iBook G3 vs G4

twister

twister

Howdy
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
As far as I know the logic board bug is only present in the older G3 500MHz ibook models.
 
Ifrit said:
As far as I know the logic board bug is only present in the older G3 500MHz ibook models.
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...
Hmmmm, wasn't this a G3 powerbook issue?
 
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! ;)
 
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..
 
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. ;)
 
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.
 
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.
 
mindbend said:
I would rather rip my own head off than run OS X on a G3. It's agony.
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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? ;)
 
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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