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iBook G4 or Powerbook G4

3K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  daniels 
#1 ·
Hi guys, i know its a long way from Christmas but after Christmas i am hoping to buy a laptop... at first i thought about buying a netbook ... but then i actually saw them in the store and noticed they were way too small so instead im thinking of getting either an iBook G4 or a Powerbook G4

what i would like is some opinions on like what would be the better choice i already know that the iBook is a bit cheaper but i also know the powerbook has more power. (who would have guessed :p)

So, if you know of any pros or cons to either of these ie.. problems like maybe does anyone know if these 2 laptops could have logic board problems or anything else that would make them not worth buying.

Also i am aware that these 2 laptops are kind of old and that there are new macbook s so my answer to that is that i have a 500$ budget because i just need the laptop for typing and small things since i have a gaming computer thx :)

Last thing does anyone know where you can get a list of logic board defective ibooks and powerbook i checked google and couldn't find it
 
#2 ·
Pretty much all models of the iBook had logicboard problems of one variety or another. Powerbooks, I don't know of any widespread problems.

On Craigslist I've seen 1st Gen MacBooks go for ~$500 - so that should be your first route. Otherwise, I'd stay stick to Powerbooks - and since Snow Leopard doesn't support the PPC processors, I'd assume the value of PBs is plummetting. I got a friend of mine a PBG4 12" 1.5Ghz/Superdrive for $425 back in the spring, so I'd hope you could do better than that these days.
 
#3 ·
Earlier iBooks had problems

The earlier iBooks did not use the same heat dissipation system as the PowerBooks. There were failures due to this. Later versions, and I am not sure at what model it happens, adopted the same system as the powerbooks.

Also, the iBooks only supported mirroring for external monitoring. The PowerBooks supported and extended desktop.

The iBooks on the other hand had better wireless reception.

I am still using a 1.5 Ghz 12" powerbook. It has been a steady performer. I have had one repair and I have had the hard drive changed out.

When purchasing, ask about the battery and the hard drive, if they have ever been changed.

HTH

Dave
 
#7 ·
awww too bad, i probably dont want one of them then. the macbook is not a bad idea some are for like 550 :)
 
#8 ·
Yeah, at this point the value proposition of Powerbooks and iBooks is pretty low - especially since they can't run Snow Leopard, and 1st Gen MacBooks are dropping to the $500 mark.
 
#10 ·
Both my iBook G4s had their logic boards crap out. The latter one, fortunately had 1 month of AppleCare still on it, so I was able to get it replaced. (That was in July--I was joking with the tech that I probably had the last iBook in the world that still had AppleCare on it.)

When they were new, the 12" iBook G4 was simply a better value for the dollar than the 12" PowerBook G4. There wasn't a huge bump in power, and I didn't need to be able to span monitors (though there was a hack for the iBook if I really wanted to do it.)

The iBook was a good machine, but when the AppleCare ran out bought a MacBook Pro. iBook is still sitting around as my spare computer, though I haven't needed to use it as a spare yet. Battery life is craptacular now, but the machine runs well.
 
#11 ·
not to hijack the thread...

I also have an older iBook G4 (12" - 1.33) with craptacular battery life. I have heard of folks getting the batteries 'fixed' instead of replacing them. Is this an economic option vs. finding one on ebay etc? Does it work? I replaced the iBook with a 13" MacBook Pro, but my wife uses the iBook for casual internet use mainly so it would be nice if she didn't have to be plugged in all the time.
 
#12 ·
They can have the cells replaced, however, the individual cells are not inexpensive, so you don't end up saving much cash in the end.

I wouldn't trust packs that are for sale on eBay because you simply do not know if they have much life left in them, or whether they are one of the many defective packs that were recalled by Apple some years ago.
 
#14 ·
Pretty much all models of the iBook had logicboard problems of one variety or another. Powerbooks, I don't know of any widespread problems.

On Craigslist I've seen 1st Gen MacBooks go for ~$500 - so that should be your first route.
That's far too broad an accusation...late gen iBook G4s 1.2 and 1.33 were and ARE solid workhorses - the risk is drive failure not motherboard on the late gen model.

Suggesting early gen MacBooks certainly is recommending risky behaviour.....failure rate was substantive on anything prior to 2.16
Santa Rosa ( 2.2 ) and forward are very reliable but not often are do they go cheap.

We've sold close to 100 G4 iBooks this year and motherboards are rarely an issue.
Of 200 we assessed drives with bad blocks far and away were issues with a few bad ports that were clearly from use/abuse.
The bad block risk will apply to Powerbooks as well....maybe even more so due to heat so we scan all drives on trade now and owners are surprised - us to as the machines will function okay but then you get issues like won't clone properly.
Bad drives are the highest risk in buying a used portable.

We've had a few clients come in with iBook G4s where the video is gone - these are earlier models 800s and 1 gHz.

Maybe Apple will drop the MacBook entry price to $999 then some of the more reliable used MacBooks will come down as well.
 
#15 ·
Ok well thanks maybe a 1.33ghz ibook g4 could still be an option then since drive failure doesn't scare me heh
 
#16 ·
If i were you i wouldn't buy it. I bought an ibook new from the store and it was awesome but 3 years later logic board is not working. You could probably get a macbook from eBay for around $650.00.
 
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