This computer holds a special place in my heart. I remember buying it maxed out along with an 80GB iPod in cash at the Apple store in San Francisco back in 2005. The keyboard was amazing, the performance, not so much LOL but I didn't care, it looked so futuristic, at the time. I remember being in art school for graphic design, so nostalgic, I'm gonna go cry now.
@@mikescudder4621 Ha, no dealing, I did smoke a lot of weed, though, that Bay Area NorCal GAS. I got like $3k in student loan refund and I needed a new computer, so I cashed out, walked to my local Apple store just off of Market St and Stockton St in SF, only a few blocks away from where I lived, and dropped like $2,500+ ($3,913 in 2023) I think they had some "buy a Mac and get an iPod" deal, so I jumped on that. Those were the days...
I just love how the keyboard looks etc. It is just keys, nearly no bezel, looks so efficient at putting a big keyboard in the smallest formfactor. Similar to the old white apple keyboard (the one before those flat Keyboards)
12 inch 4:3 is an absolutely fantastic form factor. I have a 2005 Thinkpad X41 Tablet that is also 12" and it feels great. Compact, but still quite a lot of screen space. Its a shame there are no good 4:3 laptops made anymore. I would love to see a modern 4:3 ThinkPad or Macbook.
Makes me happy that 8:5 and 3:2 ratio displays are getting more common on laptops as the media focus for laptops goes away. Phones are getting much more extreme aspect ratios, while laptops are getting squarer ones back. It's almost like vertical screen real estate matters a lot! Hmm 🤔 ETA: I actually just picked up an iBook G3 Snow around the time I commented this, and it just feels wonderful. Such a good form factor, hard agree.
@Night Rider It's an instruction set that dictates which data blocks on an SSD are no longer in use and can therefore be erased. In doing so it makes the SSD perform better, but more importantly increases its lifespan.
Did the exact same upgrade to my 12" PB G4. 256GB IDE SSD (when they still made them), 1.5GHz G4, 1.25GB RAM, and installed a SuperDrive. It's one of my favorite apple devices ever made IMO. too bad it is such a pain to take apart without damaging some of the fragile aluminum.
I loved my little 12" G4. It lasted from August 2003 until about sometime in 2012. I did everything from write marching band drill to video editing to writing software with that little guy. It was murder, though to upgrade. Mine also had the exact same physical ailments on the case... I think it's just another case of an Apple product failing for a "small percentage of users." ;)
Bad GPU on your PPC Mac! My iMac G5 can't even render Menu Bar Transparency WITH Core Image and Quartz Extreme even it they are Hardware Accelerated! My iMac G5 takes more than 1.5 gigs tho, so good on ya G5.
The PowerBook 12” models had a total RAM capacity of 1.25 Gb. 256 Mb was soldered on the motherboard and then you had the single DIMM slot were you could put an up to 1 Gb DIMM.
@@WizardNumberNext I did not know that, specially for the 12". for which I had one for almost 15 years. I think Action Retro doesn't know either. MacTracker and Everyday Mac don't reflect that knowledge. Thank you for the info.
I actually just did this exact same thing on the iBook G4 14" model on Friday! 128g SSD (used a miniSATA to SATA converter) and 1.25 GB of RAM. The 14" model disassembly was less straightforward than some of the other guides I have seen, and I had to expose both sides of the logic board to properly de-route and re-route the cables. It works though! My iBook is so quick and speedy!
Another outstanding video and, I have the same model in my collection. As you stated, when these were new at the apple retail stores, I just walked right pass the 12 inch G4 Powerbook because at the time, I only had eyes for the larger screen on the 17 inch model. However, several years ago found myself needing to get a laptop with a built-in 56k modem. For use on days when, I would sit with an elderly family member in their home that has no high speed internet and only a telephone land line. Prefer to keep my PowerPC systems on OS X 10.4 Tiger. After starting to use this model, I fell in love with its small size factor, speed, and power. My future goal is to upgrade the hard drive and install a version of Linux along with OS X. Daily, I still carry this laptop to the office (for E-mail, iLife, iWorks, watching DVD's, and watching recorded HD over the air TV shows) and it never lets me down.
Thanks so much! That's awesome you're still using it. I've been using this one as my couch browsing machine and it's excellent at that. What Linux are you thinking about? I've been using Adelie on PowerPC and it's super fast.
My goal is to add a version of either Lunix Mint or Lunix Lubuntu. You highlighted an mSATA SSD on this video. However, when looking for between a 500G to 1TB mechanical Hard Drive what type should, I be looking for? It appears every few years that, apple systems use different types of hard drives.
@@transitengineer To be honest, you're much better off getting an IDE to mSATA enclosure and sticking a cheap M2 SSD in that. These take an IDE drive and getting a high-capacity IDE drive that's natively compatible will be a pain and an SSD will be easier to get, probably cheaper, faster and more reliable long-term. Linux-wise you'll need a PowerPC compatible distro, like the PowerPC version of Debian 8.
I used a 12" PowerBook as my main machine for several years, and for a while even used it as a desktop connected to an external monitor and keyboard. I really like the form factor, which was a big difference from the plastic G3 PowerBooks (which were also great in their way). I've bought several of them used over the last year or so since I started collecting these old Macs, but I didn't know there was a model that had a multitouch trackpad. I'm going to have to check the ones I have to see if any of them have it. These machines do feel almost painfully slow compared to the MacBook Pros that were released not long afterward though.
Oh yeah, I'm using a white MacBook released just three years after the PowerBook was discontinued, a mid 2009 5,2 C2D, and it's orders of magnitude faster. I've even got the most recent Catalina on here with the dosdude1 patcher and it's not slow in the slightest. I've got 20+ tabs open in Firefox as I'm typing this to you :)
I have performed the same upgrade on my 12 Inch Powerbook G4 (1.33 GHz). I got the laptop in excellent condition for free and the RAM was already upgraded to its maximum. With this SSD in it, the Powerbook is fast and quiet! Thanks for sharing this upgrade!
I bought a 12” G4 from a girl who was the original owner. She’s an acquaintance. She took really great care of it. I’ve been wanting to put an SSD inside it BUT, I knew it was a real pain. I’m still not prepared to do it because I know it’s a pain. But with this guide… I might dive in to do it. 😆
I was given one of these by a friend because I needed a Mac (I was wanting a job in IT, and they required platform agnosticism). I tore the thing down and rebuilt it with one of the higher spec processors on the motherboard. I still need to re-Solder one of the Processor's retaining posts, because BOTH motherboards had cracked Solder that pulled the post out of the motherboards. I had a blast playing Marathon and Myth on it, and learning the OS as best I could.
I love what I've seen on your channel so far. I have a 2004 iBook G4 I've fully upgraded with an SSD as well. I've even got it playing Minecraft (albeit an older version).
I remember seeing this laptop from Drake & Josh Go to Hollywood. I love how Josh quickly pulled out a PowerBook to play a DVD to show this producer.. realizing how compact it is especially with a DVD drive. From that movie I really wanted this Powerbook. 😩
The entry level of the PowerBook/MacBook Pro range (12/13") were very good value up until 2016, IMO. Still rocking one of these, an early MBP and a 2014 MBP.
I used that same adapter to put an SSD in a Windows XP era laptop that I have in my retro collection. They are very handy for getting fast and reliable storage into our vintage machines.
I'd been considering swapping an SSD into my own 12". Thanks for convincing me not to by way of that teardown process 😂 I'm used to working on my Pismo and on Unibodies - this looks like hell!
It would've been interesting to see some speed tests (benchmark or real life) to see if it's worth all that hassle. My guess is probably not since the interface still bottlenecks it.
Very nice video and great manual... thank you for that! :) I purchaised a 1,33 GHz 12" PB on ebay today. I youst can´t wait to get my fingers on it to do all the stuff in your video! Btw... watching and typing this on my PB 1,67GHz high-res :) I just love apple´s vintage computers! Greetings
I loved my PowerBook G4 12" I had the original 867MHz model from when they first brought them to market. Sadly an angry amplifier made short work of its logic board. Would love to own one again!
I was just about to throw away my 12" PB G4 867MHz. The case in the front is a little dented but works fine. Get in touch with me if you want it. I'll gladly send it to anyone who could make use of it.
the 12" PowerBook is perhaps my favorite Apple portable device of all time, I had one back in the day (1.33GHz) that got me through university. Now I own a 1.5GHz model just like yours that I plan on upgrading. Also, I need a link for that sick wallpaper
@@ActionRetro would it be possible to see the read/write speeds of the SSD using the Black Magic Speed Test application (or some compatible application)? Also, could you share how well the Powerbook runs (using leopard + upgraded RAM and SSD upgrade)? My thanks for anything you can provide. EXCELLENT VIDEO. Perfect lighting and sound.
I will do the mSata swap in my 12" 1,5 ,too next week. I already had the 1,33 Ghz and a 1 Ghz model of these. My 1,5 Ghz model is exactly like yours even with the small dent on the top lid.😄 ..For the latch, mine wasnt working correctly so I cleaned it with lighter fluid, now it is working again, it has to be able to move freely in order to catch. I love your channel with the new style ( whiteboard /videos). cheers.
I still have my 12 inch PowerBook G4 from 2004. It was even a refurb! It still turns on, but the battery pack is completely dead so as soon as it is unplugged from a power supply it loses data and time. My latch still works! Mine has one dent on the front right corner where I accidentally dropped it years ago. Small but mighty!! I might look into upgrading the hard drive. I already maxed out the RAM years ago. I will need a new battery pack but it looks like they are still available. Thank for the video!
Excellent video - well done. Do you have by any chance comparisons of boot times or loading times of software before and after the upgrade? Many thanks.
This computer and the iBook G4 had the BEST laptop keyboards. They were so tactile and nice to use. Unfortunately, upgrading the laptop, as you show, is a real pain.
Hey! When I was little my parents had one of these. I think it was around 2014 when they gave me it and an old iphone 3gs on my 5th birthday because my dad got a new one.
There are 4 disadvantages on this machine, screen resolution, graphics aren't as powerful, RAM limited to 1.25GB and these do not have a no backlit keyboard. Still love them, though! And own 3 of them although not the 1.5Ghz models as they get HOT AF!
I'm going to have to dig mine out from my retired gadgets cupboard and see if its still working, got the max RAM in mine, but the drive upgrade def sounds worthwhile...
Pretty neat how this video popped up in my recommendations a few days after I decided to buy my first vintage Mac (and my first Mac ever, since I won’t lie, I’m a Windows fan first and foremost, but also a big fan of older Macs, having used them a lot at school alongside Windows XP 👍), a 15 inch Aluminium PowerBook G4! I’ve been doing my research and know the disassembly process is different, but this is still quite interesting to watch and not too different from the 15 inch.
I still have this lovely PowerBook too. Some of of its keyboard keys need replacement, and its plastic frame has broken here and there. Gonna look further to upgrade mine to use mSATA too someday.
Dude, remove the macOS FPS limit, there is a tool out there to remove the FPS limit for macOS and get it running smoother. Also enable QuartzGL, it is supported and works well on pre-2005 iBooks and PowerBooks with older GPUS.
I like the way the keyboard goes right to the edge of the chassis If I put a glass that close to my laptop O guarantee I’d find a way to spill it into the keyboard. I’m so wary of that these days I don’t even put them on the same surface because I’m a huge klutz
I have almost the same configuration of 2005 (manufactured in the first week in March) 12-in PowerBook, the difference is mine's not getting its 80 GB HDD upgraded to an SSD because my hands shake to much and there are far too many screws involved for that combination to ever be realistic. But it's nice to know such cheap SSDs and adapters are available. I reckon I could use something like that for my 550 MHz TiBook.
@@ActionRetro Did it several times back in the day for myself, family and friends when these were still everyday use machines.. Every time 5 years of my life!! Ripped of a surface mounted PCB connector once but was able to fix it. Beautiful machines, but replacing the HD was a thing of nightmares.
I used exactly the same generic enclosure for my SSD upgrade on my PowerBook G4. Only put a 40GB drive in there and have a few 128s kicking around so might revisit it - but what an absolute pain it is to get the thing apart. I did actually pull the wires out of the little logic board connectors doing mine - but managed to get them back in again without any ill-effect. Was even lucky enough that installing the OS via USB just seemed to 'work' first time. Nice little machine. Next upgrade? Refurbish the battery. Mine doesn't hold any kind of charge at the moment...
The PowerBook 12” models had a total RAM capacity of 1.25 Gb. 256 Mb was soldered on the motherboard and then you had the single DIMM slot were you could put an up to 1 Gb DIMM.
I wish you would have done a benchmark test or a boot time speed test for this. I have the model before this the 1.3ghz mine has maxed ram but no SSD as of yet. However I run mine on 10.4.11 and use it for classic apps which seem super fast. I love the form factor. May be my favorite PowerBook model ever. Is it worth it to install an SSD? Mine has an Ultra ATA drive right now.
I wish manufacturers would keep the old, thick designs. You can fit tons of ports, a huge battery (or multiple batteries to comply with FAA regs when flying), tons of drive configurations, and a lot more cooling options to allow for more powerful processors and GPUs.
I love your videos. Thanks for uploading them. The last 12” PPC Powerbook G4 is always nostalgic. I still have one that haven’t used for a few years. Same model with same spec. I’m now thinking reuse it by upgrading but one thing I’m concerning is that web browsers. The biggest reason I stopped using it a few years ago was that latest version of web browsers didn’t work on the machine. I only used it for internet and word program sometimes so I will definitely try to upgrade it for reusing if it can fully open all the latest internet browsers. Could 2gb ram stick be worked by the way? I mean total 2.25 ram. Thank you again for your videos!
@@ActionRetroThank you so much! I never heard about that. I will definitely turn my MBP12 back on again as there is a browser that works on the machine. Thank you!!
@@nitrax8629 Leopard Webkit is a bit buggy for me on my iMac G5, but it seems to run ok on my iBook 14 inch but I think InterwebPPC is more stable than both TFF and Webkit, IMO Granted that Webkit loads faster than InterwebPPC, Interweb has never crashed on me, AFAIK.
One thing that I’ve noticed when installing Msata SSD’s into Mac’s is that the modern G4’s and PowerBooks along with the PowerBook G3’s handle SSD’s fairly well so long as you have a decent one, they can be picky. Meanwhile I’ve only ever been able to get ONE IBook G3 to accept an SSD. Any others I’ve tried, along with the tibook, refuse to see the SSD’s at all.
I found that you actually can screw out the first two screws hidden under the F1/F2 keys just so, you dont have to pull them off..just pull them up on the side, so that the philips screwdriver reaches them..
Modern Apple products now seem much more fix-able considering how hard to dissasemble this one is xD Seems like the exterior designers and hardware engineers weren't communicating lol
I have a slightly older version of this powerbook. I use it for music in the workshop these days.... love it. But its HD is on its last legs and the fan has just stopped working. I'm working on some solutions!
I really want a iBook G4 or the internals of a power mac G5, working. I'd love to have a offline Mac Os X Jaguar, Puma or Cheetah rig. Would work fine for burning discs & would be one of the coolest looking stereos imo. Aqua OS was top notch in visual UI. Vista was a pretty good solution to it but I still feel it was top notch nothing has quite matched it.
I did the same project this weekend and what I did was use SuperDuper to clone my existing hard drive onto the SSD using a MacAlly external hard-drive enclosure. Once I was able to verify that I could boot from the cloned drive, I was up and running!
If you are going to use one of those msata adapters leave the lid off of it. Those msata drives get very hot you may want to put a piece of metal from the drive over to the body of the laptop to disipate the heat.
My PowerBook's fan goes like crazy when I use a browser and some other apps. The computer then shuts down, seemingly from overheating. I can turn it on again after some seconds though. If I use apps like Word, it's okay though. Any ideas?
Definitely sounds like overheating. Do you have the 12", or a larger PowerBook? Have you ever taken it apart? My first thought would be dust buildup in the ventilation or on the fan itself.
Also, if it has been taken apart before, thermal compound may not have been reapplied - www.ifixit.com/Guide/PowerBook+G4+Aluminum+15-Inch+1.5-1.67+GHz+Heat+Sink+Replacement/353#s1435
My first Mac ever, though in the 1Ghz iteration. Thinking about buying one for nostalgia purposes. Still have a Leopard install DVD around here somewhere. Having this on a portable SSD is much smarter for sure. Is it a noticeable speed increase with the SSD? I remember always feeling like with each new Mac I got functions seemed to eventually take longer and longer, but that old G4 always seemed fast even with the mechanical drive. SSD is definitely the way to go regardless.
hey man, great video! I saw that the mSATA SSD you are using is 3.3V and 450 mA. Do you know if there is some limitation to this current in the powerbook? My question is because I found some mSATA SSD that are 3.3V and 1.5 A and I'm afraid that this will not work on my 12" PB. Once again, congrats for the channel. Cheers from Brazil!
I want to take the DVD out of mine and use data doubler if I can track one down. I just have to take the whole thing apart just to remove the DVD drive. The drive is dead and just adding a lot of weight that could be reduced. I found reusable heat pads instead of thermal paste, as the heatsink will be coming off the CPU, I've put this take apart off until I have been able to source all the parts
I would love either an iBook or PowerBook G4, almost bought one, but the difficulty of disassembly and the drive swap in particular have really put me off. I have a Power Mac G4 MDD which works, but it's big and heavy and mine has some issues. Might have to take another look at the laptops...
So the same thing could be done to a 1st gen Apple TV so that I could put movies on it and watch on my G4 and/or tv? For the external hard drive that you had all the different partions and Mac OS 10 on it, how did you set that up?
Great video!!! I have the same model!! I watched the video and decided to give it a go to see if it’s still working, but it shows a curtain in different languages telling me i need to restart the conputer, i can’t pass that message!! Any tips?
Good Morning, I also have a Power Book G4, could you please tell me where you got your memory from! I want to upgrade, Thank you for your time again Kevin
I have one of this little beauty runinng perfectly (even the battery holds an hour or so) but unfortunately is missing a keycap. Can't find a place to sell a replacement keyboard or even the keycap only (PAGE DOWN). Try to use from another PB 14" but it doesn't fit (it seems that the keys mechanism is specific for the 12"). Any ideia where I could find it? Thanks a lot. Mauro (Brazil)
And yet - soldered ram was phased back IN with a vengeance, replacing expandable RAM, and indeed the whole idea of upgradability, with disposable computers by 2020 :(
great..well, I think of getting that OCW exernal FW/USB enclosure, too for my installs..I wonder how your whole SSD inside is actually formatted for being recognized correctly on boot with an old G4, G3 or older machine? Not HFS+ I guess, when you plug in the FW 800 cable it will be powered but the installers wont be recogmized otherwise your SSD is Apple partion map? Also, how did you copy additionally modern installers as High Sierra and up on it, I mean parallel? its all on one SSD?
This computer holds a special place in my heart. I remember buying it maxed out along with an 80GB iPod in cash at the Apple store in San Francisco back in 2005. The keyboard was amazing, the performance, not so much LOL but I didn't care, it looked so futuristic, at the time. I remember being in art school for graphic design, so nostalgic, I'm gonna go cry now.
In cash?! Man, what were you dealing?!
@@mikescudder4621 Ha, no dealing, I did smoke a lot of weed, though, that Bay Area NorCal GAS.
I got like $3k in student loan refund and I needed a new computer, so I cashed out, walked to my local Apple store just off of Market St and Stockton St in SF, only a few blocks away from where I lived, and dropped like $2,500+ ($3,913 in 2023) I think they had some "buy a Mac and get an iPod" deal, so I jumped on that.
Those were the days...
How does this anti-repair piece of dogsh*t got a place in your heart?
I just love how the keyboard looks etc. It is just keys, nearly no bezel, looks so efficient at putting a big keyboard in the smallest formfactor. Similar to the old white apple keyboard (the one before those flat Keyboards)
same, I love the no bezel keyboard look
12 inch 4:3 is an absolutely fantastic form factor. I have a 2005 Thinkpad X41 Tablet that is also 12" and it feels great. Compact, but still quite a lot of screen space. Its a shame there are no good 4:3 laptops made anymore. I would love to see a modern 4:3 ThinkPad or Macbook.
I agree completely
Makes me happy that 8:5 and 3:2 ratio displays are getting more common on laptops as the media focus for laptops goes away.
Phones are getting much more extreme aspect ratios, while laptops are getting squarer ones back. It's almost like vertical screen real estate matters a lot! Hmm 🤔
ETA: I actually just picked up an iBook G3 Snow around the time I commented this, and it just feels wonderful. Such a good form factor, hard agree.
Remember to install TRIM is installing an SSD , Its available for 10.4 , 10.5 at the Macintosh Garden
what does that do?
@Night Rider It's an instruction set that dictates which data blocks on an SSD are no longer in use and can therefore be erased. In doing so it makes the SSD perform better, but more importantly increases its lifespan.
Did the exact same upgrade to my 12" PB G4. 256GB IDE SSD (when they still made them), 1.5GHz G4, 1.25GB RAM, and installed a SuperDrive.
It's one of my favorite apple devices ever made IMO. too bad it is such a pain to take apart without damaging some of the fragile aluminum.
I loved my little 12" G4. It lasted from August 2003 until about sometime in 2012. I did everything from write marching band drill to video editing to writing software with that little guy. It was murder, though to upgrade. Mine also had the exact same physical ailments on the case... I think it's just another case of an Apple product failing for a "small percentage of users." ;)
This channel has amazing content for only 400 subs, you deserve more. Subbed!
Thank you I really appreciate that!!
Wow, this channel really grew in a few months
128k now.
Shame that the 12 inch model never got the same level of upgrades as the 15 and 17 - no higher res displays, no better GPU, not even DDR2 RAM.
Oh yeah, more/better RAM would have been especially awesome in this.
@@ActionRetro Ironically the last iBook G4s accepted up to 1.5GB in total - more than this machine!
Bad GPU on your PPC Mac! My iMac G5 can't even render Menu Bar Transparency WITH Core Image and Quartz Extreme even it they are Hardware Accelerated!
My iMac G5 takes more than 1.5 gigs tho, so good on ya G5.
The PowerBook 12” models had a total RAM capacity of 1.25 Gb. 256 Mb was soldered on the motherboard and then you had the single DIMM slot were you could put an up to 1 Gb DIMM.
@@WizardNumberNext I did not know that, specially for the 12". for which I had one for almost 15 years. I think Action Retro doesn't know either. MacTracker and Everyday Mac don't reflect that knowledge. Thank you for the info.
I had one of these. Was always quite a slow computer. However, it is one of the finest looking laptops ever created.
The FX Go5200 definitely didn't help!
I actually just did this exact same thing on the iBook G4 14" model on Friday! 128g SSD (used a miniSATA to SATA converter) and 1.25 GB of RAM. The 14" model disassembly was less straightforward than some of the other guides I have seen, and I had to expose both sides of the logic board to properly de-route and re-route the cables. It works though! My iBook is so quick and speedy!
That bulging on the latch on those powerbooks just seems inevitable, every one I come across has that!
Another outstanding video and, I have the same model in my collection. As you stated, when these were new at the apple retail stores, I just walked right pass the 12 inch G4 Powerbook because at the time, I only had eyes for the larger screen on the 17 inch model. However, several years ago found myself needing to get a laptop with a built-in 56k modem. For use on days when, I would sit with an elderly family member in their home that has no high speed internet and only a telephone land line. Prefer to keep my PowerPC systems on OS X 10.4 Tiger. After starting to use this model, I fell in love with its small size factor, speed, and power. My future goal is to upgrade the hard drive and install a version of Linux along with OS X. Daily, I still carry this laptop to the office (for E-mail, iLife, iWorks, watching DVD's, and watching recorded HD over the air TV shows) and it never lets me down.
Thanks so much! That's awesome you're still using it. I've been using this one as my couch browsing machine and it's excellent at that. What Linux are you thinking about? I've been using Adelie on PowerPC and it's super fast.
My goal is to add a version of either Lunix Mint or Lunix Lubuntu. You highlighted an mSATA SSD on this video. However, when looking for between a 500G to 1TB mechanical Hard Drive what type should, I be looking for? It appears every few years that, apple systems use different types of hard drives.
@@transitengineer To be honest, you're much better off getting an IDE to mSATA enclosure and sticking a cheap M2 SSD in that. These take an IDE drive and getting a high-capacity IDE drive that's natively compatible will be a pain and an SSD will be easier to get, probably cheaper, faster and more reliable long-term. Linux-wise you'll need a PowerPC compatible distro, like the PowerPC version of Debian 8.
Your Powerbook is a beauty. Thanks for the quiet video without annoying music and effects, mate.
I love how your channel is growing like crazy man. When you hit 1m I'll be able to say I was here since the beginning!
Haha thanks man!
"Just Like Factory" LOLOLOL great quip....thank you for that.
I used a 12" PowerBook as my main machine for several years, and for a while even used it as a desktop connected to an external monitor and keyboard. I really like the form factor, which was a big difference from the plastic G3 PowerBooks (which were also great in their way). I've bought several of them used over the last year or so since I started collecting these old Macs, but I didn't know there was a model that had a multitouch trackpad. I'm going to have to check the ones I have to see if any of them have it. These machines do feel almost painfully slow compared to the MacBook Pros that were released not long afterward though.
Oh yeah, I'm using a white MacBook released just three years after the PowerBook was discontinued, a mid 2009 5,2 C2D, and it's orders of magnitude faster. I've even got the most recent Catalina on here with the dosdude1 patcher and it's not slow in the slightest. I've got 20+ tabs open in Firefox as I'm typing this to you :)
I have performed the same upgrade on my 12 Inch Powerbook G4 (1.33 GHz). I got the laptop in excellent condition for free and the RAM was already upgraded to its maximum. With this SSD in it, the Powerbook is fast and quiet! Thanks for sharing this upgrade!
I bought a 12” G4 from a girl who was the original owner. She’s an acquaintance. She took really great care of it. I’ve been wanting to put an SSD inside it BUT, I knew it was a real pain. I’m still not prepared to do it because I know it’s a pain. But with this guide… I might dive in to do it. 😆
I was given one of these by a friend because I needed a Mac (I was wanting a job in IT, and they required platform agnosticism).
I tore the thing down and rebuilt it with one of the higher spec processors on the motherboard.
I still need to re-Solder one of the Processor's retaining posts, because BOTH motherboards had cracked Solder that pulled the post out of the motherboards.
I had a blast playing Marathon and Myth on it, and learning the OS as best I could.
I love what I've seen on your channel so far. I have a 2004 iBook G4 I've fully upgraded with an SSD as well. I've even got it playing Minecraft (albeit an older version).
Great content I love the old hardware. Please keep making videos. Thanks.
Thank you!
I remember seeing this laptop from Drake & Josh Go to Hollywood. I love how Josh quickly pulled out a PowerBook to play a DVD to show this producer.. realizing how compact it is especially with a DVD drive. From that movie I really wanted this Powerbook. 😩
The entry level of the PowerBook/MacBook Pro range (12/13") were very good value up until 2016, IMO. Still rocking one of these, an early MBP and a 2014 MBP.
I used that same adapter to put an SSD in a Windows XP era laptop that I have in my retro collection. They are very handy for getting fast and reliable storage into our vintage machines.
I'd been considering swapping an SSD into my own 12". Thanks for convincing me not to by way of that teardown process 😂 I'm used to working on my Pismo and on Unibodies - this looks like hell!
It would've been interesting to see some speed tests (benchmark or real life) to see if it's worth all that hassle. My guess is probably not since the interface still bottlenecks it.
Very nice video and great manual... thank you for that! :)
I purchaised a 1,33 GHz 12" PB on ebay today. I youst can´t wait to get my fingers on it to do all the stuff in your video!
Btw... watching and typing this on my PB 1,67GHz high-res :) I just love apple´s vintage computers!
Greetings
I loved my PowerBook G4 12" I had the original 867MHz model from when they first brought them to market. Sadly an angry amplifier made short work of its logic board. Would love to own one again!
I was just about to throw away my 12" PB G4 867MHz. The case in the front is a little dented but works fine. Get in touch with me if you want it. I'll gladly send it to anyone who could make use of it.
@@whereisedd only just seen this reply. RUclips comments are broken for me. If it’s still needing a home I’d be happy to discuss 👍
@@HB-Productions I just sent you an email. Let me know if you don't get it, otherwise let's talk there.
the 12" PowerBook is perhaps my favorite Apple portable device of all time, I had one back in the day (1.33GHz) that got me through university. Now I own a 1.5GHz model just like yours that I plan on upgrading. Also, I need a link for that sick wallpaper
Nice! Here's the wallpaper: www.wallpaperflare.com/outrun-vaporwave-wallpaper-gjedg
Action Retro thanks man!
I have the same machine with the same upgrades. Was useful for day-to-day light usage all the way into 2013/2014
Quality content as always! If I had to guess what beer you have there, it looks like some sort of stout... is it a Guinness? lol
Haha thanks! It's from a local brewery here that delivers growlers called 2nd Story, and the beer is Bedtime Story... a nice light 9.8% belgian wit 😂
@@ActionRetro would it be possible to see the read/write speeds of the SSD using the Black Magic Speed Test application (or some compatible application)? Also, could you share how well the Powerbook runs (using leopard + upgraded RAM and SSD upgrade)? My thanks for anything you can provide. EXCELLENT VIDEO. Perfect lighting and sound.
I always liked the PowerBook 12". Such a beautiful machine.
Got one of these with an IDE SSD ! Yes yes a 25Gb 2,5 inches PATA IDE SSD ! Love it 😍
I will do the mSata swap in my 12" 1,5 ,too next week. I already had the 1,33 Ghz and a 1 Ghz model of these. My 1,5 Ghz model is exactly like yours even with the small dent on the top lid.😄 ..For the latch, mine wasnt working correctly so I cleaned it with lighter fluid, now it is working again, it has to be able to move freely in order to catch. I love your channel with the new style ( whiteboard /videos). cheers.
I still have my 12 inch PowerBook G4 from 2004. It was even a refurb! It still turns on, but the battery pack is completely dead so as soon as it is unplugged from a power supply it loses data and time. My latch still works! Mine has one dent on the front right corner where I accidentally dropped it years ago. Small but mighty!!
I might look into upgrading the hard drive. I already maxed out the RAM years ago. I will need a new battery pack but it looks like they are still available. Thank for the video!
Excellent video - well done. Do you have by any chance comparisons of boot times or loading times of software before and after the upgrade? Many thanks.
Amusing how I stumble across this video the day I come across a PowerBook G4 and start looking for drive replacements
Awesome video! I can't get that wallpaper out of my head yet. Do you have a link to a copy of it?
Thanks! Here's the wallpaper: www.wallpaperflare.com/outrun-vaporwave-wallpaper-gjedg
This computer and the iBook G4 had the BEST laptop keyboards. They were so tactile and nice to use. Unfortunately, upgrading the laptop, as you show, is a real pain.
Hey! When I was little my parents had one of these. I think it was around 2014 when they gave me it and an old iphone 3gs on my 5th birthday because my dad got a new one.
There are 4 disadvantages on this machine, screen resolution, graphics aren't as powerful, RAM limited to 1.25GB and these do not have a no backlit keyboard.
Still love them, though! And own 3 of them although not the 1.5Ghz models as they get HOT AF!
For some reason I know own 4 of these.
Funny you upload this, since I did the same procedure to my 15" PowerBook G4 15" DLSD. Much easier to work on than the 12" models or any iBook!
You can likely upgrade the wifi card and swap out the optical drive for another hard drive bay if interested
Oh nice ideas!
I'm going to have to dig mine out from my retired gadgets cupboard and see if its still working, got the max RAM in mine, but the drive upgrade def sounds worthwhile...
Your other secret weapon is the GNOME Desktop Environment, no? :) 4:33
Pretty neat how this video popped up in my recommendations a few days after I decided to buy my first vintage Mac (and my first Mac ever, since I won’t lie, I’m a Windows fan first and foremost, but also a big fan of older Macs, having used them a lot at school alongside Windows XP 👍), a 15 inch Aluminium PowerBook G4! I’ve been doing my research and know the disassembly process is different, but this is still quite interesting to watch and not too different from the 15 inch.
Oh very nice!!
I still have this lovely PowerBook too. Some of of its keyboard keys need replacement, and its plastic frame has broken here and there. Gonna look further to upgrade mine to use mSATA too someday.
Dude, remove the macOS FPS limit, there is a tool out there to remove the FPS limit for macOS and get it running smoother. Also enable QuartzGL, it is supported and works well on pre-2005 iBooks and PowerBooks with older GPUS.
Oh boy, definitely looking forward to this process on mine. Got it with a dead drive from a friend for a solid deal.
I like the way the keyboard goes right to the edge of the chassis
If I put a glass that close to my laptop O guarantee I’d find a way to spill it into the keyboard. I’m so wary of that these days I don’t even put them on the same surface because I’m a huge klutz
I had this same laptop and loved it. Unfortunately damaged beyond repair trying to get it open 🤦♂️
Glad it only took you two pints of beer to endure the upgrade and OS install experience! 🍺🍺
I have almost the same configuration of 2005 (manufactured in the first week in March) 12-in PowerBook, the difference is mine's not getting its 80 GB HDD upgraded to an SSD because my hands shake to much and there are far too many screws involved for that combination to ever be realistic. But it's nice to know such cheap SSDs and adapters are available. I reckon I could use something like that for my 550 MHz TiBook.
Compared to the white G3 and G4 iBooks, this is easy!
Hah, I've never actually had the pleasure of opening either of those!
@@ActionRetro Did it several times back in the day for myself, family and friends when these were still everyday use machines.. Every time 5 years of my life!!
Ripped of a surface mounted PCB connector once but was able to fix it.
Beautiful machines, but replacing the HD was a thing of nightmares.
This is a great upgrade of a great laptop.
I used exactly the same generic enclosure for my SSD upgrade on my PowerBook G4. Only put a 40GB drive in there and have a few 128s kicking around so might revisit it - but what an absolute pain it is to get the thing apart. I did actually pull the wires out of the little logic board connectors doing mine - but managed to get them back in again without any ill-effect. Was even lucky enough that installing the OS via USB just seemed to 'work' first time. Nice little machine.
Next upgrade? Refurbish the battery. Mine doesn't hold any kind of charge at the moment...
Nice! Yeah it's a total pain but it's so nice now with that silent fast SSD in there. Good luck with your battery!
@@ActionRetro Thanks mate. Nice video - keep it up!
Did you feel it was worth the hassle as far as speed increase, if any? I know it's quieter.
@@FrankCastleTIG Huge difference. The single best upgrade you can make. Followed by RAM.
@@mediocrefunkybeat thanks for the reply! Wish the RAM on this thing went up to 2GB like the 15 and 17.
So you're basically Druaga1 except you upload
And he does things right the first time.
The PowerBook 12” models had a total RAM capacity of 1.25 Gb. 256 Mb was soldered on the motherboard and then you had the single DIMM slot were you could put an up to 1 Gb DIMM.
Man can’t leave us hanging: what kind of beer? ;)
Nice Video When I Get My Replacement Upper And Lower Case For My Powerbook G4 I Will Due A Vid On That There Is A Long Story To That
I wish you would have done a benchmark test or a boot time speed test for this. I have the model before this the 1.3ghz mine has maxed ram but no SSD as of yet. However I run mine on 10.4.11 and use it for classic apps which seem super fast. I love the form factor. May be my favorite PowerBook model ever. Is it worth it to install an SSD? Mine has an Ultra ATA drive right now.
I wish manufacturers would keep the old, thick designs. You can fit tons of ports, a huge battery (or multiple batteries to comply with FAA regs when flying), tons of drive configurations, and a lot more cooling options to allow for more powerful processors and GPUs.
Not everything needs to be extremely thin.
I love your videos. Thanks for uploading them. The last 12” PPC Powerbook G4 is always nostalgic. I still have one that haven’t used for a few years. Same model with same spec. I’m now thinking reuse it by upgrading but one thing I’m concerning is that web browsers. The biggest reason I stopped using it a few years ago was that latest version of web browsers didn’t work on the machine. I only used it for internet and word program sometimes so I will definitely try to upgrade it for reusing if it can fully open all the latest internet browsers. Could 2gb ram stick be worked by the way? I mean total 2.25 ram. Thank you again for your videos!
Thank you so much! Unfortunately the biggest stick it will accept is 1gb :( While you can't use modern browsers, TenFourFox works awesome on here.
@@ActionRetroThank you so much! I never heard about that. I will definitely turn my MBP12 back on again as there is a browser that works on the machine. Thank you!!
@@ActionRetro As an alternative since you are running 10.5, Leopard WebKit is an option, and it runs better than TFF in many cases.
@@nitrax8629 Leopard Webkit is a bit buggy for me on my iMac G5, but it seems to run ok on my iBook 14 inch but I think InterwebPPC is more stable than both TFF and Webkit, IMO Granted that Webkit loads faster than InterwebPPC, Interweb has never crashed on me, AFAIK.
Could you please share how you made the installer firewire drive with all the different images?
One thing that I’ve noticed when installing Msata SSD’s into Mac’s is that the modern G4’s and PowerBooks along with the PowerBook G3’s handle SSD’s fairly well so long as you have a decent one, they can be picky. Meanwhile I’ve only ever been able to get ONE IBook G3 to accept an SSD. Any others I’ve tried, along with the tibook, refuse to see the SSD’s at all.
man, i love your desktop backgrounds, where can we get that??
I found that you actually can screw out the first two screws hidden under the F1/F2 keys just so, you dont have to pull them off..just pull them up on the side, so that the philips screwdriver reaches them..
Modern Apple products now seem much more fix-able considering how hard to dissasemble this one is xD
Seems like the exterior designers and hardware engineers weren't communicating lol
I have a slightly older version of this powerbook. I use it for music in the workshop these days.... love it. But its HD is on its last legs and the fan has just stopped working. I'm working on some solutions!
I remember swapping the hard drive on my 12" G4
Do a video on the performance and what browser are u using on it????
Sure!
I really want a iBook G4 or the internals of a power mac G5, working. I'd love to have a offline Mac Os X Jaguar, Puma or Cheetah rig. Would work fine for burning discs & would be one of the coolest looking stereos imo. Aqua OS was top notch in visual UI. Vista was a pretty good solution to it but I still feel it was top notch nothing has quite matched it.
Do you have a GitHub or somewhere where you have all of the installers you have for older versions of Apple OSs?
I did the same project this weekend and what I did was use SuperDuper to clone my existing hard drive onto the SSD using a MacAlly external hard-drive enclosure. Once I was able to verify that I could boot from the cloned drive, I was up and running!
Quality branded SSD you're using there 😬
If you are going to use one of those msata adapters leave the lid off of it. Those msata drives get very hot you may want to put a piece of metal from the drive over to the body of the laptop to disipate the heat.
Imho one of the most beautiful laptops ever made
My PowerBook's fan goes like crazy when I use a browser and some other apps. The computer then shuts down, seemingly from overheating. I can turn it on again after some seconds though. If I use apps like Word, it's okay though. Any ideas?
Definitely sounds like overheating. Do you have the 12", or a larger PowerBook? Have you ever taken it apart? My first thought would be dust buildup in the ventilation or on the fan itself.
Also, if it has been taken apart before, thermal compound may not have been reapplied - www.ifixit.com/Guide/PowerBook+G4+Aluminum+15-Inch+1.5-1.67+GHz+Heat+Sink+Replacement/353#s1435
My first Mac ever, though in the 1Ghz iteration. Thinking about buying one for nostalgia purposes. Still have a Leopard install DVD around here somewhere. Having this on a portable SSD is much smarter for sure. Is it a noticeable speed increase with the SSD? I remember always feeling like with each new Mac I got functions seemed to eventually take longer and longer, but that old G4 always seemed fast even with the mechanical drive. SSD is definitely the way to go regardless.
When I was donated a powerbook, it had NO screws! Now that was a screwpocalypse
Always been fond of this g4 powerbook and looking for one but they are hard to find and if i find one they are expensive
awesome video! any issues with the msata/enclosure getting too hot? keep up the good work!
You missed an opportunity to get the dent out
hey man, great video! I saw that the mSATA SSD you are using is 3.3V and 450 mA. Do you know if there is some limitation to this current in the powerbook? My question is because I found some mSATA SSD that are 3.3V and 1.5 A and I'm afraid that this will not work on my 12" PB. Once again, congrats for the channel. Cheers from Brazil!
Thanks a ton for sharing this man. Maxing out old Macs is so much fun. I'm very close to getting an old iBook and upgrading to an mSATA SSD.
Needs an LCD upgrade!
FYI, an M.2-to-IDE adapter performs a bit faster than using mSATA-to-IDE adapter.
I want to take the DVD out of mine and use data doubler if I can track one down. I just have to take the whole thing apart just to remove the DVD drive. The drive is dead and just adding a lot of weight that could be reduced. I found reusable heat pads instead of thermal paste, as the heatsink will be coming off the CPU, I've put this take apart off until I have been able to source all the parts
I would love either an iBook or PowerBook G4, almost bought one, but the difficulty of disassembly and the drive swap in particular have really put me off. I have a Power Mac G4 MDD which works, but it's big and heavy and mine has some issues. Might have to take another look at the laptops...
What do you intend on doing with the computer
So the same thing could be done to a 1st gen Apple TV so that I could put movies on it and watch on my G4 and/or tv? For the external hard drive that you had all the different partions and Mac OS 10 on it, how did you set that up?
Great video!!! I have the same model!! I watched the video and decided to give it a go to see if it’s still working, but it shows a curtain in different languages telling me i need to restart the conputer, i can’t pass that message!! Any tips?
Good Morning, I also have a Power Book G4, could you please tell me where you got your memory from! I want to upgrade,
Thank you for your time again
Kevin
More ports than a dozen modern mac computers. Do you ever change the thermal paste?
“I think it’s missing a peice” *proceeds to assemble the laptop”
I have one of this little beauty runinng perfectly (even the battery holds an hour or so) but unfortunately is missing a keycap. Can't find a place to sell a replacement keyboard or even the keycap only (PAGE DOWN). Try to use from another PB 14" but it doesn't fit (it seems that the keys mechanism is specific for the 12"). Any ideia where I could find it?
Thanks a lot. Mauro (Brazil)
i find it interesting that these computers had expandable ram, and built in ram, you'd think built in stuff would have been phased out by then.
And yet - soldered ram was phased back IN with a vengeance, replacing expandable RAM, and indeed the whole idea of upgradability, with disposable computers by 2020 :(
That's something I want to get my hands on!
great..well, I think of getting that OCW exernal FW/USB enclosure, too for my installs..I wonder how your whole SSD inside is actually formatted for being recognized correctly on boot with an old G4, G3 or older machine? Not HFS+ I guess, when you plug in the FW 800 cable it will be powered but the installers wont be recogmized otherwise your SSD is Apple partion map? Also, how did you copy additionally modern installers as High Sierra and up on it, I mean parallel? its all on one SSD?
and the 12 inch Powerbooks are based off the iBook G3 Snow and iBook G4
that external you have is an awesome until! any idea where to get a tiger installer? im making the same upgrade but need tiger to run os9. thanks!
I prefer this form factor over the current Macbooks.
Stylistically not out of place as a gaming laptop today