The PowerBook 3400: Surprisingly Useful and Spry with the Classic Mac OS

- 2006.05.16

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.

OWC: Burn DVDs, DVD-DL, CDs, DVD-Ram - FAST! Superdrive upgrades from OWC starting from $31.99 with options for nearly every Mac. Models with Lightscribe, Blu-Ray too!

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

New iMac 800Mhz Memory 4GB $98, 2GB $50. Click to Maximize your Macs...

In this modern age, we have become accustomed to high powered computers capable of running any app we could imagine and more. But let's analyze the other end of the spectrum for a moment.

No, I'm not talking about the PC market, but rather the aged, yet still useful, PowerBook 3400c.

Several months ago, I wrote an article about the "MainStreet" PowerBook G3 and how it was still good for basic use despite its "underpowered" CPU and abysmal screen. In this article I'd like to talk about how the 1997 PowerBook 3400c, despite being from an even earlier CPU generation, is a better performer in today's world.

The 3400c was introduced in 1997; at the time it was considered one of the fastest laptops in the world - with a price tag to match. Its PowerPC 603e processor was available in 180, 200, and 240 MHz speeds, making this one of the best desktop replacement PowerBooks of its time.

To complement the impressive CPU, Apple also included a beautiful 12" active matrix LCD screen built onto a robust, if not a little bulky, body. Add four speakers, an infrared (IR) port, and a hot swappable drive bay, and you've got one versatile little Mac for US$4,500-6,500.

The model I used has a 200 MHz CPU, 72 MB of RAM, and a 2 GB hard disk.

The Right OS

PowerBook 3400 Firstly, let me talk a little about my OS choice. After frequenting system7today.com message boards for some time, I decided to start this PowerBook with Mac OS 7.6.1 to see how it went. I typically don't work with anything below 8.1, and it had been quite a while since I had worked with any version of System 7, but it was worth a shot. OS 7.6 needed more fine tuning then newer OSes, but everything worked more or less the way it should.

For comparison purposes I decided to bump up to Mac OS 8.1. I noticed little to no speed difference, but I ran into hurdles when some of the graphics apps I wanted to install didn't work.

Lastly, I moved up to Mac OS 8.6, my favorite flavor of the Classic Mac OS. The system took longer to boot, but once it was up and running it felt as fast as 7.6 and 8.1 - and it seemed much more stable than either. So for now OS 8.6 is my OS of choice for this model.

Software

The 3400c is very limited in today's world. Pretty much all you can do with it is word processing and maybe some web editing and photo manipulation using older software. Microsoft Office 2001 was a little too slow for my taste, but Office 98 ran much better.

If speed is really an issue, ClarisWorks 5 is the way to go. I found myself using ClarisWorks much more than Office for this reason. Photoshop 5 also ran adequately, given the limited amount of RAM (144 MB maximum). And, of course, a quick game of Sim City 2000 is no problem on this machine.

Connectivity

With the addition of a WaveLAN Gold 802.11b wireless card, I connected the 3400c to my home network and wireless Internet. Using Internet Explorer 5 can be rather sluggish at times, but it's tolerable. A better solution is iCab, available for free, which is a modern browser popular with owners of classic Macs.

Connecting to my Power Mac and PowerBook via AppleTalk was interesting, to say the least, but after some tweaking things worked out nicely.

I was fortunate enough to receive a good battery with this unit; it gives me a good two hours or so depending on what I'm doing.

In comparison to the cacheless MainStreet PowerBook G3, the 3400c is superior in almost all aspects. For starters, the active matrix screen in the 3400c is far better than the cheap passive matrix found on the MainStreet. And despite having a 603e, the 3400c's 200 MHz CPU is a better performer than the cacheless 233 MHz G3 in MainStreet.

Shortcomings

The four speakers (two on the lid and two above the keyboard) aren't that good by today's standards, but they get the job done.

What I don't like much about this model is the proprietary memory slot, which makes for expensive and hard to find memory upgrades. Also, PC Card expansion can be troublesome due to the lack of CardBus compliance out of the box. This means that USB expansion requires modification of the logic board to accommodate newer cards, and this can result in a nonfunctional PowerBook if not done properly.

For an average price of US$30-100, the 3400c is a solid choice for word processing, browsing, and other basic needs. This ten year old laptop was built to last, and it still has some spunk left in it.

Recent PowerBook Beat articles

Clamshell iBook still a fun and practical notebook, 08.11. "Granted, this iBook isn't a speed demon in any way, but it's amazing what a 7-year-old Apple notebook can do."
Italy, a virtually untapped market ready for the Mac, 07.27. iPods are everywhere in Italy, but finding a Mac in use or a dealer that sells them is another story.
Picking a Power Mac G4: How much Mac do you need?, 03.22. Today's laptop computers can be great primary computers, but sometimes you need things only a desktop model can offer. A used Power Mac G4 can be a good choice.
More in the PowerBook Beat index.

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Time Machine can now backup to a shard hard drive, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 07.08. Earlier versions of Leopard didn't seem to allow backup to a shared drive on another Mac, but the 10.5.4 update allows it.
More air: Expectations for future MacBook and MacBook Pro models, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 07.08. Next generation 'Books are expected to include Intel's next generation Montevino processor, but wireless power and wireless USB could give Apple a leg up on the competition.
Safari 3.1 Is the best browser for Macs and for Windows, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.08. Apple's Safari browser is fast, lightweight, and compatible with pretty much any website that doesn't require users to run Windows and Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
Best iBook G3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used clamshell, $100; 500 MHz CD, $169; 700, $279; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $299; 14" 700, $300; 900, $449.
Best Power Mac G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 450 MHz ACP, $79; 533 DA, $100; 867 QS, $200; 1.25 GHz MDD Combo, $375; 867 dual, $325; 1 GHz, $395; 1.25, $529; 1.42, $619.
Best classic iPod deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 20 GB, $100; 30, $120; 40, $150; 60 color, $175; 30 video, $160; 80, $200; refurb 80 classic, $209; new, $229; refurb 160, $299; new, $319.
Mac of the Day: 'Lombard' PowerBook G3, June 1999 - 'bronze keyboard' model is first PowerBook with USB, reaches 400 MHz, trims almost 2 lb.
List of the Day: PowerList for those using Power Computing Mac clones.
July 9 in LEM history: 01: Anti-spam measures marginalize low-end Macs - Color Classics on eBay - DSL diary - The 25th Anniversary Mac - 02: eMac test drive - Women in IT - 03: A week with an eMac - Are Apple's applications helping or hurting? - 04: Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache - Radeon Enabler unlocks video features
Macintosh reliability improving since the shift to Intel, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 07.07. For a while in the G3 and G4 era, Apple was plagued with logic board failures and analog board problems, but they seem to be a thing of the past.
1.8 GHz, SSD MacBook Air price cuts; Samsung vs. Hitachi notebook drives; Centrino 2 preorders; and more, The 'Book Review, 07.07. Also MacBook shipments up 61% over Q1 2007, Apple notebook redesign rumored, Santa Rosa MacBook Pro video failure, Mopar in-vehicle wireless Internet, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,749, and m
iPhone 3G service more costly in States, outrageous in Canada, and more, iNews Review, 07.07. Also long fingernails and the iPhone, future iPhone may include keyboard and Intel Atom CPU, voice control for iPods, Ringtons Studio for the iPhone, and more.
Best MacBook deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 1.83 GHz Combo, $819; 2.0 SD, $975; refurb 2.1 GHz Combo, $949; 2.4 SD, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1 Combo, $1,005 a/r; 2.2 SD, $1,205 a/r; more.
Best eMac deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 700 MHz CD, $140; CD-RW, $150; Combo, $170; 1 GHz, $200; 1.25 GHz SD, $230; 1.42 GHz Combo, $300; SuperDrive, $439.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $80; CD, $160; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $80; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $130.
More links in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

PowerBook Beat articles copyright ©2005-08 by Charles Webb. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.