Powerbook G4 1Ghz Titanium Question

[shazbot]

Hi all, I had the Powerbook G4 1Ghz Titanium back in the day which was a great little machine, however they were slightly hazy days so I cannot remember if the fan always stayed on. I picked up the same model last year. Works great but jeez the fan kicks in after about 15 mins of usage followed by the second fan. I decided to strip the machine last night as I thought the thermal past would be hard as a rock, it was like green playdoh! I cleaned it all up (and the fans) applied new artic paste put it all back together and baddabing the fan is the exact same! I can live with it, just!

My questions is this normal behaviour for the model, I've read conflicting reports. Some the say the 867 Ti is quieter, whilst others say the Ti Book as great as it was had some serious issues with overheating etc. Any info would be much appreciated. 

[MacOS Plus]

  The airflow design in these things is absolutely horrible, and it's not just the 1GHz model.  I find that if I unlatch the keyboard and use an external one instead it immediately makes a huge difference, although certainly not a very practical solution.  I'm currently investigating on my 667MHz VGA chassis if I can put additional fan(s) in place of the modem board to boost the airflow.  I actually torched the solo fan in this machine once when I left it doing a very long network file transfer overnight.  It's a mega-pain to replace it.

  Does anyone have knowledge or diagrams for the air paths in these models?  I can't tell exactly which way the air is supposed to be flowing in certain areas.

[GaryN]

I have one of these. (Broken hinges, of course). Haven't used it for a while but it always ran rather hot to the point where I kept it on one of those laptop-cooler-with-a-built-in-fan thingies. Even with the additional fan running, it was quieter than having the internals running at high RPM all the time. Maybe those chips were just being pushed too hard (?) Anyway, I seem to recall that just keeping the thing slightly up and away from a surface / tabletop so more air could circulate around the bottom case helped somewhat, even without an extra cooler fan.

I know that's not a magic cure but at least you've got people to commiserate with…

[shazbot]

Thanks for the replies, yes I seem to remember having it slightly raised now at angle to help the air flow. That's probably going to being the best solution. The bottom line is it's poor design but a great machine - was contemplating getting an older Powerbook/ibook also just for midi sequencing with logic plat and reason 2.5 but will see.

[Philgood]

Are you using os9 ?

If not, why not set up to a static speed with a program like G4FanControl ?

[shazbot]

I'm using OS9. I used to use that little app years ago on an older iBook g4 very good indeed.

[DieHard]

The bottom line is it's poor design but a great machine - was contemplating getting an older Powerbook/ibook also just for midi sequencing with logic plat and reason 2.5 but will see.

1) Well, remember that apps like Reason like more CPU cache, simply MIDI apps won't matter, so avoid iBooks as they have less cache and lower max RAM options

2) Check out the results of 1st generation G4 AL (OSX only units) as we have gotten Mac OS 9 to run on them at almost full potential (research to make sure what you need as far as ports is functional). These units are quieter than TI versions.  We really need an update from those who have loaded Mac OS 9 on them to hear how they fair in the long term and exactly what works

[madalynmcworm]

I'm using a 667mhz Gigabit Powerbook.

I notice that it gets really hot near where the power plugs in and that area. I can't find anything to tell me cpu temps, so I'm at a loss as to what the internal temps are, but I purchased an external cooler that has a silicon gasket. I was pulling the hot air out of the system with that. That + a 200mm cooling fan thing seemed to be ok.

I generally just use the cooling fan now after swapping the disk out for a SSD.

All in all, the thing is extremely loud no matter what I do.

[shazbot]

@Diehard, I hear what you are saying re the iBook etc. It would be very light sequencing. I also own a 12" Al Powerbook (1st get) http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/specs/powerbook_g4_1.0_12.html I had no idea you could install OS9! I will look into that.

Cheers.

[G4DP]

I have a 1.0 GHz PB Ti. Replaced the M/B, cleaned the green goo off the CPU/heatsink with hexane and applied Arctic Silver. Removed all the caked dust found in the nooks and crannies, particlarly the fan cages. I added a 120GB SSD from MacSales, plus 1GB of new RAM. My DVD drive was getting a bit possesive towards the OS9 install disk, so I bought a used Superdrive from someone on eBay. Prior to these changes my Ti 1.0 sounded like a 747 on take-off, now it only gets a little warm in extensive use. It sounds as if the fans barely turn. It also runs cooler under OS9.2.2 than OSX 10.4.11 (?). The other import change was to stand the machine off the desktop on 1" rubber bumpers, the sort used under items of furniture. You can buy these in bags off eBay or from your local hardware store if you are lucky enough to still have one. The extra airflow under the bottom of the case seems to make all the difference. This trick also works well on my PBG4 1.67 GHZ alloy 15". I always carry four of these bumpers in my laptop case.

[GaryN]

The extra airflow under the bottom of the case seems to make all the difference.

Just as I said. This is why those cheap plastic laptop coolers work.

[macStuff]

whats a good price for one of these nowadays?
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/barrie/old-apple-mac-g4-laptop/1316137638
is this the right model?

can we see a pic of the rubber feet?
are they simply added with adhesive glue?

[dr bu]

Macstuff is already a silver member. For me it took 4 years   

[macStuff]

Macstuff is already a silver member. For me it took 4 years   

lol aww dr Bu
thats because i talk too much haha

did you get my message about the Audiophile 2496 drivers??
been waiting for your response!