PowerBook G4 12" Club

[wm2]

Not the DDR memory controller on all PowerBook 12" models.

The DDR2 they refer to was confined to only the A1138 and A1139 final 15/17 PowerBooks, the DLSDs, and the jury is still out on whether those can be coaxed to accept a pair of 2GB DIMMs.

I don’t know what is the truth. I read that in several forums and YT channel, but never seen it. For me, 2GB was not enough either. Plus +250 MB are really very few here. 1.25 is enough to listen to music. Reason 4 and Ableton 7-8 (make music) required the G5 processor with more ram than 2GB. The PB 12” was not invented for this.

@weckart 2st black and red dragons are very popular here with a headphone like the ATH-M50X. This is a complex thing for that matter. It starts with a good RCA interconnect cable, through a good amplifier to the speaker. I really love the RED.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Reason 4 and Ableton 7-8 (make music) required the G5 processor with more ram than 2GB. The PB 12” was not invented for this.

I've been making music for years with Reason 3 and 4 even on Powerbooks with 1Gb or less.

 

[wm2]

I've been making music for years with Reason 3 and 4 even on Powerbooks with 1Gb or less.

So, 1.25 is enough.

 

[Dronecatcher]

So, 1.25 is enough.

It's like with anything - you work within your limitations but with Reason 3 in particular, a Powerbook with 1Gb+ is a stellar setup.

 

[wm2]

It's like with anything - you work within your limitations but with Reason 3 in particular, a Powerbook with 1Gb+ is a stellar setup.

Many people have problems with the 12” PB, but for me perfect for a few things. Now, I don’t do mixes etc. on this anymore. Rarely I use Audacity. Thats all.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Many people have problems with the 12” PB, but for me perfect for a few things. Now, I don’t do mixes etc. on this anymore. Rarely I use Audacity. Thats all.

Yes, the 12" format isn't ideal - limited screen and thermal issues.

My old Powerbook doing Reason 4 with 'just' 1Gb...

 

[Amethyst1]

Yes, the 12" format isn't ideal - limited screen

I think I read about someone upgrading a 12" to a 1400x1050 panel. Now that would be awesome to see!

Edit:

Upgrading PowerBook G4 12" LCD/Resolution?

For a while now, I've had a PowerBook G4 12". I love the form factor of the machine, and would love to start using it as a main computer in school. But I would like to perform a few upgrades to it, and one of those upgrades would be the replacing the LCD with a higher resolution one. I found...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[B S Magnet]

I don’t know what is the truth. I read that in several forums and YT channel, but never seen it. For me, 2GB was not enough either. Plus +250 MB are really very few here. 1.25 is enough to listen to music. Reason 4 and Ableton 7-8 (make music) required the G5 processor with more ram than 2GB. The PB 12” was not invented for this.

@weckart 2st black and red dragons are very popular here with a headphone like the ATH-M50X. This is a complex thing for that matter. It starts with a good RCA interconnect cable, through a good amplifier to the speaker. I really love the RED.

The truth — really, the fact — is the entire PowerBook 12" line used DDR memory, as did the entire PowerBook line up to and until the DLSD PowerBooks, which used DDR2 memory — the latter of which was readily sold as 2GB SO-DIMMs — even if PowerBook DLSD models cannot take advantage of more than 2GB of addressable memory.

To my knowledge, DDR PC-2700 modules beyond 1GB SO-DIMMs were not sold — or, if they were, then they were sold for specialized applications where ECC parity is required (vis-à-vis the PC-100 1GB SO-DIMM ECC modules). ECC memory will not work in a PowerBook or an iBook.

 

[weckart]

@weckart 2st black and red dragons are very popular here with a headphone like the ATH-M50X. This is a complex thing for that matter. It starts with a good RCA interconnect cable, through a good amplifier to the speaker. I really love the RED.

I have a headphone amp and a range of headphones going up to a Sennheiser 650 so I'm not judging this through Apple earbuds or other disposable headphones. Amps can affect the sound output. None is sonically neutral. The Sennheisers are said to have a sonic "veil", which colours the sound making it sound warmer than with reference headphones. With the Dragonfly on board, it's more of a full-blown burqa. I would hope that the newer Dragonflies are more than just a slight improvement but since soundcards have also come on leaps and bounds in the past few years, I suspect that there is also a case of diminishing returns.

 

[wm2]

Yes, the 12" format isn't ideal - limited screen and thermal issues.

My old Powerbook doing Reason 4 with 'just' 1Gb...

Ableton is my fav DAW for electronic music. It was very effective on Powerbook 12”. Not the graphical interface is the point that's why I loved it.

@B S Magnet To my knowledge, DDR PC-2700 modules beyond 1GB SO-DIMMs were not sold — or, if they were, then they were sold for specialized applications where ECC parity is required (vis-à-vis the PC-100 1GB SO-DIMM ECC modules). ECC memory will not work in a PowerBook or an iBook.

Yes, I know that.

@weckart I bought the RED because it was 40% cheaper. This is a very good ESS 9016 chip. I didn't want to advertise. No driver required, and works well on Powerbook, that's all (I also use VOX player and TIDAL on my iPhone and iPad, it just a practical small thing).

 

[1042686]

IMHO it makes more sense to spend your $$ on what your ears are referencing ie: monitors, high quality over ear headphones etc. & utilize onboard EQ in software to craft a mix/tone that is pleasant to your ears. I personally like to use actual tubes in & out to add a nice depth & warmth but most folks don’t have heavy old tube amps sitting around like I do.

Regardless, most basic audio players I’ve used in the past 10 years have had good flexibility in software to craft a pleasing sound. What your ears are referencing is the easiest control for most people to wrap their mind around & get a good result.

A 12” powerbook wouldn't be my choice for a daw or audio work (beyond playback) because they do run so hot. New, they could take the cpu load but anymore, in their old geriatric computer state, a machine with better cooling makes sense to me. Of course at the end of the day, if that’s what ya got, it’s what you’re going to use, but be aware of their temps & take steps to keep it cool.

 

[wm2]

IMHO it makes more sense to spend your $$ on what your ears are referencing ie: monitors, high quality over ear headphones etc. & utilize onboard EQ in software to craft a mix/tone that is pleasant to your ears. I personally like to use actual tubes in & out to add a nice depth & warmth but most folks don’t have heavy old tube amps sitting around like I do.

Regardless, most basic audio players I’ve used in the past 10 years have had good flexibility in software to craft a pleasing sound & what you’re referencing is the easiest control for most people.

I use the iPad Pro today for everything. I barely turn on my laptops. Sometimes because torrents. I was wondering about my old Powerbook 12” and with old VOX/COG/iTunes/VLC app is totally ok. I don't want to do anything else with it. Thats all.

 

[weckart]

@weckart I bought the RED because it was 40% cheaper. This is a very good ESS 9016 chip. I didn't want to advertise. No driver required, and works well on Powerbook, that's all (I also use VOX player and TIDAL on my iPhone and iPad, it just a practical small thing).

I also bought mine at a much larger discount from its original price. I think it started out at around £250, which is a lot for what you get. There are a lot of competitors in that market now, which means that AudioQuest has had to lower its prices to compete.

Do you find that the Red Dragonfly smoothes over a lot at the treble end of the music spectrum? While that can hide some harshness from poor mastering at the recording studio I just found with mine it sounds a bit muddy and ultimately a bit lifeless. I know AQ tweaked the Red Df to use a lot less power so that you can also use it with an iPhone, which would brought have some improvement until Apple ditched the headphone/line out socket.

 

[1042686]

I use the iPad Pro today for everything. I barely turn on my laptops. Sometimes because torrents. I was wondering about my old Powerbook 12” and with old VOX/COG/iTunes/VLC app is totally ok. I don't want to do anything else with it. Thats all.

What does the ecosystem around an ipad pro look like? When you say you are using an ipad pro for "everything", does this mean running instruments/amp/FX in emulation or are you interfacing actual analog instruments with the ipad pro? If the latter what are you using?

 

[wm2]

What does the ecosystem around an ipad pro look like? When you say you are using an ipad pro for "everything", does this mean running instruments/amp/FX in emulation or are you interfacing actual analog instruments with the ipad pro? If the latter what are you using?

This is very off topic here. I use Auria Pro, Hokusai and Garageband for Mixcloud and Soundcloud mixes. Hokusai is not an Audacity, but enough for me. I don't make own music anymore. It was when I was young. This is why so nostalgic for me the Powerbook.

@weckart Do you find that the Red Dragonfly smoothes over a lot at the treble end of the music spectrum?

Yes.

 

[1042686]

This is very off topic here. I use Auria Pro, Hokusai and Garageband for Mixcloud and Soundcloud mixes. Hokusai is not an Audacity, but enough for me. I don't make own music anymore. It was when I was young. This is why so nostalgic for me the Powerbook.

@weckart Do you find that the Red Dragonfly smoothes over a lot at the treble end of the music spectrum?

Yes.

Thanks, yes it is. I appreciate the answer. I don’t think op would mind.

 

[wur10]

Why no love for the iBooks? Both are 1.33GHz, but the one on the right seems to run quite a bit cooler...

 

[Amethyst1]

Why no love for the iBooks? Both are 1.33GHz, but the one on the right seems to run quite a bit cooler...

I've been meaning to start a Polycarbonate Club for showing off "classic" white Apple stuff. But feel free to do so yourself!

 

[B S Magnet]

I've been meaning to start a Polycarbonate Club for showing off "classic" white Apple stuff. But feel free to do so yourself!

I’ve been meaning to start a Clamshell club for running iBook clamshells.

 

[bobesch]

I’ve been meaning to start a Clamshell club for running iBook clamshells.

Yeah, then we could start exchanging "paint by numbers" patterns to refine them, like "artists" do ... 😄

 

[retta283]

I was at a friend's house helping him bring decorations out of his attic, and I noticed he still had his 12" PowerBook. According to him it had taken a pretty hard fall, the front aluminum was totally bent outwards and the latch was destroyed. Lid had some bad dents, and the phone jack is unusable, plastic is coming away. Apparently it still functioned otherwise according to him. I didn't ask about taking/buying it but if I do end up with that thing at some point I'll post some pictures and try to get it up and running.

As of right now I only have a 12" iBook, best 2005 model, I can never justify spending much for a PB when the only major difference is the casing. But if a deal comes up I will snag one.

 

[wur10]

Who else had to resolder the CPU cooler mounting studs to the motherboard? This is what I saw after disassembling my 12" 1.33GHz.

 

[Amethyst1]

Common problem.

 

[bobesch]

Who else had to resolder the CPU cooler mounting studs to the motherboard? This is what I saw after disassembling my 12" 1.33GHz.

Me too! On the 1.5GHz model steam-book.
(Fortunately I have a neighbour with soldering skills who helped me fix the problem!

 

[Doq]

necro
Received @z970mp's 12" PowerBook from his post here today, making me the newest member of Club 12. Currently receiving core applications from its new bigger brother.

I ordered some keys as the parts keyboard it came with is either for a 15" or 17" (pretty sure it's for a 17) and the switches and caps are ever so slightly different between the 12 and the 15/17 (least I think so. I checked my 15 and the key-switch mechanics are the same). There's also the DC-in issue that I'm investigating.

Expect a star soon.