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Low End Mac's Best Deals

Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals

2010.01.19

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The 12" PowerBook G4 was discontinued with the introduction of the 13.3" widescreen MacBook in 2006, yet it remains a popular choice as the smallest portable Mac with a built-in optical drive. It is available in speeds from 867 MHz to 1.5 GHz. See Low End Mac's Compleat Guide to the 12" PowerBook for a comprehensive overview of the most compact PowerBook ever.

The 13.3" MacBook Air (MBA) weighs just 3 lb. and is only 3/4" thick, but many don't consider it a suitable replacement for the 12" PowerBook G4. The MBA has a larger footprint, no internal optical drive, uses a relatively slow 1.8" hard drive, and has a built-in battery, meaning you can't carry a spare.

The biggest drawback to the 12" PowerBook: It's a bear to replace anything except for RAM.

You'll sometimes find a big price premium for SuperDrive models, so you may want to consider upgrading a Combo drive PowerBook with a third-party SuperDrive. The 12" PowerBooks support FireWire 400, 10/100 ethernet, and have no CardBus slot. If you need FireWire 800, gigabit ethernet, or CardBus support, look at the 15" and 17" PowerBooks.

Except for the 867 MHz model, which has 128 MB onboard RAM, the 12" PowerBooks have 256 MB on the motherboard. There is only a single memory expansion slot. We recommend no less than 384 MB total RAM for good OS X 10.2 and 10.3 performance, 512 MB for 10.4. Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is supported on all 12" G4 PowerBooks with at least 512 MB of RAM, and we strongly recommend adding a 1 GB module if you plan to use Leopard.

Old batteries tend to lose capacity, so you may want to buy a new battery - we have prices for two listed below.

Prices are for used PowerBooks. Listings note RAM/hard drive size. Be sure to factor in shipping costs and possible sales tax. Your best value depends on whether you need/want a color printer, extra RAM, etc. The best deals are marked in bold type in the full listings below. Used Macs usually have a 90 day warranty.

Best Used PowerBook Prices

We try to factor in estimated shipping costs, which vary by location, in choosing the best prices. If you're going to maximum RAM, it's cheaper to upgrade the 1.33 GHz and 1.5 GHz models than the 867 MHz and 1.0 GHz ones.

Recent Prices for RAM

High Capacity Batteries

Mac OS Prices

Unless otherwise noted, there is no surcharge for credit card purchases, and shipping is not included. Vendors are listed in alphabetical order. Be sure to visit their sites for full details.

Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices toDan Knight .

Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

Profiles: 867 MHz, 1.0 GHz, 1.33 GHz, 1.5 GHz

Models are sorted by CPU speed, then price.

MacResource

Ground shipping may add $30 or more.

Power Max

Free ground shipping. Most have Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" installed. Power Max has the broadest selection of used 'Books among dealers we track.

Wegener Media

Ground shipping may add $26 or more. 60 day warranty.

Can't afford a 12" PowerBook G4 but need portability? Check out our PowerBook G3 Deals, iBook G4 Deals, iBook G3 Deals, and Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals. Need more power? See our 13" MacBook Deals. LEM

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