Before
you shell out another $1,000 or more on your next Apple laptop,
maybe you can bring back
to life the one you already have! That's what I did. This way,
you can not only hold on to what you've already broken in, but give it
a new lease on iLife.
After five years of use, my
iBook
was in bad shape...It didn't have enough
space on the hard drive to store big video files and even my 20 GB iPod was
laughing at its capacity. The pop out tray optical drive (CD Drive) was
failing (a big problem with Dual USB iBooks from 2001) and 384MB of Ram
was just not cutting it these days.
My once sleek white speedy
iBook
had turned into a laptop that was good only for surfing the web or making
spreadsheets. Any major graphics work was frustrating at best. My battery had
all but drained, allowing me only 1 minute of use without AC
power, before the whole laptop would go dead. So it had to sit there,
plugged into the wall, on shaky legs (or rubber
feet). It still looked great, all white and shiny, but that's about
the only thing that was great about it anymore - until I decided to
do a little upgrade research.
Why
not just buy new?
I weighed my options. I could spend $1,000 and get a new
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. It would be three times as fast with four times
as much built in RAM (with
the ability to upgrade) and four times the hard drive space. It would
have a combo drive (DVD player / CD Burner), come withTiger 10.4installed, and feature the slot loading drives instead of my flaky pop out drive. It also would have a faster graphics card and of course, would look a little more new and shiny. Of course, I would also be able to get a couple hundred bucks for my old ibook on ebay...Not a bad option.
But I like my iBook. It's served me well and I know there's good in it...I have felt it. And I knew I could spend half the price of a new
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. And I was curious as to what was inside that
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. So I tapped the web and asked Apple experts to gather as much research
as I could get my hands on about upgrading. Lucky, for you, I've consolidated
days worth of findings below, that should help you find what you want
and where you need to get it.
This upgrade requires no significant computer
knowledge to complete. With under $500, and the ability to follow directions,
you will get your 'book running like new, or like old times.
The computer:Apple Dual USB 500mhz
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(2001) The mission:Upgrade at a reasonable cost
STEP
1: What do I want?
I had
to ask myself this question over and over because alot of
timeswhat you want is
not often what you buyand what you
have is not often what you end up using:
• I
knew I wanted a DVD drive to rip DVDs and view
them on vacation.
• I wanted a CD burner to upgrade from my CD-only
drive that rarely worked.
• I also knew, from reading countless discussions on Apple's support center,
that upgrading my RAM to the maximum (640MB in my
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)
was what I needed.
• I have lots of MP3s and video files, so I knew a new hard drive was
in order.
• I wanted the newest Mac
OS on the machine too.
• I needed a new
battery to
replace the old worn out one.
Making a list of what I wanted made it easier
to price out what it would all cost. The goal was to do it with a $500 budget.
STEP
2: Getting the Goods
If you're doing a
full scale upgrade like I did, you're gonna want to know where
to buy what you need. Go no further. From
countless questioning, I have come up with a list of the best
places factoring in price and reliability.
Hard
Drive
WHERE
TO BUY:ZipZoomFly.com WHAT TO BUY: 80GB Hitachi Travelstar
5K80 5400rpm Hard Drive (see
product page) WHY BUY IT: Low prices and FREE
2nd Day Shipping PRICE: Around $115 (check
prices) THE DEAL: Former Google Guys: very
reliable and trustworthy website.
Honorable Mention:NewEgg.com (I
wouldn't recommend getting mixed up in OEM products though) What
is an OEM product?*PHOTO on
right Courtesy of pbfixit.com
NOTES:
I learned a valuable lesson from Jon, the webmaster of this site. He told me
whenever I'm upgrading, to always get the latest and greatest. DO NOT
COMPROMISE. I debated getting the 40GB drive because it was cheaper,
but now that I have my 80GB drive, I regularly use 70GB of it for video editing.
I recommend the same to all of you. it's a few bucks more and like Jon said, "You'll
never wish you would have gone smaller - only bigger."
If for some reason, you find another drive you like, make sure it is
a 2.5 inch drive so it'll fit in your
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. Also, you can find drive speeds as low as 4200rpm or as fast as 10000 rpm for
your ibook. It's important to remember though that the faster the drive gets,
the hotter it gets. If it gets too hot, it can cause system slow downs or even
can fry your computer. I recommend sticking around the 5400 speed for older ibooks
(2001).
Optical
Drive
(CD/DVD Options)
WHERE
TO BUY:eBay.com WHAT TO BUY: Toshiba SD-R2212
CD-RW/DVD-ROM (search
on eBay now) WHY BUY IT: You will save over
50 bucks getting this drive from ebay which in
my opinion is worth the "eBay" risk. PRICE: Around $65 THE DEAL: eBay is a risk when dealing
with the average guy...but check feedback ratings and
you should nab a good safe deal.
Honorable Mention:ultradrives.com (WARNING:
many of their drives are refurbished)
NOTES:
If
you're patient enough, you'll be able to find the
drive with an Apple bezel on it from ebay. Why is
that important? Well, technically, it's not. But
aesthetically, it is. If you get this drive with
its black bezel, which is the standard, it will look
not mesh well with the white of the
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.
If
you cannot find the drive with a bezel, you can often
find the bezel from a place like pbparts.com or welovemacs.com.
BE CAREFUL when taking
the ribbon cable off the optical drive. There are
2 screws that need to come off attached to the drive
itself before you yank it out. Make the same mistake
I did and you'll RIP the cable and have to buy a new one.
RAM
WHERE
TO BUY:Crucial.com WHAT TO BUY: 512 MB SDRAM at least WHY BUY IT: Free 3-5 day shipping,
Lifetime Guarantee, Great reputation PRICE: Around $115 (check
prices) THE DEAL: You'll pay a little more for RAM
from crucial, but it's guaranteed. Don't fool around with
cheap RAM.
Honorable
Mention:Ramjet.com (hit
or miss whether prices will be lower or not)
NOTES: Maximize
your RAM. If you're going to do NOTHING else,
do this. You will notice gigantic speed increases
from everything to starting up your computer
(mine went from six minutes to 35 seconds), to
burning CDs, opening finder windows, and using
the Dock...not to mention the more processor
intensive tasks.
There
are some great quicktime movies showing you step
by step how to install RAM for your particular
Mac. It's right on the Apple web site and you
can find it here.
iBook
Battery
WHERE
TO BUY:Amazon.com WHAT TO BUY:Battery to
fit your ibook (find your iBook model here) WHY BUY IT: Free shipping. Slightly cheaper
than Apple PRICE: Around $125 (check
prices) THE DEAL: There are many knock off batteries
out there, some $30 cheaper, but I suggest going with Apple's
name on this one. It's the thing feeding your ibook power. I
do feel Apple charges a little too much for these, but unfortunately,
it's a necessary evil. If you feel like taking a chance, read
the Honorable Mention below.
Honorable
Mention:eBay.com You
can find lots of slightly used Apple batteries, not
to mention the litany of knock off batteries at huge
discounted prices. Be wary, but if money is an issue,
then you may get a surge shopping at eBay.
Newest OS (Tiger 10.4)
WHERE
TO BUY:eBay.com WHAT TO BUY:Mac
OS 10.4 WHY BUY IT: Cheapest option. PRICE: Around $80 (check
ebay now) THE DEAL: Guaranteed to find this one under
$100 on eBay. Pick a seller with good feedback.
Honorable
Mention:Craigslist.org Not
all cities have a Craigslist, but if you do, you
can find somebody selling Tiger for under $50. Of
course, you'll have to meet the person face to face
and there're no feedback ratings on craigslist.
NOTES: I
worried about putting Tiger on my
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because
alot of times, an OS update does not necessarily
mean a speed increase. Fortunately, it did in my
case. With Dashboard running, and my iTunes podcasting,
I feel like I just purchased a new ibook right off
the floor in the Apple Store. If you can find Tiger
from a friend of yours, you can save yourself $100
by installing his/her copy on your laptop.
STEP
3: Open and Shut Case
You're
gonna need to open your
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. Not
just pull the keyboard up...but actually unscrew stuff
and open it...And it's laborious, and laborious means not
fun. It requires patience, organization, and time. It doesn't
require any computer knowledge really...just the ability
to follow instructions. If that's you, or it can be you
for three hours, then you're all set. In order to install
the hard drive and optical drive, you need to essentially
disassemble your iBook.
The
link below has a FANTASTIC how to guide, complete with
illustrations, on how to take apart, upgrade, and put
back together your iBook:
If all goes right,
you screwed in all the screws properly (there's a LOT of
them) and you put everything back where it belongs. When you
hit the power button, you hear that tone and you check your
About This Mac to make sure your hard drive, optical drive,
and RAM are showing up ok.
Make sure you can burn a CD in iTunes or the finder
Watch a DVD with Apple's DVD player
Burn a DVD (if you have a DVD-R drive)
We noticed MAJOR speed bursts. Our 500mhz Dual USB ibook had
a quieter hard drive with a CD burner that worked in Toast, iTunes, and the
Finder. The RAM helped the computer start up within 20 seconds and overall
performance within the Finder was up dramatically. A worthy upgrade and recommended
to anybody looking to inject their laptop with power and speed.
NOTES:
You've done it!! If you hit any snags along the way, be sure to check the
following sites for support:
Apple's iBook
Support: Good for Battery issues, hardware compatibility, and User
discussions. XLR8YourMac.com: Lots
of users who have done what you're about to do. Read their reviews. PBFixIt.com: Step
by Step instructions on taking apart your iBook. EveryMac.com
iBook Support: Good site on iBook, performance, technical, and upgrading
questions.
STEP
5: Pay the Bill
Now that you've upgraded,
it's time to pay the bill. We managed to check everything off
our list and not pay one cent above $500!!
Hard
Drive: $115
Optical
Drive : $65
RAM: $115
Battery: $125
Tiger: $80
TOTAL: $500
Now
that you've upgraded your iBook for
1/2 the price of a new one, it's time to take advantage of
your new laptop. Check out the Methodshop "Mack out
your Mac" list below for some cool gadgets and hardware
for your brand new (almost) iBook.
STEP
6: Mack out your Mac
Performance is one thing. But once you have it, you'll want more. You'll want to show off your iBook and its beauty with any of a limitless amount of gadgets and accessories that will make your life easier and more fun.
STEP
6: Mack out your Mac
Email or 
feed.
After five years of use, my
I could spend $1,000 and get a new
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
. It would be three times as fast with four times
as much built in RAM (with
the ability to upgrade) and four times the hard drive space. It would
have a combo drive (DVD player / CD Burner), come with
STEP
1: What do I want?
I
knew I wanted a DVD drive to rip DVDs and view
them on vacation. 
to
replace the old worn out one.
Hard
Drive
WHERE
TO BUY: 
Optical
Drive 
WHERE
TO BUY: 
You're
gonna need to open your
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
. Not
just pull the keyboard up...but actually unscrew stuff
and open it...And it's laborious, and laborious means not
fun. It requires patience, organization, and time. It doesn't
require any computer knowledge really...just the ability
to follow instructions. If that's you, or it can be you
for three hours, then you're all set. In order to install
the hard drive and optical drive, you need to essentially
disassemble your iBook.
