Here's the Deal

Memory pricing for Apple PowerBooks--all of them, including the original "fat" PowerBook G3, the "Wall Street," the "Lombard," the iBook (both multicolored and white), the "Pismo," (aka "PowerBook FireWire") and the luscious PowerBook G4 (Titanium)-- can be found below.

It can be madly confusing to determine which type of memory you require for a PowerBook G3, as Apple, for some reason, calls four distinct types of PowerBook by that name, although two of them have radically different architectures and accordingly require different types of memory. PowerBook G4's, on the other hand, are simple. So far, there has been only one, the gorgeous Titanium G4.

If you are ordering memory for a PowerBook G3, the easy way to determine which type of memory you require is to look at the top of your unit.

1. If the Apple logo is rainbow colored, you have the original "fat" PowerBook G3, and require "Rainbow Logo" modules. The procedure for installing memory in this machine is the same as for the PowerBook 3400, as detailed in Apple Knowledge Base article 58005. A photograph of this PowerBook can be seen in Apple Knowledge Base article 24604.

   The original PowerBook G3 has 32MB main memory on the logic board, and a single memory expansion slot which can accommodate upgrades up to a max of 128MB in density, yielding a total maximum configuration of 160MB. This machine uses 60ns 3.3v EDO TSOP low-profile pieces only.

2. If your Apple logo is one solid color, you have the Apple G3 "Wall Street," and should order "Wall Street" series SO-DIMMs. Wall Street SO-DIMMs are 1.5-inches in size, and are appropriate for installation only in the top "customer" slot. While some upgraders have installed smaller 1.25-inch PC100 SO-DIMMs in the lower slot to achieve greater maximum memory configurations, this procedure is not approved by Apple and reluctantly not endorsed by MacGurus. We cannot guarantee that our 1.25-inch PC100 SO-DIMMs will function correctly in the lower slot of Wall Street.

   The maximum configuration in Wall Street supported by Apple and MacGurus is 192MB, consisting of the stock 32MB in the lower "factory" slot and a lone 128MB SDRAM SO-DIMM in the top slot. SDRAM for this machine must be 10ns or faster.

3. If your Apple logo is white, and illuminates when your PowerBook is in use, you may have a "Lombard" PowerBook, which is also called "Bronze" by Apple due to the bronze cast of its keyboard and trackpad, though you may also have a "Pismo" PowerBook, which includes FireWire. If you have FireWire, you have "Pismo." Regardless, both use PC100 SO-DIMMs, which simplifies matters greatly.

4. The Bronze "Lombard" and "Pismo" both use PC100 SO-DIMMs, specifically designed for compatibility with the faster logic boards used in these machines. Memory for the lower Lombard slot must be 1.5-inches in height or smaller.

   The 32MB Lombard PC100 SO-DIMM is 1-inch in height, while both the 64MB and 128MB PC100 SO-DIMM are 1.25-inches in height. Since these pieces are all smaller than 1.5-inches, they may be used interchangeably in the lower "factory" slot. The max memory density usable in the lower slot is 128MB.

   The 256MB Lombard PC100 SO-DIMM is 2.0 inches in height, and may hence be used in only the top Lombard customer slot. While some upgraders have attempted to install the smaller 1.25-inch 256MB PC100 SO-DIMM in the lower slot of Lombard to attain overall configurations of 512MB, success has been mixed, and MacGurus does not recommend this configuration.

   The maximum memory configuration in Lombard endorsed by MacGurus is 384MB, attained by installing a 128MB SO-DIMM in the lower slot, and a 256MB 2-inch SO-DIMM in the top slot.

5. The maxmum allowable memory in "Pismo" is now 1GB, on the other hand, attainable using two 512MB 8ns/125MHz SO-DIMMs with a 2-inch form factor, one each in the top and bottom slots. Yes, both the top and bottom slot accept 2-inch SO-DIMMs, which is one of the coolest things that Apple has done from a design standpoint in quite awhile, in our opinion.

   Guidance on installing memory in the top slot in "Pismo" has been posted by Apple, with no mention of the lower slot. It is possible to install memory in the lower slot, but some expertise is required. If you are not deft, we do not recommend that you attempt it. Apple expressly states that you should not install memory in that slot, unless you are a technician.

6. MacGurus stresses that installing memory into the lower factory slot in any PowerBook may void your warranty. We cannot provide technical support for installation of SO-DIMMs into the lower factory slot in any of these machines, and strongly recommend that you retain the services of an authorized technician if you are not extremely experienced. Do not void your warranty! If you cannot resist, please feel free to post a request for assistance on our upgrades forums. We cannot guarantee that any guidance you receive on our forums will be accurate or correct, (for obvious reasons of liability), but we suspect it will be better than nothing. Sorry for the caveats, but most customers should retain the services of a professional in cases like this.

7. For iBook (all versions), SO-DIMMs must be 1.25-inches or smaller, as detailed in the iBook Developer Note. At this time, 64MB, 128MB and 256MB SO-DIMMs are available for early iBooks, with a maximum configuration of 320MB. It should be noted that 256MB SO-DIMMs used in iBook must have a 1.25-inch form factor, and can only be used (according to Apple specs) in the later versions of the iBook and the iBook SE. The 256MB 1.25-inch SO-DIMM is not compatible with the original iBook. We do now carry a 512MB iBook SDRAM piece, intended only for the latest "white" version.

8. For the Titanium G4 400MHz and 500MHz, the maximum memory configuration supported by MacGurus is 1GB. A single 1.5-inch 512MB PC100 SO-DIMM can be installed in either or both the lower and upper memory expansion slots (though, again, Apple and MacGurus do not formally recommend installations into the lower slot). This memory has been tested and certified for use in the original Titanium PowerBook G4 only.

9. For the PowerBook G4 Titanium 677MHz, PC133 144-pin SO-DIMMs are required. MacGurus features these special pieces in both 1.25-inch 256MB and 512MB densities, for installation in both the upper and lower slots (the usual caveats and warnings associated with the lower slot apply as outlined above). Yes, you read this correctly: this 1.25-inch SDRAM is certified to work in both the upper and lower slot of Apple's latest and fastest PowerBook G4, yielding a wicked 1GB of main memory.

   This PC133 SDRAM is backwards-compatible with most earlier PowerBook G3's and G4's, with the exception of the Wall Street and the original Rainbow Logo PowerBook G3. Please use memory specific for those machines as listed above. For the Lombard, Pismo, iBook and original Titanium PowerBook G4, standardizing on PC133 SO-DIMMs will make it easier than ever to shuffle memory around between multiple computers. And need we state the obvious? This memory is the only SDRAM certified to work in both original and later PowerBook G4 Titanium, yielding 1GB main memory.

For memory installation guidance on Lombard, please consult Apple's Knowledge Base article number 58325. Definitive technical references for PowerBook G3 memory specs can be found in Apple's Developer Notes.

Memory installation guidance for "Pismo" is also available on the Apple website.