Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iBook G3 Dual USB upgrade questions

A

AtaruBarreau

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 6, 2019
47
31
Hi! During the pandemic, as I had left far away my PowerBook G4 12', I ended up using my iBook G3 (Dual USB, 500Mhz, 640Mb RAM) quite a lot under OS 9 for work, light internet, emails, and music stuff. I really marveled at what I could do with this underpowered computer. But now that I've been using it for the past months, I feel like upgrading. Mainly because the OG hard-drive is slow. I know the HD bus in this iBook release is only 66Mhz but still it's quite slow (my B&W feels a tad snappier with its modern IDE hard-drive for example). Plus 15Gig is good enough for having just one OS, and I'd like to have Jaguar or Panther as an other OS.

I'd like to upgrade with a either 128 or 64Gig SSD, but I've read that OS 9 is kinda picky; what should I be aware of before buying stuff for the iBook?
 
I'd go for a modern mSATA or m.2 SSD in an IDE adapter combo. Avoid native IDE SSDs, they are old cr@p. I don't know if this iBook supports drives larger than 128 GB (48-bit LBA), so I'd probably stick to a 120GB SSD to be safe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AphoticD, MacFoxG4 and RogerWilco6502
Amethyst1 said:
I'd go for a modern mSATA or m.2 SSD in an IDE adapter combo. Avoid native IDE SSDs, they are old cr@p. I don't know if this iBook supports drives larger than 128 GB (48-bit LBA), so I'd probably stick to a 120GB SSD to be safe.
Click to expand...

Ok that's exactly what I did for my PB G4 12' haha
 
Amethyst1 said:
Well then :) Another thing is 0v3rcl0ck1ng - my 500MHz dual USB ran fine at 600MHz.
Click to expand...

Ok! I think I'll pass, not because it's too advanced but because my soldering iron is garbage and unlike my iBook G4 this one works perfectly so I don't want to mess up its PCB with poor soldering iron and medicore skills haha. But maybe one day!
 
AtaruBarreau said:
Ok! I think I'll pass, not because it's too advanced but because my soldering iron is garbage and unlike my iBook G4 this one works perfectly so I don't want to mess up its PCB with poor soldering iron and medicore skills haha. But maybe one day!
Click to expand...

I can relate - mine was already OC'd when I received it; I wouldn't even have thought of attempting this myself.
 
AtaruBarreau said:
Hi! During the pandemic, as I had left far away my PowerBook G4 12', I ended up using my iBook G3 (Dual USB, 500Mhz, 640Mb RAM) quite a lot under OS 9 for work, light internet, emails, and music stuff. I really marveled at what I could do with this underpowered computer. But now that I've been using it for the past months, I feel like upgrading. Mainly because the OG hard-drive is slow. I know the HD bus in this iBook release is only 66Mhz but still it's quite slow (my B&W feels a tad snappier with its modern IDE hard-drive for example). Plus 15Gig is good enough for having just one OS, and I'd like to have Jaguar or Panther as an other OS.

I'd like to upgrade with a either 128 or 64Gig SSD, but I've read that OS 9 is kinda picky; what should I be aware of before buying stuff for the iBook?
Click to expand...

I’m right there with you. I’m doing a full upgrade. Here’s the link that shows everything i’m working on.

forums.macrumors.com

iBook G3 Snow, complete upgrade to PowerPC G4, superdrive, 512 MB RAM upgrade.

Your iMac is 700 MHz PowerPC 750cx (G3), I think, not compatible with 7400/7410. You can but the old CPU daughter cards from Sawtooth G4's on the cheap, and re-ball the CPU before you do the swap. The G3 can do everything the G4 can do sans Altivec, so if you have some software that can...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back