To PowerBook or not to PowerBook, that, indeed, is the question

voice-

voice-

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Need help here.
I need a laptop for school this fall, and I've been looking for a Mac. It'll be a 12", that's decided (I like small ones), so the choice is pretty much between PowerBook and iBook, both with Combo drive.
There's a minor price difference, and otherwise little to tell them apart:

PB:
12,1-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
867MHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR266 memory
40GB Ultra ATA/100 drive
DVD/CD-RW drive
NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go
32MB DDR video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
FireWire 400
AirPort Extreme Ready
Bluetooth built-in
S-Video/Composite Video out

iB:
900MHz PowerPC G3
512K L2 cache (at 900MHz)
128MB SDRAM memory
40GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD/CD-RW drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
32MB video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
AirPort ready
Click to expand...

The PB ships with 256MB RAM, of which I'll have to remove 128MB to get it up to 640MB. The iB ships with 128MB.

The parts I'm really curious about is processor, video card and wireless network.
Do I need Airport Extreme, or will it be like Gigabit Ethernet (I have it, but no-one else, so it makes no difference)
Is one of the video cards very much better than the other? Or doesn't it really matter?
And which of the CPUs is really faster? Any benchmarks?
 
For a student, I'd suggest getting a high-end iBook over a lower-end PowerBook. For nearly the same kind of money, you can get the ram maxed, get some software (legally) and whatever else you needed, AirPort and bluetooth come to mind). It'll be plenty fast enough to meet your needs and you'll get more things you can use for the same amount of money. It'll also make the parental units think you're being practical about it, so when you hit them up for something else later on, they'll consider that request as being more serious and they'll react with less grumbling.
 
Parental units are thought of. My dad is a Mac fanatic, and I promised he'd get to open the box...(and you probably know the feeling you get when opening an Apple box...)
Also, being an Apple fanatic, he'd love a PowerBook.

The two are not far off in price, and the old man has agreed to chip in a little, so I can bet the PB (with maxed out RAM, Airport etc.) if I want...the question is; is it really much better? I notice, for example, that in addition to the faster clock speed of the G3, it also has twice the L2 Cache...is the G3 actually faster?
 
I would go for the aluBook 12" :D Simply because it is a better Mac overall :p

If only Apple had that little beauty out when I bought my TiBook :rolleyes:
 
The PB is faster than the iBook, since it's got a G4 and faster RAM. I don't know about the graphics cards, but they're probably similar enough not to matter. If price is an issue, get the iBook; otherwise, or if you need to use power applications, get the PB. It has Bluetooth and Firewire 800, so you're set better for using these in the future.
 
The G4 isn't necessarily better. Clock for clock a G3 and G4 are about the same, except when an application is allowed to use Altivec then the G4 would win. So it depends on what type of work you're going to be using it for.

Sure the PowerBook has faster RAM, but this class of G4 doesn't make good use of it, it's still stuck on a single data rate FSB.

From what I hear, the keyboard on the new PowerBooks are way better than the iBook (wish I bought the 12" PB instead of the iBook) so if I had a second chance I'd go for the PB for the other features you get and not so much CPU/video power. It's a laptop so don't expect much to begin with.
 
Originally posted by Lycander
It's a laptop so don't expect much to begin with.
Click to expand...
I expect it to match the speed of my current PowerMac...the book is clocked 90MHz higher, and has a seemingly better video card, so that doesn't seem like an out-of-reach claim...

The keyboard comment really got to me, I want a good keyboard...seems like it's PB for me...

Anyways, I'll wait a while with buying. Partly since I'm still looking for money (get paid in the middle of September), and partly since I fear new stuff coming out at the expo in Paris (soooooo annoying to buy and be obsolete within a month)...
 
I would recommend the alubook, since the case is just fantastic. Ok, it can heat up a lot, but it feels sooooo nice. The surface ain't scratch-sensitive like the ibook and the alubook is less noisy than the ibook, which is actually also quite quiet ;-) (compared to my tibook).
Anyway, I think the money you have to pay more for the alubook is worth it...
 
I don't think now is a good time to buy an iBook either. I bet we'll see a new at the September keynote.
 
PB is more quiet? I thought it was the other way around...

And Kjetil, I know better than to buy less than a month befoer an Expo ;)
 
Well, I have both: iBook 600 and alubook 867. Both work most of the time without any fan-noise. And when the fan is on, the alubook has a much less noisy one.
 
The PB is faster than the iBook, since it's got a G4 and faster RAM. I don't know about the graphics cards, but they're probably similar enough not to matter. If price is an issue, get the iBook; otherwise, or if you need to use power applications, get the PB. It has Bluetooth and Firewire 800, so you're set better for using these in the future.
Click to expand...

Just a note, the PowerBook 12" doesn't have Firewire 800 only the old 400 version. Only the 17" PB have Firewire 800.

Viktor
 
Oh.

In any case, to misquote a Volkswagon commercial, get the Passat—ehrm, Powerbook. You'll thank yourself later.
 
Originally posted by voice-
And Kjetil, I know better than to buy less than a month befoer an Expo ;)
Click to expand...

I guessed so :p
The PowerBook is up for an update as well.

I'd love to see you at the Paris Expo - I'll be there, as well as a few others from here and possibly some Mac guy I met at Gardermoen (Oslo Airport) the other day :cool:
 
Mine shipped on the 9th, let's see if they have to use 2 weeks, or of one will do...

Also got another 512 chip on the way...
 
I ordr mine. I want to know now if I order it can I get the Panther upgrade on 24th, or if not I wait untill 24th before I order! iBook has better hours of battery etc, but I want the Pornwerbook! :D :p
 
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