Worth it to buy G3?

I plan on getting a new mac, because I'm sick of windows. I want to get a laptop, but my budget is VERY limited. I will have 200 in a week, but plan on getting a 550 dollar iBook. It is G3 though. My main question is will this be so outdated it isn't even worth it in a few months? Like when G5s come out, will this G3 be soooo bad, that it won't be able to run any software?

Also, I have a few routers here, mainly a Motorola SB5100 and Belkin Tower (sorry if this isn't specific, my dad runs them). Would it be possible and easy to get a card and run my net from that?

THANKS GUYS! :mac:

1. a g5 laptop is not going to be coming out. apple is moving over to intel. probably it will be a pentium m.

2. wether or not a new laptop comes out, your computer will still be a g3. if i were you i would get the mac mini.

It depends. I have a friend who has a 366Mhz G3 iBook with 128mb ram. Yeah, it runs Panther alright, and works for internet, iChat, or music, open a couple programs and the thing will crash. However, he still loves it, and refuses to sell it to me.

It depends what you're looking for. I have the top of the line Powerbook, but I am really trying to find a cheap iBook that's wireless to travel with. I just don't feel safe travelling very much with a computer worth almost $3000.

Do you have a link to the iBook you're looking at? For $550, you can find a pretty decent G3 iBook that should serve you well. Assuming it is equipped with an AirPort card, you should have no trouble accessing the internet via your current wireless router.

g3 powerbooks?

Have you considered a g3 powerbook? I've seen a couple sites now that you can get a Pismo Powerbook for around $500. That's the last model of g3 powerbook - it has Firewire, so Tiger is supported on it. You can also add an airport card.

I personally still use a G3 desktop and laptop. Words great for general stuff like surfing the web, email, itunes, and even DVD playback.

Now if you're going to do Photoshop and anything that requires lots of graphics or processing power, I recommended saving up some extra and get a G4.

Dotties Rebel said:

I plan on getting a new mac, because I'm sick of windows. I want to get a laptop, but my budget is VERY limited. I will have 200 in a week, but plan on getting a 550 dollar iBook. It is G3 though. My main question is will this be so outdated it isn't even worth it in a few months? Like when G5s come out, will this G3 be soooo bad, that it won't be able to run any software?

Also, I have a few routers here, mainly a Motorola SB5100 and Belkin Tower (sorry if this isn't specific, my dad runs them). Would it be possible and easy to get a card and run my net from that?

THANKS GUYS! :mac:

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With $550 you are too close to being able to afford used or refurb G4 iBook to buy a G3. Save for a little longer is my advice. To me...$550 will most likely buy you just enough computer to frustrate you and make you wish you had gone with a G4

Depends on the power of the iBook. How many Mhz is it? 800Mhz and higher would be fine. But that might be around the time Apple updated the iBooks to G4s. I can't remember.

I'm running Panther, slowly, on an unsupported 233Mhz Wallstreet Powerbook. Must say I appreciate having a dual cpu tower. Someone mentioned one of the last G3 PBs. That might be OK at 500Mhz, but I'd try before i would buy. The last one (Pismo) came with both Firewire and USB.

Do some price researching and watch the Apple refurb page for the occasional decent deal. Ebay is good to watch.

I'm with Abdiel on this. If you can save some extra money, you'll be able to get a beefier system that will make the experience more enjoyable. For instance you'll likely want at least 512MB of ram.

As for the wireless cards. You definitely what to go with an Apple solution. That means the PB you buy needs an internal slot for the Apple branded card which only came as an internal option. No third party card/software solution allows for the highest encryption (WPA), as far as I've been able to find out so far.

There have been two wireless cards from Apple and you can only use one of them for which ever PB you buy. The first version, no longer sold, was a 10Mbit card while the newer one currenly being sold is 54Mbit one.

The other thing to consider is the software you'll be running. Video chatting takes at least 600Mhz, officially. Editing video or Garage Band files takes alot of horsepower too.

Personnally, if you don't really need the portability of a laptop, consider a Mac mini. And for that I'd consider waiting for version 2. Hopefully that will be out within a couple of months. But only Apple really knows that.

Good luck.

I'd recommend waiting until you can afford something current. Especially with Apple moving over to Intel processors, you will only be frustrated by the limitations of a G3. You sound definite about switching, so hang in there- you'll get a better computer in time, and the anticipation will make your switch that much sweeter, just as it did for me!

I also say wait. While the G3 models are nice the ibooks still have a lot of logic board problems. I wouldnt get a G3 iBook if I had the choice. Wait and save for a G4 or get a Mac Mini.

Well, No G3 ibook it is. What about a G4 eMac. They are about 300-400 on ebay, with all the memory and hard-drive I need.

Is this a smart choice? Or should I shell out 550 for the G4 Mac Mini?

Check out the apple refurbished store online! They have emacs for $500 that looked quite nice.

emac vs. mac mini vs laptops

From what everyone's said, looks like paying a little extra for a G4 is the way to go. The next thing to figure out is how you're going to be using it. Laptops are great. Pick it up and take it with you, but you pay extra for that.

If you're OK with having a desktop, emac and mac mini are both great machines. The Mac Mini is pretty much an Emac without a monitor keyboard or mouse. Hope that helps!

supenguin said:

From what everyone's said, looks like paying a little extra for a G4 is the way to go.

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I totally agree.... even the G4 is only a few product updates away from being out of date and out of production. I certainly wouldn't want to be running a G3... and considering you can find a G4 iBook for only a couple hundred more..... Saving up and being patient is a challenge... but I promise you it will be worth it. That G3 will have you pulling your hair out within a few months IMO.

Try considering a G4 Quicksilver for about 5-600 dollars on ebay. They're easily upgradable, and still very powerful machines.

I'd either go for a G4 emac or get a G4 iBook.

The eMac will be cheaper, but the iBook sounds like more what you are looking for.