry users got together to file a class action law suit or something against Apple - blaming Apple for poor Quality Assurance and bad design, blah blah blah.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 5, 2004)

Lycander said:
			
		

> The most popular one that I heard of (and the particular bug that affected my iBook) is that the video cable inside the lid would become faulty due to wear and tear. Once that cable goes, you lose video to the LCD screen. It may still work if you use the mini-VGA plug to an external monitor. A lot of angry users got together to file a class action law suit or something against Apple - blaming Apple for poor Quality Assurance and bad design, blah blah blah.


Hmmmm, wasn't this a G3 powerbook issue?


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## pds (Apr 5, 2004)

There are two related problems, one the wire harness as Lycander mentions. The other is a heat related problem at the video card to the left of the trackpad. Frayed wires seem to aggrevate the second problem. 

If you see weird horizontal lines across your screen at start up or wake up (at anytime really), run to the repairman. 

Apple has agreed to repair specific logic board problems on G3 iBooks for three years at no cost to the owner. Owners who paid for repairs of machines that had the specific problem are eligible for reimbursement.

My connection right now is dog slow, or I'd get the link on Apple's site that has the details. A search here for iBook logic board should get you the info too.

Hope my 667th post was helpful!


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## flacochala (Apr 6, 2004)

Im the owner of a ibook g4 its the best ibook ever... i would buy the g4, it wont let you down never and there is no problem with the heat... and MACOS X runs native and perfect..


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 6, 2004)

do you also have a G3 iBook? We all know the iBooks are simply great. I would say my G3 iBook is the best laptop on earth! Even better than my G4 tibook.


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## powermac (Apr 7, 2004)

I don't own a PB, I find the iBook a truly portable laptop. Me personally, if I owned a PB, it would not leave the house everyday like I take my iBook to work.


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## mindbend (Apr 7, 2004)

IMHO--The only reason to consider the G3 machines is to save money. I haven't heard any other good argument. The G4 iBooks don't put out much heat at all to even factor that into the decision. Slot loading destroys tray loading. I would rather rip my own head off than run OS X on a G3. It's agony.

However, a base model iBook with 512 RAM is several hundred dollars more than the G3 option. Worth it AFAIC.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 7, 2004)

mindbend said:
			
		

> I would rather rip my own head off than run OS X on a G3. It's agony.


Complete opposite here. Panther runs just fine on my G3 iBook. Even compared to my tibook it's not that bad (my tibook is surely not double faster as the clock speed might suggest). One that is looking for a trustful mac with solid functions and wants to pay less should really pick G3, imo. And I sorta like the old cover of the iBooks much more. Am not sure if anyone noticed this, but the newer iBooks look much cheaper. The mouse pad and the surface around the keyboard is somehow harsher and thus looking like less quality..
Hehe, not giving up to defend the good old G3 iBooks, huh?


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## mdnky (Apr 7, 2004)

I haven't seen much of a difference from my iBook (g3 900) and the PBs I've used.  At least not in everyday mundane tasks that is.  No where near enough to justify spending more if all you're going to do is surf the net and check e-mail or real light editing.  Photoshop CS runs just fine on it, as does Office, Macromedia Studio 04, and even VPC 6 with Win2kPro.

That's the reason I bought an iBook over a 15" PB.  Not enough difference there to justify spending 3x as much.  I'll wait until the G5 PBs come out, then grab one of those.


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## twister (Apr 7, 2004)

yes it is mainly about the $$ and it's hard to tell a pc person to get an iBook over a PC laptop when a PC laptop is like $400 less.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 7, 2004)

twister said:
			
		

> yes it is mainly about the $$ and it's hard to tell a pc person to get an iBook over a PC laptop when a PC laptop is like $400 less.


I doubt pc laptops are that much cheaper if at all. One prob is that ppl do not normalize the comparison between macs and pcs. Pick the cheapest iBook and show me a pc laptop with such devices at a lower price.


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## mseydel (Apr 13, 2004)

Finally, a topic that I have authority to speak on!
I have a G3 iBook 800mhz with 384mb RAM that I use for extraneous tasks at work- internet, mail, some file handling, color-management apps, and(gasp!) some file manipulation via Photoshop.
At my suggestion, a few months ago, we purchased a G4 iBook 800mhz for the same purpose,  but I had the sense to put 640mb  RAM in it.
Both run Panther (10.3.3), and though I love my little iBook G3, the G4 has many advantages:
-the G4 is seemingly much more stable in Panther, especially with multiple apps running...but that may be the extra RAM talking.
-though the G3 aesthetically has cleaner metallic lines, the G4's keyboard is easier on your fingers and causes fewer typos. It makes it feel less like a toy than the G3.
-the G4 has longer battery life and a faster recharge rate.
-the G4 has a metal exterior to the headphone jack. My G3's similar plastic jack was shattered months ago, after my warranty was up.
-the G4 slot-loading cd/DVD drive makes me much more comfortable when I'm switching discs on the go in a car or on a plane. 

And as a total aside, in 14 months with my G3, I've had to repair the logic board, 2 power supplies(died, not lost), and the cd tray. Nowadays, it doesn't like to be powered down unless you ask it very nicely...


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## diablojota (Apr 14, 2004)

Just have to say, I love my G3 iBook, however, I would definitely recommend the G4 iBook.  Perhaps a refurb model from Apple, since they take advantage of the Altivec platform.


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## Dusky (Apr 14, 2004)

I have an iBook G3 900 (384MB ram).  It's going to be a year old sometime this month.  I can see myself holding on to this iBook for at least another year.  It handles my tasks well:  web surfing, music-listening, audio cropping, mail stuff, instant messaging, word processing, website building (I don't use Photoshop or WYSIWYG editors, though).  I'm the sort of person who's willing to shell out extra bucks to get a computer than won't slow me down, and my iBook doesn't.  My iBook is a keeper, unless the next version of the iBook/12"PB (which I expect is to be released soon) is tempting enough.


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## twister (Apr 15, 2004)

Thanks to all who have answered and i'll gladly take more thoughts.  Hopefully apple will update the iBook/PowerBook lines soon and then I may find a great deal.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 15, 2004)

looks like next week even


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## Randman (Apr 15, 2004)

While I LOVE my G4 iBook, I must say the G3s are venerable. I broke out my G3 clamshell (Graphite SE, 366 mhz, 384 ram, 10.3.3) for a few days of usage (updating its software, doing a few backups, setting up mail and bookmarks for my S/O so she can surf/check mail without me giving up my IceBook, etc) and it still runs great.
  I also had a G3 iBook (600 mhz) that I had before my G4 and I still prefer the graphite. The keyboard still has good response, almost as solid as my external Apple keyboard, the battery works fine, no dead pixels and it's peppy enough for basic computer usage.
  In fact, the lack of firewire is its main drawback for me. I always think about selling it off, but it is such a damn good machine, that I hate the thought of just giving it up for a paltry price.


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## alexandr (Apr 18, 2004)

ok - getting a tad bit worried here, after all that fuzz about the logic board-thing.

my iBook, g3, 800, actually shows me ALOT of horizontal lines and distortion when i wake it, or even adjust screen angel. sometimes it goes black, and i have to adjust it a bit more to get the picture back going. to me it seemes just like its a bad connection on the cabel transmitting visuals. could this then be the logic board quitting out on me...? 

i kinda hope it is, since my warranty went out last december, and i dont hold an ACPP..

mainquestion;
i've read up on the official apple report on the subject - http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/ - and noticed that this only goes for a a limited series of ibooks, with serial number blahblahblah - where can i find the serial on my mac?

i also guess my ibook may be in question, since tha FAQ states that theese are issues on ibooks made between april 2002 and may 2003 - i bought it in december '02, meaning it could well have been maufactered within the specified time-period..

alex.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 18, 2004)

alexandr said:
			
		

> where can i find the serial on my mac?



Hey Alex,
click on the Apple icon on the left-top corner and pick: About This Mac. Now click on the button More Info..
You will find a field saying: Serial Number:

Good luck


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## alexandr (Apr 18, 2004)

well... i did as you told me, but in the field of customer serial no it just goes " - ", and no number..

is this the right field anyway? system profile -> hardware overview -> customer serial.. ?? 
cant seem to find any serial any other place in the system profiler..

alex.


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## Zammy-Sam (Apr 18, 2004)

what os do you have?


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## alexandr (Apr 18, 2004)

jag.

10.2.8


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## pds (Apr 19, 2004)

There are two sources of the horizontal lines, one in the logic board, the other is the video harness. Yours sound to me like the latter, because it happens when you adjust the screen. When I had the logic board failure, I got kernel panics.... 

The harness does not sound like it is covered in the extended warrantee, though it is one of the possible sources of the logic board failure. 

A new harness costs in the neighborhood of 100 clams and a certified repair can set you back nearly 200. I had found a how to on the diy replacement of the harness, but don't know where it is now. If I find it, I'll update.


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