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Can I replace an iBook G4 12" with a G3 800mhz?

The logic board on my 12" iBook G4 has died and I have come across an iBook G3 800mhz logic board.

Can I put this in assuming I'm clever enough to follow ifixit's instructions?

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The aluminum frame the motherboard mounts to is different in G4s, so hopefully the board you came across has a frame attached? Also, G3s have a tray-loaded rather than a slot-loaded optical drive, so that will be a problem due to various components being designed differently for that.

And actually, the topcase plugs are generally different, and the video plug on the motherboard is different between G3s/G4s as well, so really now that I think about it the answer to your question is looking like "no", aside from being able to salvage a few various parts (battery, the screen unit itself inside the frame, etc.)

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Thankyou for your answer.

Unfortunately there is no frame with the board. In fact there's nothing except the vanilla logic board, also quite unfortunately.

Is there any way I can fit/adapt this board into the G4? I don't mind light soldering, but count me out if there's dremel work.

Quite happy to buy a new machine, but there is some sort of attachment to the old iBook which has served me so well for nearly 6 years.

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Personally, if it's got to the point where you are downgrading it to keep it running I would give up on it.

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In my view it's just not realistic. Many connectors are different, you'd need to get a hold of various plugs and cables specific to the G3 board, and even if you were a master solderer and did pull it off you'd have a frankenstein machine that was not quite a fully functional machine, if only due to the optical drive mismatch issue. I say pay $20 on eBay for a G3 parts machine to put it into, or get a working G4 board out of a parts machine, and keep going with your existing laptop.

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