G3 iBook upgrade to a G4? and maybe a superdrive????

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G3 iBook upgrade to a G4? and maybe a superdrive????

OK, i have an iBook G3, with an 800mz processor (sp). I've kinda started gaming a little bit, and a while back i was starting to get interested in a Mac mini.
Does anyone know if i can buy a 1.2 ghz (or whatever the numbers are) G4 processor, and swap it with the one i currently have? Would i need lots of new stuff, or could i just pop back in my HD and start it up?
Also, can i buy a bigger HD for my iBook (i'd like about 80gb, my 40 gb one only has like 5gb left). I have an external HD, that my dad got for his buisness, but never used it, would it be better to just use that? I mean, it kinda defeats the purpose of having a lap top, might just be a temperorary thing.
also, could i get a super drive and put that in, instead of my combo drive?
I figured that i'd spend about 1/3 to half of the price that i would end up spending on a PC or new mac.
Thanks
Peter
o, and as far as all of this stuff goes, is it possible to buy it new, or do i need to fine donor iBooks/ Powerbooks that have that stuff to swap it all out?

Jon
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At the very least it'll proba

At the very least it'll probably need a full mobo swap to get a G4 into your G3 iBook. And I have no idea if it would even fit. You can swap the HDD and optical drive as ling as you don't mind a very involved and lengthy disassembly.

A new iBook G4 starts at $999, w/ a warranty, AppleCare service, the most recent OS X and iLife apps, USB 2.0, better graphics in a faster overall system. By the time you just buy both the HDD and optical you could easily be over $300. Depending on where/what you buy a 60-80GB drive will be $150-200. A used superdrive might go for $100, more for new. The you add in the G4 mobo, if it would work, and you are pbobably getting close to or over half the cost of a new iBook. Plus, you do all the work yourself with no warrantly or guarantees that it will all work.

I know this is a hardware hacking forum, but at this point in time, doing all that work might not make financial sense. If you sold your iBook you would probably get half the cost of the new one back, or more, and then you would be within 80-90% the cost of the new one depending on how much you've already budgeted to the project. Plus, you could backup all your data to the external drive so you would be able to sell your iBook and keep all your stuff.

Sorry to sound like a pessimist, but no company I've seen offers a G4 upgrade for G3 iBooks, so that leads me to believe that it isn't worthwhile cost-wise.

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yeah, that makes sense now th

yeah, that makes sense now that i think about it.
Well, i guess i need to start saving up, or sel some stuff (too young to sell blood, damn)
thanks for the help
lates

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what Jon said . . .

but also, your G3 iBook and the G4 iBooks aren't the same inside. You can't just swap in a G4 MLB, you'd basically need the entire lower half of the G4, as well as the cables to the LCD. That's practically the entire 'Book, eh? Blum 3

It's possible to take a G4 iBook with a smashed screen and a missing HD, and use your G3 iBook's LCD and HD . . . not exactly a great deal though unless you can get the G4 for really cheap.

dan k

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Even then...

You don't sound like the kind of person who *could* take an iBook apart and successfully get it back together. Even if you have the service manual, it's damn difficult, and just replacing the optical drive in one still takes me at least an hour.

Definitely go with a new iBook- as much as a Mac mini seems good for the price, if you're used to having a laptop, a desktop just won't work for you.

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iBook G4

As someone who knows the innards of the iBook G3 and G4 better than where I live, I can say that even between the various models of even the g3 iBook, the internal frame is different. As for the iBook G4's, the 800-1ghz models had the same internals, but the 1.2 ghz model is completely different internally than the others. (this is speaking of the 12 inch iBooks only - the 14 inchers are heresy)

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