What notebook is best for me?

Z

Zidion

Registered
I cant decide if I shld get an Ibook or a Powerbook. This is waht ill be doing with it:

Surfing the net
Projects for school
Saving my digital photos
and Tons of GarageBand stuff (i like to make my own music).

So will a ibook be sufficient enough to do all this? Im looking on ebay to see if I can find some good deals, but not sure what to look for. Im use to PC speeds, and ive seen some ibooks on ebay with like 800mhz and not sure if that is good enough or what (they are G4's). What do I need to run the stuff I want to run?

thanks
-Z
 
Definitely get a Mac that is at the very least, based on the G4 chip. From there, it's all about what you need. The features that differentiate the PowerBook line from the iBook line, besides speed, ram, and hard disk, are things like wide-ratio screens, light up keyboards, DVD-burning drives, PCMCIA Card slot, FireWire 800, Bluetooth built in, and a few other high-end things that you may not need.
 
Ok im gonna say it once and dont argue against me because im right.

POWERBOOK. You will not regret it.
iBooks have a ton of defects (STILL!!!) and...just arent as good. So go with a powerbook and youll be happy!
 
just screen size really. i love my 12" and if you want bigger, you should just get a monitor anyways!
 
I think there was also a difference in performance due to the fact that the 15 and 17 inch PowerBooks have an L3 cache while the 12 inch doesn't. Not that this matters much if you are going to do everyday stuff like web browsing and word processing and stuff. But if GarageBand is something you will be using, that extra L3 cache might help. :D

As far as the iBook/PowerBook comparison, the PowerBook has a PC Card slot while the iBook doesn't.

If you do decide on the 12 inch PowerBook, you'll still be getting a great machine. Eugenia Loli-Queru from OSNews.com did a review of the PowerBook G4 12" and she loved it overall. A coworker of mine got one for his son and he's thrilled with it. Coincidentally, this coworker and I have asked for the 12" PowerBook as a replacement laptop for the old Dells our office has supplied us with. So I say, "PowerBook!" :D
 
Also the 12" does not have FireWire 800 or a PCMCIA Card Slot,
the 15" is capable of more RAM, and you can get a back-lit keyboard for the 15" (optional).

I have a 12" and don't regret it (I also got it for cheaper with student discount and no DVD Burner). It feels much more portable with less bulk and lighter.

There has also been a problem with the 15" with bright spots on the screen.

Altho, if I had the money - I would have gotten the 15" instead and pray I didn't get the bright spots on the screen. :p
 
Yes, they all have L2 caches, but I remember reading somewhere that the 15 and 17 inch versions had an added L3 cache, but after checking Apple's website and the Tech Sheets on that, I didn't see anything mentioning the L3 cache. Oh well... :rolleyes:

And Sogni, thanks for the tip about the card slot. You are absolutely correct.

Serves me right for posting at midnight half-asleep. :confused:
 
according to some other threads, garageband needs a high speed drive, it doesn't work on an xBook (without a fast external drive)
 
Along these lines...
I just ordered a 15" Combo. I'm an employee of Penn State University and went through their Educational discount page. Looks to me like anyone that pays the normal retail for an Apple is an idiot. When you order through the Educational site, any of them, it never asks you to confirm your status as a student or a staff member of any institution.

Don't be in any hurry for your product, I ordered this 01/18/04 and the order status just keeps saying "will ship on or before 01/29/04" Now I didn't order this with anything but an airport card and paid for two day delivery, what a mistake! How long can it take to throw a freakin' airport card in an otherwise bone stock 15" Combo Powerbook and ship it out?

In regards to your question about which to buy, I'm of the philosophy, never buy something and later say "I should've bought" pay the extra money even if it hurts and then you don't have to second guess yourself or want for something you don't have. Life is too short to ponder.

I looked at the iBooks before ordering and decided that "good enough" just was not good enough. I think an iBook would make a good expensive gift for someone.

I notice you don't see too many 17" Powerbooks around, it seems like their just too big to be considered a laptop or even portable to me.

Just kind of rambling so take it all with a grain of salt.
 
Oh, by the way, stay as far away from E-Bay as possible for a newer iBook or Powerbook as you can. I shopped on E-bay for weeks until I decided it just wasn't worth the risk of being ripped off. Way too many scumbags selling websites or .doc files for cheap stuff. Either that or you have to wonder if you're going to be busted for buying stolen property. Here's some expamples I bought just to check out, I'll save you all the time and money...

I bought these so I figure I can do with them as I please.

Add listed as "Free Powerbook G4"
www.secretmethods.com/info.html

This one will probably actually save you money if you are a student. You will have to spend $99 up front but will still save in the long run. The references to the links are a little old but you can still find them.
http://chiphead6.homestead.com/files/Apple_Discount.htm

Admins, hope this dosen't break any of your TOS policies, I don't have time to read them, so delete it you see fit.
 
Beside all performance aspects, I would prefere the 12' alubook the most. It is simply a perfect laptop. Light, small, high battery duration, robust and reasonable.
 
I would also recommend the 12" alubook. It has all the essentials. Just max out the RAM and you will definitely enjoy great performance for the apps provided.
 
For what you said you were going to do, an iBook would suit you just fine. If you can spare the extra change and think the differences are worth it, then by all means go with a PowerBook. If Garage Band was going to be the biggest use, then the PowerBook might be a better option.

I personally would get a 15" model, 12" is a royal pain in the behind (and eyes) uness you take it everwhere, then they're nice. The 15" one is still small enough to be highly portable regardless.
 
I have the 12" powerbook, but when i got it there was no iBook G4.
If you get the 12" iBook, get a larger hard drive, as it ships with 30gb as standard. My powerbook has 40gb and that fills up fast especially with music whether its mp3 in itunes or full size audio files, I wish i'd got the upgrade to 60gb...
 
Randman said:
The G4 iBook 1 Ghz comes with 60. Great laptop.
Click to expand...

G4 ibook 1Ghz and 60gb is just $100 cheaper than 12' alubook 1Ghz and 60gb (if you add bluetooth for the ibook).
You have 14inch vs 12inch but same res; alubook has bigger L2 Cache; alubook has ability for adding more ram
I would definitly go for the alubook.
 
It's cheaper to get a bluetooth module than pay for it installed. I got a very good deal on my iBook as I got a corporate discount from the supplier. The AluBooks are a good deal, but if a better deal can be had, I'd not hestitate to recommend an iBook and pocket the savings, or use it for an iPod.
 
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