Powerbook G4

DeepFriedCookies

I wanna play OS 9 games and fiddle with OS 9 stuff again.

Aaaaaaand I've always admired the Titanium Powerbook G4s.

Aaaaaaand it has a G4, so if I ever manage to fuck up this current laptop and need something to use while I'm waiting to fix it, I could.. probably.. maybe.. use it for a bit of internet browsing.

So, which model do you guys recommend? I have some spare parts that could bring it up to 1GB of RAM.. And I'm obviously set on getting the 1GHz model, but it's nearly impossible to find..

Or should I just settle with a really cheap 500MHz model and call it a day, and if I need a system to run modern stuff in case this breaks, just use my desktop? Decisions, decisions.. What's your opinion?

Oh, and sorry to double post, but I just read that the processor cards are swappable.. anyone know of any limits on this? Hell I've seen quite a few completely fried 867mhz models so far.. So could I just get one of those for about $10 or so, get the cheapest 500/400MHz I can find, and swap the processors?

stitch

IIRC both the TiBook and the AlBook contained soldered CPU's. 1GB of RAM will be pretty useless for browsing beyond a tab or two, modern JavaScript performance will be shit on anything that shipped OS 9.

My advise? Don't drop more than $100 on this.

DeepFriedCookies

Thanks for the post merge. I didn't realize I could edit my posts until just now. xD

I don't plan on spending $50. I'm a cheap mofo anyway. I just want a little toy. Still think I'll go with a G4, instead of the probably cheaper G3.

stitch

Well the G3's were socketed. They're big, black and bulky but you might have a bit more of an upgrade path than a TiBook. The firewire 'Pismo' model would be your best bet, you can get those up to 1GHz and probably get Leopard working on it (although it may not preform well, who knows 800mhz iirc was the minimum it asked for): http://www.everymac.com/upgrade_cards/b ... ok_g3.html

DeepFriedCookies

Eh, I actually think the G3s look better (Thinkpad user, lol), but I thought about it, and I think I'd rather have the G4 still. To me, the Powerbook G4 represented the end of an era, and to add to that, I can probably still pick up a G3 later. It'd be fun to fiddle with the G3 and Leopard in the end.. But that would be pretty pointless when I could just use 10.4 and TenFourFox. I'll just keep an eye out for a 1ghz TiBook for the next few days, the market for these isn't huge anyway. Only geeks like me who're just now able to buy the tech toys they wanted throughout childhood.. lol. xD

Lupinthe3rd

Heheh, I've just stripped a Powerbook G4 1.33GHz model to bits, the snow white version or whatever they called it. Gonna be sold on ebay as bits. In that model the cpu is soldered onto the board. Getting one of those would be your best bet but I found it slow with 10.4.4 on it, although I only had 768MB of Ram in it. So modern web browsing can be done but don't expect to have a smooth ride on some sites.

DeepFriedCookies

I don't care about the smooth ride, I just care to have something to fiddle with. x3

meb5749

DeepFriedCookies,

If you are still looking for a PowerBook, I have the following G4 I will sell to you cheap and I'll even ship it to you at no charge:
1.33 GHz PowerPC Processor
256 MB of Memory
Toshiba 55 Gig Hard Drive
Matshita DVD-R Drive
12 inch Screen
nVidia Geforce FX Go 5200 on board video card.
Wireless, Bluetooth, DVD, Sound, and USB ports all work.

The bad news is it has a line on the screen (top to bottom) the battery latch is broken (turns but battery does not release) probably because it was dropped by previous owner and has a dent on front left corner. The ac power adapter has been repaired (sort of). I haven't removed the electrical tape but it still powers the system and charges the battery. It even comes with a video adapter (mac to DVI) that has never been used. I'm not a MAC person, I took this in as a trade for a used DELL Latitude that I had kicking around the shop.

If you would like to see pictures of it let me know. Price is $45.00 otherwise, I'm just going to part it out on ebay...

gdea73

I also have an extra PowerBook G4 Titanium. I forget the specs, though, the battery life is pretty horrible, and the screen's hinges don't hold their position... probably wouldn't be worth the shipping cost, I guess :P

So if you want one as a workable laptop, go for the previous poster's deal. Mine really should just be left on AC power, and stood against a wall so the screen doesn't fall flat. I think it's 1.2 GHz and 512MB RAM, with 10.4.

It's not as slow as it could be, I guess.

DeepFriedCookies

Not looking for portability OR speed. I kinda wanted OS 9, but I guess classic mode would be find. I could probably ghetto up the hinges too, tbh.

gdea73

Yeah I disassembled it once, but they are metal hinges and they just broke. I'll go have a look at it sometime later, it is somewhat usable.

DeepFriedCookies

I'd probably get some epoxy, make like a small mold around the broken area.. Just enough for it to resemble a hinge.