Upgrading a PB G4

[NickD]

I really want/need to upgrade my PB G4. I need more storage space, and more RAM primarily. Here are the current specs:

Aluminum 12" PB
1 GHZ PowerPC G4
512 MB DDR SDRAM
40GB 4200RPM HD

Do you guys have any recommendations for RAM upgrading, and most importantly, a faster and larger HD? (60-120GB)

Thanks,
Nick

 

[killmoms]

Which model PowerBook G4 is this specifically? 12", 15"? If 15, Titanium or Aluminum? I believe there are some differences, mostly in terms of maximum RAM capacity.

Upgrading the hard drive might be a bit, ah, exciting. But as long as the hard drive isn't too tall, any 2.5" IDE (not SATA) laptop drive should work fine.

As for RAM, the maximum amount you can have depends on which machine you have. I believe the last-run Titanium 15" are limited to 1GB. The 1.0GHz 12" have a maximum of 1.25 GB, and the first Aluminum 15" have a max of 2GB. Finding the correct DDR333 (PC2700) SDRAM SODIMMs (for the Aluminum machines, for the Titaniums it's DDR266, also called PC2100) now might be a bit more difficult (or more expensive) now that everything's moving to DDR2.

 

[NickD]

Oops. Forgot to post some of the stuff. Will update the original post.

 

[jng]

I replaced my 12" pbook's HD last summer.

I ordered a 100GB drive from OWC (http://www.macsales.com) at 5400RPM - an improvement from the standard 4200RPM 40GB drive that came default.

I then installed the drive myself following this guide:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/PowerBook-G4-Al-12-Inch/HD-Replacement/53/11

If you don't think you can replace it yourself, I'd recommend finding a service who will do it for you but it'll cost maybe twice as much as just replacing the drive by oneself depending on shipping costs and whether one wants the old drive.

 

[szsiddiq]

The 12" powerbook is VERY complicated to take apart, unfortunately. if you're going to replace the hard drive, uve gotta be experienced and adventurous. iFixit.com has good guides.