History
This machine is the second generation of the PowerBook G3, and it changed to a different case design (the first G3, the "Kanga," is not featured on this website).
Available in both 12.1" and 14" screen versions, the PowerBook G3 Wallstreet
is based on a 66MHz system bus, and brought desktop clock speed and CPU cache to the laptop,
something the original G3 lacked.
The PowerBook Wallstreet was still a significant investment, costing around
£2500 for the top of the line version. The machine switched to using faster
and cheaper SODIMM memory, and had significantly better graphics with the
new ATI chipset.
The machine shipped with Mac OS 8.1 installed, but will
support Mac OS 9 to OS 10.2.8. 10.3 and above will not work on these machines.
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How to Identify these Machines
The G3 Wallstreet can be identified by the colour of its keyboard, which
in contrast to subsequent G3 PowerBooks, is black.
The Wallstreet has the older
legacy Mac connectivity: an HDI-30 SCSI connection, a square port with 30 pins,
and two 8 pin serial ports. The machine also has one 4 pin ADB port for
keyboard or mouse connectivity and a 15 pin VGA port for an external monitor.
If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for
confirmation. If you want to upgrade but aren't happy to install your upgrades
then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.
Memory Upgrades
The PowerBook G3 has two memory sockets, and can accept up to 192MB in RAM. A 128MB module can be fitted in either slot, once a 128MB stick is fitted, the second slot can only take up to 64MB.
We do not have RAM available for these Macs.
Difficulty 3 / 5 - Reasonably easy (top slot only)
Turn off the machine and remove the CD-ROM, power cable and battery.
Inside the now empty bays there are
two latches which hold the keyboard in place. Push these towards the front and gently lift up the keyboard.
There is a large metal shield which is secured with two Phillips screws - undo and gently lift up the plate. This reveals the top
RAM socket which can now be accessed.
The second socket is underneath, but professional installation is recommended for this. Mac Upgrades does sell RAM for installation in the bottom slot, however we cannot provide installation instructions or support.
CD & DVD Drive Upgrades
The PowerBook G3 Wallstreet came equipped with a CD-ROM drive in its right drive bay. At present there are no internal
CD or DVD writers which fit internally into this machine.
It is possible to use an external device with an added USB or
FireWire card (FireWire is strongly recommended). Since any added card will not supply power to a device, only full-sized, mains powered devices are listed here.
This laptop is not powerful enough to burn DVDs, so no DVD-RW devices are listed here.
There are no optical drive upgrades available for these Macs
Difficulty 1/5 - Easy (external).
Install any supplied software, restart the machine and connect the new device.
Internal Hard Drive Upgrades
Any of the below drives will work fine in the PowerBook G3 Wallstreet.
If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.
Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 3 / 5 - Reasonably easy
Turn off the machine and remove the CD ROM, power cable and battery.
Inside the now empty bays there are
two latches which hold the keyboard in place. Push these towards the front and gently lift up the keyboard.
There is a large metal shield which is secured with two Phillips screws - undo and gently lift up the plate. The hard drive
is to the right of the case, held in upside down in a caddy with one screw.
Remove the entire caddy, this reveals four screws holding the drive. Undo the 4 holding
screws and remove the drive.
Replace the drive and reassemble machine in reverse order.
Start computer from CD and initialise the drive.
If you do not wish to install the upgrade yourself, please contact us about our installation service.
Graphics Card Upgrades
This laptop can take a secondary graphics card through it's PCMCIA (Cardbus) slot, to allow it to control a wider range
of external displays that it can by default.
There are no graphics card upgrades available for these Macs
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy.
Install any supplied software, turn off the machine, and insert the PCMCIA card into the socket on the left of the machine.
Connect it to your monitor and your finished.
Expansion Card Upgrades
Your PowerBook G3 Wallstreet has two available PCMCIA sockets for connectivity expansion. These are located
to the left of the machine, alongside the modem port.
These credit card sized sockets allow users to take advantage
of newer connectivity such as USB, FireWire and Wireless networking.
Please note that many of these cards have a minimum operating system requirement.
There are no expansion cards available for these Macs
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy.
Install any supplied software. Turn off the machine and insert the PCMCIA card into a free socket on left the of the machine.
Restart machine and away you go.
Keyboards & Mice
The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy
Keyboards plug into the relevant port on your Mac. Mice can either be plugged into your keyboard, or they can be plugged directly into your Mac.
Power Supplies & Batteries
Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products
we supply for this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Cables & Tools
Listed below are power cables, tools and related products
we supply for this Mac.
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
External Hard Drive Upgrades
It is possible to upgrade this Mac with an external hard drive, however you will need to add a modern connectivity type to your Mac. For this machine we
strongly recommend looking at FireWire if you want any external data storage devices. FireWire can be added with an expansion card (see below).
You will need to be running at least OS9 to use FireWire.
| 1 | Only suitable for this Mac if you have added USB 2.0 or eSATA with an expansion card. Will not boot this Mac. |
Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.
Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy (assumes you have already added the required connectivity)
Install any supplied software and connect the new device.
You will need to format the drive before use. This is done with the "Drive Setup" utility, which can be found in Applications > Utilities.
