Help a PC user select an iBook!

jesustoast

We hope that you choke
I'm not exactly sure if this thread belongs in this forum but it doesn't seem to fit anywhere else. I wanted to get some feedback from iBook and Mac OS X users to help me make my decision.

This will be my first Apple Computer. I've been a PC user for years so I'm not sure how well Mac's hardware perform. Mac OS X + an iBook is really what I'm looking for since I've used linux and unix for years. Mac OS X is simple enough that my dad can use it but also powerful enough that I can compile and use my favorite unix apps (with some porting). The iBook is small, portable, and durable. I'll need that for school.

I will be using the laptop mainly for email, www, and word processing. The ability to download digital pictures from my camera and edit them would be a plus. Also, I'd like to compile unix apps I've used with linux and BSD without spending a long time waiting for them to compile. For example, EPIC, irssi, gaim, X11 and mutt.

I'm currently looking at a refurbished 14" 700mhz model with 16M vram or the new 12" 800mhz one with 32M vram. I really want the bigger 14" screen but I'm not sure if it's worth settling with a slower CPU and less video memory. (Both of these are 1,299 from the Apple Store)

Will it be worth getting a smaller display and the new, faster cpu or for what I use will it be better to get the slower, older one with the bigger display? Does 100mhz + more vram make that much of a difference? If the performance is about the same I'd rather just get a bigger display.
 
Hi,

Don't quote me as I don't have any macs.

But am looking to buy.

I think the 12" looks far nicer then the 14" and you can only use the same screen res on both of them so theres not that much benifit from the larger screen.
 
Go for the 12" 32meg video model. The 12" screen looks alot crisper than the 14" (IMHO). Also I beleive (not 100% sure) that the older Mobility Radeon didn't fully support Quartz Extreme but the Radeon Mobility 7500 does, so it should have noticably better graphics performance.
 
Hi jesustoast,
I'd go for the 12.1 with 32mb video ram, the video card is way better and will fully support quartz in mac os x 10.2, it will make your ibook feel alot more responsive vs the old one. The size of the little iBook is much nicer and more portable then the 14", the 14" is alot bigger but you get the same screen realastate as in the little iBook.
Go for the 12.1" is my advice :)

Viktor
 
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