iBook G3

[suklee]

I just inherited a very old iBook. It has: 700MHz PowerPC G3, 384MB SDRAM, OS X 10.3.9 (7W98), 20GB hard disk, CDRW drive.

I don't have any installation DVDs. Could I restore the OS to 'factory state' somehow? Is it worth upgrading to Tiger?

I have no wifi, but it looks like I can add this Buffalo PCMCIA card for wifi.. if it still exists. http://www.flickr.com/photos/h...098/in/pool-macintosh/

PS. The battery is dead too (doesn't charge) so I'll probably use it for a bit and see if it's worth getting a spare battery and the wifi card...

 

[TheStu]

Without the disks there is no way to revert the OS back to a clean state. Tiger would run on that, but it would be a bit of a dog. Your best bet is to stick with 10.3 and get as much life out of the system as you can.

 

[suklee]

Would Tiger be slow because of the RAM or the CPU? (or both?)

 

[TheStu]

It would mostly the be the RAM at this point. But, even after upgrading the RAM, the CPU is still a little underpowered. Tiger isn't too bad, but don't think that you can run Leopard since that requires an 867MHz G4.

 

[Tyranicus]

That CPU should be fine for Tiger. I would recommend getting more RAM though.

 

[mmntech]

Minimum system requirements for Tiger are a 333mhz G3 processor and 256mb of RAM. From experience, Tiger runs best with at least 512mb. According to Apple-History.com, that iBook will take up to 640mb of PC-100. I would max out your RAM for the best performance. You're good for processor speeds as long as you disable CPU throttling. You can do that be selecting the "Better Performance" power profile.