Did I Make a Mistake?

Amie

Amie

Mac Convert for Life
Too late now ('cause I already ordered it and it's in the mail), but I'm just wondering ... Was it stupid to buy a 1GB RAM chip for my 4-year-old iBook G4? I take really good care of it, and it's in top-notch shape, but still ... was that a silly thing to do?

I know some people would say, skip the RAM upgrade and just buy a new computer, but I LIKE my iBook! (And, I'm hoping it will last me a while yet.)

What do you guys think?
 
Is it still aesthetically pleasing? Does it still do what you need it to do? Is it reliable?

If so, you're just upgrading your perfectly decent computer.
(...and, yes, that is a good thing.)
 
If you're still happy with it and don't feel the need to purchase a new Mac, then you're fine. I'm not ready just yet to let go of my iMac G5. I'm very happy with it...so much so that I still don't feel the need to get an Intel replacement. Right now, it's running happily even with only 512 MB and Tiger. I will be upgrading the RAM to the maximum amount before I move it over to Leopard, and I know that it will still keep me quite happy.

And once Apple decides to forcibly obsolete my iMac G5 with a future version of OS X, I can continue to use it as a Linux desktop computer thereby extending its usefulness even further. :D

Of course, by that time I'm sure I'll have whatever Apple is still calling a Mac as my main OS X computer. ;)
 
I still have my ibook g3 and thats 5 years old. The G4's were pretty much a computer from the future, 1.2 ghz is good for almost everything and 1 gig of ram will really help. i'd say you wont have to replace for about 2-3 years. What do you do with your laptop?
 
icemanjc said:
I still have my ibook g3 and thats 5 years old. The G4's were pretty much a computer from the future, 1.2 ghz is good for almost everything and 1 gig of ram will really help. i'd say you wont have to replace for about 2-3 years. What do you do with your laptop?
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I didn't even know they made an iBook G3. LOL What does it look like? Oh, wait ... Are those the old clam-shell iBooks? Is that what you're talking about? I actually have a few friends who still have their old clam-shells (upgraded), and they say, "Why should I buy a new computer? This one still works perfectly!" And it's, like, 15 years old. LOL (I laugh, but it's a good thing. Just goes to show you Apple computers are built to last.)

I don't do anything major with my laptop (all the major stuff I do at work on my office computer). I just use my laptop mostly for surfing the 'Net, checking e-mail, chatting, playing an occasional game ... and that's about it, really. The occasional games that I DO play, however, are big, big programs (like Second Life and The Sims), so the RAM upgrade will help there, too. I hope.
 
Qion said:
Is it still aesthetically pleasing? Does it still do what you need it to do? Is it reliable?

If so, you're just upgrading your perfectly decent computer.
(...and, yes, that is a good thing.)
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, and yes. It's as sweet as pie. :D
 
I have the latest iBook G3 they made, it looks almost exactly like the iBook G4 but a little fatter. Yah, a G4 laptop will be fine for what you do, and your running 10.3.9 so its an operating system for its time.
 
it's not fatter at all... it's the exact same casing as the iBook G4, just made from more expensive materials (the iBook G4 got a lot cheaper than the G3). examples being the solid white plastic on the G4 is transparent acrylic, painted white on the inside on the G3, much like a white iPod. the G3's hinge is magnesium, not plastic, and the keys are also translucent.
 
Lt Major Burns said:
it's not fatter at all... it's the exact same casing as the iBook G4, just made from more expensive materials (the iBook G4 got a lot cheaper than the G3). examples being the solid white plastic on the G4 is transparent acrylic, painted white on the inside on the G3, much like a white iPod. the G3's hinge is magnesium, not plastic, and the keys are also translucent.
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Hmm, always looked smaller to me, must of been the powerbook G4 I was thinking about. But the iBook G3 did weigh like 1 more pound than the G4.
 
Amie you can keep enjoying your iBook for a long time with the extra RAM.

http://www.apple-history.com/ has all the old Apple models. The first iBooks were of the clamshell kind, but since 2001 they switched to the form you have, with a few minor details changed then (such as keyboard). Can't see much of a details here, but the G3 700 MHz looked a lot like yours.

iBook original
iBook (Dual USB) (2001)
iBook (Late 2001)
iBook (Mid 2002) (Late 2002)
iBook (Early 2003)
iBook G4 ...
iBook G4 (Early 2004) ....
 
I don't think it's silly. Upgrading RAM rarely is — it's the cheapest and easiest way to increase performance.

If you have less than 512MB of RAM now, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the upgrade. Even if you already have 512, it's still likely that you'll notice an improvement in general responsiveness.

And with 1GB, you could upgrade to Tiger or Leopard without feeling like a slug in molasses. :)
 
No mistake at all, I'd say. Now you have all the time in the world to look at Apple's new releases. They'll update the MBPs in January, probably, and the MBs in Spring (May or something like that). And if you, again, can wait them out, you'll make the jump to the new 'book you're one day going to buy even bigger. The bigger the jump, the more enthusiastic you'll be about a new purchase.
 
Well, then ... I should notice a huge difference upgrading to 1GB, as I currently only have 256MB. LOL

And thanks a bunch for all your replies and support on this. I was a little nervous. And still am. Actually, still will be, until I get the RAM installed and working. If whoever installs it at Circuit City acts like they don't know what they're doing, I'm taking my iBook and RAM and getting the heck out of there. I've never had anyone work on my iBook before, and it feels like a family member is going into surgery. I'm sure I'll be pacing the store until it's over. :(

Giaguara, thank you for those links! Very cool. :)
 
Amie said:
Well, then ... I should notice a huge difference upgrading to 1GB, as I currently only have 256MB. LOL

And thanks a bunch for all your replies and support on this. I was a little nervous. And still am. Actually, still will be, until I get the RAM installed and working. If whoever installs it at Circuit City acts like they don't know what they're doing, I'm taking my iBook and RAM and getting the heck out of there. I've never had anyone work on my iBook before, and it feels like a family member is going into surgery. I'm sure I'll be pacing the store until it's over. :(

Giaguara, thank you for those links! Very cool. :)
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You'll have about 30 seconds to pace, so do it quickly. ;)
 
Just tracked my package online. My RAM is due to arrive Wednesday. Whoo + hoo. :D
 
Amie said:
Yeah ... IF they know what they're doing.
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I wouldn't be worried, theres pretty much almost nothing that could go wrong, its pretty simple, just a few panels have to be lifted and your done.. Hopefully your not paying them like $100 bucks for them to upgrade it.
 
icemanjc said:
I wouldn't be worried, theres pretty much almost nothing that could go wrong, its pretty simple, just a few panels have to be lifted and your done.. Hopefully your not paying them like $100 bucks for them to upgrade it.
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Nah ... just $30. Got the RAM at Crucial.com for $94 and free shipping. Beats the hell out of Apple.com for $300.
 
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