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Any iBook G4 users yet?
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2003 11:41 pm
by aviavi
I´m wondering whether there are any users running Live on the new iBook G4?
Please share your impressions and CPU readings.
Thanks,
Avi
mediocre perfomance
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:44 pm
by aviavi
Well at the Apple Store yesterday, I downloaded the Live 3.0 demo and installed it on a new iBook G4 800 w/ 256 RAM running Panther.
Really dissapointing results: The clip called "Mellow" on the demo session was pegging the CPU meter at 46%.
Compare this to my 2-1/2 year old iBook 500MHz, running OS 9.2, which plays the clip with the CPU meter at about 50%.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 7:52 pm
by Guest
I guess the new ones will not run os 9; is that correct?
e.
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 8:26 pm
by aviavi
no, they cannot start up using OS 9.
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2003 6:55 am
by Guest
So a 2.5 year old ibook is as good for live as a brand new ibook. That plainly sucks.
I was in the market for one of the new g4 ibooks. I think I will look for a used g3 ibook and save some cash.
Thanks for the info.
e.
ibook 900 recommendation
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2003 10:40 pm
by aviavi
I decided to get a new/discontinued iBook G3 900 because:
- It still boots into OS 9, and runs OS X decently.
- Live performance is better than with the new G4 model.
- I've been needing an upgrade -- more CPU power and a CD burner, which my iBook 500 doesn't have.
I'm not a fan of the 2003 ibook's cases -- all white, rather than silver, and I know well that PCs do better with Live, BUT...I don't need to become accustomed to a new system, and learn new software, etc, nor tinker with the Windows interface to get it to look less hideous. (What are they thinking over at Microsoft?)
The price was great about $1185 total with a decent Epson printer, 384 megs ram, OS X Panther, from MacConnection.
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2003 7:50 pm
by jamm
guest wrote: So a 2.5 year old ibook is as good for live as a brand new ibook. That plainly sucks
We are talking about Ibooks and TIbooks here...
There is a big difference in L2 cache memory. The old TIbook which
still is going strong here has 1mb L2cache memory against the
new Ibook which has L2 256kb memory.
It is a shame that Apple only makes there new Ibooks and Tibooks
looks nicer but doesn,t make them much faster.
I think of getting a new laptop and i think it,s gonna new be a PC laptop because they are twice as fast as a Apple laptop at this moment.
Greetinz Jamm
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 6:12 pm
by daphne-
so i want to buy a new ibook g4
but is really so slow?
i must use ableton live for live parformance but i don't know if is good or if i must buy a powerbook g4...
help me please in this choose
is strange that with demo song we are at 46%....
i wait for a reply
bye
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 9:02 pm
by Guest
We are talking about Ibooks and TIbooks here...
Uh, no, we are talking about two ibooks, and the fact that the performance of Live on a new one is that same as that of one 2.5 years old:
I downloaded the Live 3.0 demo and installed it on a new iBook G4 800 w/ 256 RAM running Panther.
Really dissapointing results: The clip called "Mellow" on the demo session was pegging the CPU meter at 46%.
Compare this to my 2-1/2 year old iBook 500MHz, running OS 9.2, which plays the clip with the CPU meter at about 50%
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2003 10:41 pm
by Guest
Daphne do a search on this forum for the word ' performance', it will hurt but you will learn alot.
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 1:10 am
by aviavi
Well I now have a new/discontinued iBook G3 900 MHz w/ 384 megs of RAM.
For comparison, the "mellow" clip averages about 28% running OS 9.
This is far better than both the new G4 ibook running OS X and my old 500 MHz running OS 9.
Avi
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 3:22 am
by dirtystudios
i'm on the brink of giving mr. jobs the finger and going pc. i've had two ibooks crap out on me personally, and everyone i know who has an ibook has had it crap out as well (except one guy, but i'm sure the minute he actually starts using it, kaboom). i've seen one proccessor fry itself, three combo drives die a twitching death, two hard drive head crashes and a screen decide that black is the new on. all this on machines less than a year old.
maybe me and everyone i know has just had bad luck and maybe the new models are of better quality, but in my experience these machines seem to be pretty shoddy. caveat emptor.
k
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 2:04 pm
by Guest
Well, then I must be a lucky person. My iBook went with me around half the world and it keeps functioning better day by day. I am happy.
Sorry to here about your story though. I hoped every mac user may be as happy. (Actually I bought the iBook after having spent a few years with a windows computer - if you are used to work with windows and like it -go for it - if not, try it first. windows can be very stable, very fast - can be. I never go myself the point where I could understand that OS - and I never met somebody who did - even developers.)
Good luck though.
Best,
Steff
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2003 5:50 pm
by Pako
same here, I have an iBook 500 that just runs like Rocky. not sure what it is, the system bios says it's running stock, not hacks. But it's been solid under jag. I've often got six to eight clips running with comps and delays, and then a reverb on a send. and thats w/o any optimization (closing down ram instensive OSX doo-thingys)
wish the combo drive burned a little faster tho

Performance
Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:54 pm
by claudek
Most of G3 users and G4 users with live will not see a big difference in cpu performance because Ableton live is not G4 Altivec Optimized..Therefore, the app does not see much difference is performance.I just tried the demo clip "mellow" and got 35% but I'm on a G4 Tower 1000 and OSX Panther. Try using the new Ibook with optmized G4 apps like Logic ~Audio.