Best PowerBook G3 Deals

The G3 PowerBooks were Apple's first PowerBooks to offer performance that rivaled their desktop siblings. Except for the rare original PowerBook G3 (a.k.a. Kanga, only on the market for six months), all G3 PowerBooks are supported under some version of OS X.

The WallStreet G3 is not officially supported under OS X 10.3 "Panther", but it is supported with 10.2.x and earlier. Panther can be installed using XPostFacto.

WallStreet and Lombard are not officially supported under OS X 10.4 "Tiger", which "requires" a built-in FireWire port, 256 MB of RAM, and 3 GB of available hard drive space. XPostFacto supports WallStreet and Lombard. Note that 10.4 normally ships on DVD-ROM, so you will need a DVD-capable drive, have to locate a CD install set, or use another Mac that can read DVDs and supports FireWire Target Disk Mode (see Installing OS X 10.4 'Tiger' on DVD-challenged Macs using FireWire Target Disk Mode for more on this option).

G3 Macs are not supported under Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard", although we have had several reports of Leopard running on a G4-upgraded Pismo. For more on that subject, we recommend reading The Future of G3 PowerBooks in the Age of Leopard. (It's theoretically possible that OS X 10.5 could run on a WallStreet or Lombard with a G4 upgrade, but we've received no such reports.)

All of these PowerBooks use IDE/Ultra ATA hard drives. On WallStreet, the first partition must be smaller than 8 GB (we recommend 7 GB to play it safe), and all of these support drives up to 128 GB in size. They can all support 512 MB of RAM, and Pismo goes as high as 1 GB.

To get the most out of OS X, Lombard and Pismo are superior to WallStreet.

Laptop batteries lose much of their capacity after 2-3 years, and while you may be able to restore some capacity using Battery Amnesia (requires the Classic Mac OS), you really should plan to buy a new battery for these old PowerBooks.

WallStreet/PDQ

Apple offered the original 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3 Series with 12", 13", and 14" screens and 233, 250, and 292 MHz CPUs. Series 2 (a.k.a. PDQ) normally shipped with a 14" display, although there was a special edition with a 12" screen. Speeds were 233, 266, and 300 MHz. The biggest difference between the 233 MHz models is the lack of a level 2 (L2) cache in the Series 1 version, sometimes called the MainStreet model; this earns it a Road Apple warning.

The WallStreet model has two expansion bays, two PC Card slots, plus ADB and SCSI ports. This was the last PowerBook with ADB. There are no FireWire or USB ports, although PC Cards can add that capability. Weight is just under 8 pounds. To learn more, see Low End Mac's Compleat Guide to the WallStreet PowerBook G3.

The original battery could run a WallStreet for up to 3 hours when new and fully charged, 6 hours with a battery in each expansion bay. We've been very happy with Newer Tech batteries, available from Other World Computing.

• NuPower 4500mAh/65 Watt-Hour battery (25% more capacity than original), $99.95

Best WallStreet Prices

• HOT 14" 233, $120, Wegener Media
• HOT 14" 266, $160, Wegener Media
• 14" 292, $220, PowerBook Guy
• Recent RAM prices: 32 MB, $5; 64 MB, $7; 128 MB, $7.99; 256 MB, $24.99*
• OWC: 128 MB low profile, $7.99; 256 MB low profile, $27.99*
  * Not all 256 MB modules work in WallStreet PowerBooks. Some are only recognized as 128 MB. Be sure to buy the right kind.

Lombard

Also known as the 'Bronze Keyboard' model, Lombard is thinner and lighter than WallStreet. It has a single expansion bay and one PC Card slot. It was the first PowerBook with USB ports and the last with SCSI. DVD is available and requires a special decoder card (included on models that shipped with DVD). There have also been G4 upgrades available, including one from Wegener Media.

A 14" 1024 x 768 display is standard. There is no ADB port on Lombard, nor FireWire, although that can be added with a PC Card. Weight is about 6 pounds. G4 upgrades are available from Wegener Media and Daystar Technology. To learn more, see Low End Mac's Compleat Guide to the Lombard PowerBook G3.

We've been very happy with Newer Tech batteries, available from Other World Computing. Both Lombard and Pismo can use two batteries for up to 16 hours of field work.

• NuPower 6600mAh/71 Watt-Hour battery (42% more capacity than original), $119.99
• NuPower 7500mAh/81 Watt-Hour battery (62% more capacity than original), $149.99

FastMac sells its TruePower 6600mAH/71 Watt-Hour battery (42% more capacity than original) for $109.95.

Best Lombard Prices

• VERY HOT 400 DVD, battery unknown, $179, Beta Macs
• Recent RAM prices: 32 MB, $5; 64 MB, $7; 128 MB, $7.99; 256 MB, $24.99
• OWC: 128 MB low profile, $7.99; 256 MB low profile, $27.99

Pismo

The same size and weight as Lombard, the 2000 Pismo is faster and was the first PowerBook with a FireWire port. It shipped with a DVD drive and has a slot for an AirPort card. There is no SCSI port.

This is one of the most upgradable PowerBooks ever, and the CPU can be upgraded to a 550 MHz G4, which makes it possible to run Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard". Best of all, Pismo is the only G3 PowerBook to support 1 GB of RAM, which really unleashes OS X. To learn more, see Low End Mac's Compleat Guide to the Pismo PowerBook. (With 1 GB of RAM, you cannot use Virtual Memory with the Classic Mac OS, and some installers may not work with more than 512 MB of RAM - the solution should be to remove one module, install the OS or app, and replace the pulled module.)

G4 upgrades are available from Wegener Media and Daystar Technology. PowerLogix and NewerTech once made G4 upgrades for Pismo.

Pismo takes the same batteries as Lombard (prices above). A Pismo with 1 GB of RAM installed cannot use Virtual Memory in the Classic Mac OS.

The best prices are marked in bold type in the full listings below. Full listings note RAM/hard drive size/optical or Zip drive. Used Macs usually inclulde a 90 day warranty.

Best Pismo Prices

• HOT 400 DVD, $300, Wegener Media
• VERY HOT 500 CD, $200, Mac of All Trades
• HOT 500 DVD, $350, Wegener Media
• Recent RAM prices: 64 MB, $7; 128 MB, $7.99; 256 MB, $14; 512 MB, $45.85
• OWC: 256 MB low profile, $17.97; 512 MB high profile, $28.97; low profile, $64.99
• Wegener Media sells a 1 GB kit - one regular module, one low profile - for $109.99