The best Mac I've ever owned.
Written: Jun 20 '01
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Pros: Fast, stable, great screen, excellent expansion and connectivity.
Cons: A little heavy. Gets pretty warm.
The Bottom Line: If you can find one, buy it!
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| hollywoodtx's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G3 (M7308LL/A) Mac Notebook |
I so love this computer. I have had quite a few Macs, and this is my third powerbook (following an old 160 and the first generation Powerbook G3). I have been impressed with it since day one. The specs are: 500mhz G3 processor, 14" TFT screen, 12 gig hard drive, firewire, usb, modem, ethernet, vga monitor out port, s-video out, pcm card slot, airport card, and an expansion bay, which for me usually holds a dvd/cd-rom, a zip drive or an extra battery.
Things that make this computer supercool:
It is the MOST STABLE computer I've ever worked on. I'm using system 9.04, and I almost never have a crash. The only times I have crashed have been when using Internet Explorer on a dial-up connection. (I don't know why that would make a difference over using a broadband connection, but it seems to.) And, let me tell you, I use a LOT of software. You name it, I probably have it installed on my computer, so the non-crash thing is not for lack of trying. I have virtually the exact same software setup on a desktop 300mhz blue and white G3, and it does, unfortunately, crash more often. Not a lot more, but enough that I've noticed the difference.
More things I like: the screen is nice and bright, and good resolution. I do a lot of design work on it, and it has really made not having a big CRT screen around all the time a lot easier than I thought it would. Watching DVD movies on it is fun too (I recommend it for long plane trips). The monitor out port is quite useful if you do have a second monitor, because then you can use the powerbook screen as a second monitor in tandem. Pretty cool.
What about speed you ask? It is quite good. It's not a G4 of course, but hey, I'll take it over a Pentium 3 any day. Unless you use Photoshop and/or other graphics and video programs intensely, I doubt you will ever need (or want) faster. The only games I play are The Sims and Sim City, and it is plenty fast enough for those. (Sorry I can't give any info on the shoot-'em-ups.)
Battery use is really good. The four hour per battery claim Apple makes is fairly accurate (I get more like 3 1/2 hours plus, not far off). Having the ability to use two batteries is really great too. This is something that Apple has discontinued in the new G4 powerbooks, which is quite unfortunate I think. All that battery power is really great to have, then you are getting close to 8 hours of life!
What else is there? The keyboard is nice and easy to type on, and it flips out easily for fast access to make ram or an airport upgrade. The sound is better than most other portables. And the trackpad -- huge improvement over my last powerbook. I don't know what they changed, but it is so easy to use. This is an important part of laptops that is really easy to overlook, but it is really aggravating if you have to use a bad navigation tool to get around on your computer desktop. (Those who have labored with an IBM Stinkpad know what I'm talking about.) Another great thing about this computer: Airport. If you have not tried wireless networking/Internet access yet, you don't know what you are missing. It works fabulously on this model. (I hear reports that the new Ti G4 powerbook does not get as good reception for some reason...)
Okay, now the cons. I really have only two:
It does get hot if you work on it on your lap for a couple hours. I don't know how one could expect to have a processor be cool, but if I have to gripe about something...
And, yes, it weighs more and is slightly bigger than the new line of insanely thin and light Apple portables. This has never been a big deal to me. It is really not very heavy, and fits neatly in my backpack. But, as they say, size matters...
Anyway, they only place you can find this computer now is probably eBay or some other second hand source, since Apple doesn't sell them anymore. If you are in the market for a portable and don't want to spend G4 prices, I cannot recommend this computer more. You can probably pick one up for less than a comparably equipped one of those new white iBooks if you look around. I won't be selling mine any time soon though.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3200
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G3
Processor speed: 401-500
Screen Size: 14
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
hollywoodtx
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Location: Studio City, CA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 2 members
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