which should I buy? Used imac or ibook?

PowermacG4_450

PowermacG4_450

OS X Jaguar
what should I do? which should I get? how can I decide. ? help me decide!

I want used, in the $400-500 range..... Just to mess with. Not as a main system. May even eventually soup up and resell. ?? Not sure...

I was going to get an imac, but.... a laptop sounds cool..... interesting. Ive never owned a laptop. So, I know nothing about laptops... :(
 
Well, it depends with what you want to do with it. If you want to run a fun box to just play arround with I would definately get a Desktop. Desktops give you more bang for your buck so to speak. I just got an old Lime iMac that I play with. (I actually stripped down OSX to the shell and run servers off the thing) I laptop would be fun but you would have a smaller crappier screen, slower processor, less ram, and smaller HD for the same price. If you dont need a laptop, dont get one.
 
Not as your main system? I'd suggest an iBook. You can use it where ever you want, it's sure small enough for your backpack .. :)
 
not sure I really need a laptop. not sure I need computing power/ability on the road/go....

im leaning towards a used imac.
 
If you are going to soup it up later for resale, definitely get a desktop.
 
Desktops are easier to upgrade.

And laptops cost more because their "new" price is much higher, people are reluctant to sell them, and many users are willing to pay a substantial premium for portability.

I'd get the desktop. It would be better suited to its role as a "messing around" machine, and could be more easily used as a server. It would be easier to modify and cheaper to upgrade and repair, as you will be able to buy conventional hard drives and memory as opposed to the smaller standards used for laptops.
 
Originally posted by symphonix
Desktops are easier to upgrade.

And laptops cost more because their "new" price is much higher, people are reluctant to sell them, and many users are willing to pay a substantial premium for portability.

I'd get the desktop. It would be better suited to its role as a "messing around" machine, and could be more easily used as a server. It would be easier to modify and cheaper to upgrade and repair, as you will be able to buy conventional hard drives and memory as opposed to the smaller standards used for laptops.
Click to expand...

Considering that the original iMac is rather difficult to upgrade, the main question comes down to portability vs. stability (like terrestrially). A $400-500 iMac is probably going to be back in the Bondi age, or maybe a fruit flavor, and a comparatively priced iBook will have a clamshell. Neither of these computers lets you add much very easily besides RAM (internally-externally, connecting stuff is easy), so it's really portability vs. stability.

My dad bought me a quality iMac DV from a friend of his for around $300, so you may be able to find some good stuff floating around.
 
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