General Mac Question

Forgive me for my ignornace but......

Is there anything I won't be able to do (Apple related) if I buy an iBook with a G3 processor? I mean, are there inherant restrictions to the G3 or will it do everything the G4 can albeit slower?

The reason I'm asking is because I want to buy a Mac. I already have a PC so I thought I'd throw down for a laptop. The iBooks are very reasonable in cost and that appeals to me but I don't want to lose out on the "complete" Mac experience cause' that's what I'm looking for.

One other question.....will icons, walls etc. look as "crisp" on an iBook?

Errrr....actually one more question. Hehehe. Will Virtual PC run on an iBook and if so, how much HD space will it require?

Thanks in advance.

#66606

1. VPC will run fine on an iBook. Don't run WinXP.

It will need LOTS of space, because you have to "install" Windows as well.

2. The G3 isnt the problem in the iBooks. The Video Card is. the video card in the iBook doesn't support Quartz Extreme (GF2+ is needed), so you wont get all the nifty mac animations, but most will work fine.

The G3 will run great for basic tasks, but on Photoshop/maya, etc, you may feel some slowdown.

3. Get as much RAM as possible, UNIX caches almost everything in RAM, so the more RAM you have, the faster everything runs.

#66621

So if I understand you correctly, Contra.....shell out the extra bucks for the G4 laptops eh? I mean, I don't really know what Quartz Extreme is but I think I want it. Nifty animations? What kind of nifty animations?

#66626

Quartz Extreme.....repeat.....Quartz Extreme.....see what you can get a 15.2 Ti Powerbook for. Shold be reasonable now that the Al Powerbooks are out.

#66628

Actually, im not sure if all the PBs have a GF2/Radeon9000. I dont think the 12" does, but I may be wrong.

Most things aren't QuartzExtreme, only the Extreme stuff, like that "Fast User Switching" animation in Panther.

BUT, as newer versions of OSX come out, more and more will be QE, and thats gonna be a problem, because you can't really upgrade a laptop.

I recommend the iBooks, their price can't be beat.

#66634

I recommend the iBooks, their price can't be beat.

That's what I'm thinking, Contra. I can pick up an iBook for under a grand. That being said, I didn't want to diminish my Mac experience hence the questions.

So....if I understand you correctly, with an iBook I will be able to run any Mac OS and Mac program my heart desires?

#66650

Yes, you will be able to run everything. You will just lose some of the more intense effects, but there are only maybe 5 of those.

Things will also be a little less accelerated, but it should still be fine.

#66663

Thanks, Contra. I'll report back and let ya' know what I think of the iBook. I'm actually really excited!

#66667

Contrasutra you don't have a mac!! :6 :6 VPC does run well on my 17" Powerbook, XP and all. If you chose full screen, you wont know that you're using a mac. Of course mine is a g4, a g3 ibook might not handle VPC too well, as it doesn't handle other apps that require memory and processor speed such as Final Cut Pro. If you do want to use it, use 512mb of ram, especially if you'll be switching from the mac to pc windows, etc. You probably wont be able to run many apps on Windows since VPC is emulating everything, although my powerbook runs Photoshop, Office, etc. really well. VPC requires at least 10 gigs oh HD space, so the measly 30gb in the new ibooks is not enough, if you want to use Windows, buy a cheap pc for $300 and use it. Stay away from the ibooks, their cheap plastic cases get worn out easily, and the g3 is too outdated to use (the g5 is already out), and it won't last for long. Get the new 12 incher for $1594 at Macmall (with 512mb, epson printer, and lock).

#67074

I recomend using Mac OS 9 at leist sometimes. Its really nice if you are running photoshop in X and its kinda slow. Adobe photoshop 7 is a Classic and Os X app at the same time.

#67078

Or try what I'm doing. Go round shops/online shops looking at ex-demo or refurbished powerbooks. That brings them down in price by a few hundred £ sometimes. I wouldn't buy them online though, because then you don't get to inspect the cosmetic damage that they have. Thats why they're so much cheaper.

#67216

1) If the iBook is 800 MHz+, it WILL and DOES support Quartz Extreme. So you WILL get all the nifty animations.

2) MAX out the RAM.

3) If you intend to use VPC, get Windows 2000. It runs WAAAY better than XP, or any other Windows. Even 98.

4) You will need 2-3 Gigs of space allocated for VPC. If you install XP, allocate 3-5 GB.

5) If you intend to do music and video editing on your mac, get a G4 laptop. Otherwise, you won't see any difference between the G3 and the G4.

6) Alot of people are confused between altivec and Quartz Extreme. iBooks with 32MB of video RAM (800MHz models +) have that. They do NOT have altivec. If you absolutely NEED altivec (for a/v editing), wait for the new iBook models to come out. They're supposed to be equipped with the new 'G3+' chips, which will support altivec.

I have an iBook 800, so I know what I'm talking about.

edit: Icons atc will not lose their 'crispiness'. They'll actually seem better, since its an LCD display.

RE-EDIT: Wow.. I see a common misunderstanding in this thread. If you get a 800MHz or higher iBook, you WILL get ALL the effect of Quartz extreme (switch user animations and all other animation sheets)!

The ONLY thing you will limit yourself in would be in audio and video creating/editing. And since not every John Doe is working for hollywood (you aren't right? ), you won't be limiting yourself.

Of course.. if you DO intend to use FCP a lot, then by all means go with the Powerbook!

#67253