Advice for getting the most out of an old computer using Tiger

tvisher · 07-31-2006, 07:41 PM

Hey everyone,

so, I recently had the joy of recieving my old Dual-USB, 600mhz, 256MB RAM, G3 iBook back with a brand new 40 gig hard drive in it and I realized just how madeningly slow it was. It probably doesn't help that I've been using a G4 iBook with 512MB RAM, etc. etc. but I realized that I just can't do computing in any sort of timely fashion the way I'm used to on my iBook.

For instance, I'm used to having 5-10 apps open at any given time while playing music through iTunes. I've found that just browsing my mail and playing music can be painful, with the computer locking up for a minute or two between each click. I don't think that anything is wrong internally with my iBook, I just think that it's finally gotten the point where I'm really asking it to do to much.

Anyway, with the preamble over with, I figured I'd start a thread on how to get the most out of an old computer. My wife uses an old 12-inch G4 Powerbook and she has some serious speed issues as well, especially with Tiger, and I'm sure there's plenty of us out there who can't afford to upgrade the hardware. The list can go so far as to say, "here's a great app that I found to replace iTunes that uses a whole let less processor power", or things similar to that. Anything and everything that people recommend you use to boost your computer's performance. Here's my quick list of things that I'v done that have seemed to help my iBook's performance.

1. Never have more than three apps open at once (Preferably 2), especially if they are power hungry apps.

2. kill Dashboard (using any of the various hints that are available through OS X Hints)

3. Use Shadow Killer from Unsanity

4. Don't try to do more than one thing at once, like opening 3 apps at the same time. That tends to take 3 to 4 times as long than it would if you just open them one at a time and wait till they are finished opening.

Yeah, I know it's not much but I just got the computer back. Any other advice would be great!

Tim Visher

voldenuit · 07-31-2006, 07:57 PM

Cram old boxes with RAM !

That's probably the single most useful tuning advice (short from getting a new machine).

blubbernaut · 07-31-2006, 08:48 PM

RAM RAM RAM.

Bear in mind that sometimes Apple's specs on maximum RAM is actually understated. I know this to be true with at least one model of G3 iBook, so it might be with yours.

A good place to poke around for you would be xlr8yourmac.com

voldenuit · 07-31-2006, 08:56 PM

The G3 iBook can get a new 512MB module, which would result, along with the 128MB onboard RAM in a grand total of 640, which is not that bad; you'll feel the difference.

You probably won't get much for the 128MB module you'll have to take out...

07-31-2006, 07:41 PM	#1
tvisher Triple-A Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 214	Advice for getting the most out of an old computer using Tiger Hey everyone, so, I recently had the joy of recieving my old Dual-USB, 600mhz, 256MB RAM, G3 iBook back with a brand new 40 gig hard drive in it and I realized just how madeningly slow it was. It probably doesn't help that I've been using a G4 iBook with 512MB RAM, etc. etc. but I realized that I just can't do computing in any sort of timely fashion the way I'm used to on my iBook. For instance, I'm used to having 5-10 apps open at any given time while playing music through iTunes. I've found that just browsing my mail and playing music can be painful, with the computer locking up for a minute or two between each click. I don't think that anything is wrong internally with my iBook, I just think that it's finally gotten the point where I'm really asking it to do to much. Anyway, with the preamble over with, I figured I'd start a thread on how to get the most out of an old computer. My wife uses an old 12-inch G4 Powerbook and she has some serious speed issues as well, especially with Tiger, and I'm sure there's plenty of us out there who can't afford to upgrade the hardware. The list can go so far as to say, "here's a great app that I found to replace iTunes that uses a whole let less processor power", or things similar to that. Anything and everything that people recommend you use to boost your computer's performance. Here's my quick list of things that I'v done that have seemed to help my iBook's performance. 1. Never have more than three apps open at once (Preferably 2), especially if they are power hungry apps. 2. kill Dashboard (using any of the various hints that are available through OS X Hints) 3. Use Shadow Killer from Unsanity 4. Don't try to do more than one thing at once, like opening 3 apps at the same time. That tends to take 3 to 4 times as long than it would if you just open them one at a time and wait till they are finished opening. Yeah, I know it's not much but I just got the computer back. Any other advice would be great! Tim Visher

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07-31-2006, 07:57 PM	#2
voldenuit Hall of Famer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Old Europe Posts: 4,969	Cram old boxes with RAM ! That's probably the single most useful tuning advice (short from getting a new machine).

07-31-2006, 08:48 PM	#3
blubbernaut MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,856	RAM RAM RAM. Bear in mind that sometimes Apple's specs on maximum RAM is actually understated. I know this to be true with at least one model of G3 iBook, so it might be with yours. A good place to poke around for you would be xlr8yourmac.com

07-31-2006, 08:56 PM	#4
voldenuit Hall of Famer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Old Europe Posts: 4,969	The G3 iBook can get a new 512MB module, which would result, along with the 128MB onboard RAM in a grand total of 640, which is not that bad; you'll feel the difference. You probably won't get much for the 128MB module you'll have to take out...