RetroTechCollection

PowerBook G3

The PowerBook G3 is a family of four generations of Apple notebook built around the PowerPC G3 processor between November 1997 and January 2001. The first, sold simply as the PowerBook G3, was a PowerBook 3400c with a G3 processor. It was followed by the redesigned PowerBook G3 Series of 1998, the PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) of 1999 and the PowerBook (FireWire) of 2000. Owners know them by Apple's code names: Kanga, Wallstreet, Lombard and Pismo.[1] The PowerBook G4 (Titanium) replaced the family in January 2001.[2]

PowerBook G3
PowerBook (FireWire), the last PowerBook G3 (Raimond Spekking, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Specifications
ManufacturerApple Computer, Inc.
TypeNotebook computer
ReleasedNovember 1997
Discontinued9 January 2001
CPUPowerPC G3, 233 to 500 MHz
Memory32 MB to 512 MB, depending on model
Storage2.5-inch IDE hard drive; expansion bay for CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or floppy drive
Display12.1-inch SVGA, 13.3-inch or 14.1-inch XGA, depending on model
Sound—
PowerLithium-ion batteries; 45 W adapter
OS / FirmwareMac OS 8.0 to Mac OS X 10.4, depending on model
PredecessorPowerBook 3400c
SuccessorPowerBook G4 (Titanium)

The models share very few parts. Apple's Service Sources warn that most parts of the FireWire model fit neither earlier nor later machines, that the Bronze Keyboard model's batteries fit no earlier PowerBook, and that the 1998 Series' expansion bays take none of the 1997 model's modules.[3][4][5]

Models

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The PowerBook G3 family
Apple name Code name Introduced Processor RAM (standard to maximum) Display
PowerBook G3 Kanga November 1997 250 MHz, 512K L2 32 to 160 MB EDO 12.1-inch TFT, 800 × 600
PowerBook G3 Series Wallstreet, Wallstreet II (PDQ) May 1998; new configurations September and October 1998 233, 250, 266, 292 or 300 MHz, no L2, 512K or 1 MB 32 to 192 MB SDRAM 12.1-inch STN or TFT (800 × 600), 13.3-inch or 14.1-inch TFT (1024 × 768)
PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) Lombard May 1999 333 MHz (512K) or 400 MHz (1 MB) 64 to 384 MB SDRAM 14.1-inch TFT, 1024 × 768
PowerBook (FireWire) Pismo February 2000 400 or 500 MHz, 1 MB L2 64 to 512 MB PC100 SDRAM 14.1-inch TFT, 1024 × 768

Sources: Apple's Service Sources, specification pages and Memory Guide.[5][4][3][6][7]

PowerBook G3 (1997)

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PowerBook G3 of November 1997 (Nikopol-h, Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

The first PowerBook G3 is a PowerBook 3400c with a 250 MHz G3, a 512K backside L2 cache, a faster bus and more memory. Apple's Service Source for the pair calls it about twice as fast as the 240 MHz 3400c, and gives it a 5 GB hard drive, a 20x CD-ROM drive and the 3400c's 12.1-inch SVGA display.[6] Memory is 32 MB on the logic board and one expansion card, to 160 MB; Apple warns that the card must use 3.3 V EDO chips in low-profile TSOP packages, because a card with high-profile chips can damage the computer.[7] Apple's specification page gives the introduction as 15 November 1997, Wikipedia as 10 November at US$5,700, and Wikipedia adds that it was replaced after less than five months.[8][1]

Its case, batteries and expansion bay modules are the 3400c's, and its repair is covered by the PowerBook 3400c and PowerBook G3 Service Source. Care and fault-finding follow PowerBook 3400c General Maintenance and PowerBook 3400c Troubleshooting.[6]

PowerBook G3 Series

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PowerBook G3 Series, Wallstreet II (Danamania, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

The PowerBook G3 Series of May 1998 is a new design with a rounder black case, family number M4753 on the base label, and build-to-order choices of processor, hard drive, memory and display.[5][1] Apple introduced six configurations in May 1998 at 233, 250 and 292 MHz, and five more in September 1998 plus one in October with 233 (512K cache), 266 and 300 MHz processor cards and display resolution switching; owners call these later machines Wallstreet II or PDQ.[5][1] Every model has two CardBus slots, two expansion bays (the left for a battery or floppy drive, the right also for optical drives), HDI-30 SCSI, ADB, 10Base-T Ethernet, VGA and in most configurations S-video output.[5][9][1]

The machine is modular: an I/O logic board, a processor board carrying the CPU, cache, ROM and memory, a PMU board for power, sleep and backlight control, and power supply, sound and charge cards.[5] Processor and I/O boards from the early and late configurations are not interchangeable; Apple's compatibility table is on PowerBook G3 Series Service Source.[5] Apple's specification page lists Mac OS 8.1 to Mac OS X 10.2.8.[9]

On 13.3-inch models with vertical lines, flicker or a screen fading to white, Apple's fix was a new internal display cable, fitted at its central repair centre; the logic board and display were not to be replaced.[5] Wikipedia states that the cable was made too short, and that Apple dropped the 13.3-inch display from the later configurations.[1]

PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard)

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PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) (LiamTheGuy, Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

The Bronze Keyboard model of May 1999 is thinner and lighter, with a translucent bronze keyboard and a white Apple logo inside the display bezel, which Apple gives as the way to tell it from earlier G3 Series machines. It came in 333 MHz (512K cache, CD-ROM, order number M7304) and 400 MHz (1 MB cache, DVD-ROM, M7308) configurations, with a 14.1-inch display and 8 MB of video memory.[4] It was the first PowerBook with USB ports and Apple's NewWorld ROM, and it keeps one HDI-30 SCSI port; ADB is gone, and the CardBus slots are reduced to one.[4][1] The design has two main boards, I/O logic and processor, plus power supply, sound, modem and RAM cards.[4] Apple's specification page gives the introduction as 7 May 1999 and the weight as 5.9 lb.[10]

PowerBook (FireWire)

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PowerBook (FireWire) with its battery half out of the left bay (Raimond Spekking, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Apple dropped "G3" from the name of the February 2000 model, the PowerBook (FireWire). It looks almost the same as the Bronze Keyboard model and takes the same batteries and expansion bay modules, but Apple warns that most of its other parts are different.[3] It has a 400 or 500 MHz G3 on a 100 MHz bus, two FireWire ports in place of SCSI, two USB ports, 10/100 Ethernet, an internal slot for an AirPort Card, a DVD-ROM drive as standard and an ATI Rage Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8 MB.[3][2] Apple's specification page lists Mac OS 9.0 as the original system and the machine as discontinued on 9 January 2001.[2]

Common problems

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  • No power, or no startup, with a flat backup battery. On the Bronze Keyboard and FireWire models a dead backup battery stops the machine starting at all, and owners revive them by unplugging it. The power manager also will not recharge the backup battery until the main battery reports full.[11][12]
  • Broken display hinges on the 1998 G3 Series. Galgot on 68kMLA calls it a design fault in the soft metal part of the hinge; the hinge assemblies differ for the 12.1-, 13.3- and 14.1-inch displays, and left and right are not interchangeable.[13]
  • Intermittent video on 13.3-inch G3 Series machines from the display cable.[5]
  • Dimming backlights, failing keyboard rows and cracked cases on the FireWire model.[11]
  • Cracked solder under the processor or cache controller on a Bronze Keyboard processor board, giving crashes and a missing L2 cache; mitchW cured one by reflowing both chips.[14]

MacDat and Console5 publish no capacitor lists for the 1998 to 2000 models, and Byrd on 68kMLA says capacitors are not an issue on the FireWire model.[11] The 1997 model has its own power supply board (661-1473, against 661-1237 in the 3400c), so check the 3400c capacitor list against the board before using it.[6] Fault-finding is on PowerBook G3 Troubleshooting, and disassembly and care on PowerBook G3 General Maintenance.

Documentation

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Wikipedia, "PowerBook G3" (revision 1376595362, retrieved 2026-10-02). Kanga introduced 10 November 1997 at US$5,700 in the 3400 chassis and discontinued January 1998; Wallstreet introduced May 1998 with 12.1-, 13.3- and 14.1-inch displays, 13.3-inch ribbon cable produced too short; Wallstreet II/PDQ August 1998; Lombard May 1999, the first New World ROM PowerBook; Pismo February 2000, code-named after Pismo Beach. Used for history only.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Apple, "PowerBook (FireWire) - Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). G3 at 400 or 500 MHz, 1 MB L2, 100 MHz bus; two USB, two FireWire, VGA-style video, 10/100Base-T, built-in microphone, AirPort ready; 45 W, 100-240 V; 50 Wh lithium-ion battery; two PC100 SO-DIMM slots, 64-512 MB; introduced 2/15/2000, discontinued 1/9/2001; 6.1 lb (5.7 lb with the weight-saving module); 10.4 × 12.7 × 1.7 in; original system Mac OS 9.0; ROM 4 MB; 6, 12 or 18 GB ATA hard drive; 24x CD speed.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Apple Computer, PowerBook (FireWire) Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook (FireWire) Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook (FireWire) Service Source). PDF page numbers: repair issues p. 5; features p. 6; drives and module compatibility pp. 7-8; memory, batteries and backup battery pp. 9-11; boards p. 15; internal hardware locator p. 21; power-on self test p. 26; PRAM and power manager reset p. 29.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Apple Computer, PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) Service Source). PDF page numbers: product overview and configurations pp. 3-7; NewWorld ROM pp. 11-17; battery information p. 29; boards and cards pp. 34-37; repair issues pp. 39-41; power-on self test p. 52.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Apple Computer, PowerBook G3 Series Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook G3 Series Service Source.pdf (see PowerBook G3 Series Service Source). PDF page numbers: hot issues pp. 4-9; product overview pp. 11-13; configurations pp. 14-18; repair issues and board compatibility pp. 26-30; expansion bays p. 34; batteries pp. 35-36; boards and cards pp. 43-47.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Apple Computer, PowerBook 3400c/PowerBook G3 Service Source, hosted here as File:PowerBook 3400c and PowerBook G3 Service Source.pdf. PowerBook G3 (November 1997): 250 MHz PowerPC G3, L2 backside cache, 32 MB, 5 GB hard drive, 20x CD-ROM, 12.1-inch SVGA display; about twice as fast as the 240 MHz 3400c; lithium-ion main battery; G3-specific heatsink 922-3260, power supply board 661-1473 and hard drive 661-1482.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Apple Computer, Apple Memory Guide (May 2000), hosted here as File:Apple Memory Guide (May 2000).pdf (see Apple Memory Guide). PowerBook G3 (PDF p. 118): 32 MB on the logic board, one slot to 160 MB, 3.3 V EDO TSOP cards only; PowerBook G3 Series (p. 119): 32 MB minimum in the factory slot, 192 MB maximum, 128 MB card in the top slot only, 2 MB SGRAM with the 12.1-inch display and 4 MB with the 13.3-inch and 14.1-inch; Bronze Keyboard (p. 120): 64 to 384 MB, 8 MB SGRAM, EDO causes death chimes; FireWire (p. 121): 64 to 512 MB, PC100, 8 MB SGRAM.
  8. ↑ Apple, "PowerBook G3 - Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). G3 at 250 MHz, 512K L2, 50 MHz bus; two Type II PC Card slots; ADB, HDI-15 video, HDI-30 SCSI, GeoPort serial, 10Base-T; 45 W; 47 Wh lithium-ion battery; 32 MB on board, one slot, 32-160 MB, 60 ns EDO; 2 MB VRAM; introduced 11/15/1997; Gestalt ID 313; 7.5 lb; 2.4 × 11.5 × 9.5 in; Mac OS 8.0 to 9; 5 GB hard drive, 20x CD-ROM.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Apple, "PowerBook G3 Series - Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Configurations with G3 at 233, 250, 266, 292 or 300 MHz; L2 none on the 233 MHz and 1 MB on the 250, 266, 292 and 300 MHz models; 2 or 4 MB VRAM; two 144-pin SDRAM SO-DIMM slots, 32-192 MB, 128 MB card in the top slot only; 49 Wh lithium-ion; 45 W; weights 7.2 to 7.8 lb; 2 × 12.7 × 10.4 in; Mac OS 8.1 to 9 and X 10.2.8 or earlier; family model M4753.
  10. ↑ Apple, "PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) - Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). G3 at 400 MHz, 1 MB L2; one Type II PC Card; one USB, HDI-30 SCSI, 10/100Base-T, HDI-15 video; 45 W; 50 Wh lithium-ion; two SO-DIMM slots, 64-384 MB; 8 MB VRAM; introduced 5/7/1999; 5.9 lb; 1.7 in thick; Mac OS 8.6 to X; 6 or 10 GB hard drive.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 68kMLA forum thread "Care and Feeding of a Pismo", Byrd, Franklinstein and others, February 2022. PRAM batteries always dead and stopping NewWorld PowerBooks booting; the power manager charges the backup battery only after the main battery reports full; Pismo keyboard rows failing, case cracks near the trackpad button, dimming backlights, keyboard marks on the screen; capacitors not an issue. Community experience.
  12. ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "G3 Pismo Dead in the water; Ideas?", Rick Dangerous, EvilCapitalist and PB145B, August 2019. A Pismo that would not power up after storage; reset button behind the I/O door; unplugging a flat PRAM battery. Community repair report.
  13. ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "PowerBook G3 (Wallstreet/PDQ) Hinge", flexo and galgot, June 2018. Repeated left-hinge failures on Wallstreet and PDQ machines; soft metal part; three display sizes with different hinge assemblies; left and right not interchangeable. Community experience.
  14. ↑ 68kMLA forum thread "PowerBook G3 Lombard L2 Cache Problem - Succefuly repaired!", mitchW, May 2026. Lombard with crashes and an undetected L2 cache; dull solder balls on the G3 and cache controller; both reflowed with flux and a heat gun at leaded-solder temperature; also an SSD fitted with its IDE connector one row out. Community repair report.


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