PB trade up vs 20" imac?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
OK, here's the dilemna (theoretical, since my PB isn't eligible for the upgrade as i bought it with an educ discount):



the $700 discount/ugrade program would allow me to upgrade my 500MHz TiBook to a 17"AlBook for about $2300 (reg $2999)



But for about the same $2300, I could get a 20" iMac (the base price is actually less, but when you add the airport extreme card, bluetooth, and 512MB of RAM to make it equal to the 20" PB, the price ends up being a little under $2300), AND KEEP my 500MHz TiBook. (this is the price with educ discount, which apparantly isn't available with the $700 rebate/upgrade)



Seems to me that it might be a better deal to just buy the 20" imac. Are there any other differences between them that i'm missing? For one thing, I know the graphics cards are different, but I'm not sure which is better. Also, i realize that the PB is 1.33GHz while the iMac is 1.25GHz, but i'm not sure that that's worth having only one PB vs a PB AND an imac.



*****************



on another note, from apple's perspective i guess the upgrade program is working - if it's getting me to think about buying another mac!!! which I never would have thought about otherwise!!! OR does that just mean that it's not such a great deal after all...

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    purchasing advice = general discussion. moving now. and enjoy whichever mac you get.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    First off, I sold my Ti with 512MB of extra RAM for $800 back in September so I'm glad the trade-in program didn't offer more than a $700 allowance!



    The video card in the PowerBook is better than the one in the iMac (ATI Radeon 9600 vs. GeForce 5200). Both cards do have the same (64MB) amount of RAM though.



    The PB has firewire 800, gigabit ethernet and monitor spanning (with DVI out). The iMac has none of these capabilities.



    Hope this helps.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Well, there's that whole "take it where you wanna" aspect too...







    PowerBook beats the iMac, hands down, on that one.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    Well, there's that whole "take it where you wanna" aspect too...







    PowerBook beats the iMac, hands down, on that one.




    yeah, but the comparison is 17"PB alone versus 15"500MHzPB PLUS imac. either way i have a PB.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    I'm confused... why won't the trade in program work with the edu discount? are you saying you can't get a discounted PB in addition to edu or you cant USE an edu(ed) PB to be eligible for the $700 off?



    also, you should take into account the screen size... the 20" iMac has a MUCH bigger screen in addition to HD and external keyboard advantages...



    it really is up to you, does your powerbook still work relatively well? how much ram did you say you have?
  • Reply 6 of 10
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    If I had a choice between a 17" Aluminum PowerBook as my only computer, or a 20" iMac and a 500MHz TiBook together... I'd choose the iMac/TiBook combo without hesitation.



    Massive display and good power at home, and a mid-sized portable for the road.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    I second Murbot on that one. Imac are extremely comfortable to work on, with their adjustable display, plus keyboard and mouse. I just spent a week in Florida, and my parents have a Alubook 15", and typing on it, and using the trackpad just drove me nuts.



    Keep your 15" as your bullet-proof road warrior. Because, trust me, you are not going to enjoy taking your 17" PowerBook to a coffeeshop.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Paul

    I'm confused... why won't the trade in program work with the edu discount? are you saying you can't get a discounted PB in addition to edu or you cant USE an edu(ed) PB to be eligible for the $700 off?



    i'm saying both.







    Quote:

    [also, you should take into account the screen size... the 20" iMac has a MUCH bigger screen in addition to HD and external keyboard advantages...



    it really is up to you, does your powerbook still work relatively well? how much ram did you say you have?






    384mgs of RAM; the current 500MHz PB still works well.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    I'd say the Imac and keep the powerbook. 500 mhz is still good, perfect for travel, and at home, have a ultra-cool imac with gignormous display. the imac can have more HD space then the powerbook can.



    correct me if I'm wrong, but according to apple's site, the 20" has a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra, superdrive, 1.25ghz G4, and DDR 333 as the base model. Those make this imac win hands-down vs the powerbook idea.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    mac+mac+ Posts: 580member
    follow Murbot's advice ... he has extensive purchasing and ownership experience.



    (my .02 - go the 20" iMac/500 TiPB option)
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