550 vs. 667 vs. NextGen Powerbook dilemma -- help me out!

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I'll be doing Final Cut Pro digital video editing, Cubase audio recording and general word-processing/web stuff. Until recently, I planned on getting a 667/1GB/48GB TiBook, but with the noisiness (and priciness) of the thing (I'm a baby, I know) I am hoping to get away with the 550.



1) I've looked at the Final Cut Pro stuff on Apple's website, and obviously they herald the 667 as the coming of Digital Video Jesus; realizing it's not possible to do as many realtime digital effects with the 550, will I still be able to use those effects and wait for (reasonable) rendering times?



2) How about the future? I want this computer to be my best friend through a decade of OS upgrades (I know, I'm still a baby) and while the graphics card will become sub-par before long and the hard drive might fill up, will the system bus speed (100 vs. 133) matter all that much?



3) I'm so impressed it almost makes me teary to hear about all these people who still use their G3 Pismos and Lombards with pleasure and ease. I want to feel that way about my TiBook in a few years. Has the time for a trusty longtime laptop companion passed, or is it realistic to hold these high hopes for one of these machines?



4) I know it's been asked before, but should I wait for the next PB revision? I've been intimate with the computer industry all my life, and I know that occasionally a technology gap arises that gives a 3-6 month purchasing-hold a yield of 2-3 extra years with that computer. I don't want to be on the wrong side of that gap.



5) Will DVD-burning be possible with a 550 (or a 667) in terms of authoring DVD's from DV movies? If this is the way things are going, I want a ticket on that train.



Thanks to any and all who might take the time to peruse these ideas and throw me a rope. I'm drowning here --



-- PEte

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    [quote]Originally posted by CoolHandPete:

    <strong>I'll be doing Final Cut Pro digital video editing, Cubase audio recording and general word-processing/web stuff. Until recently, I planned on getting a 667/1GB/48GB TiBook, but with the noisiness (and priciness) of the thing (I'm a baby, I know) I am hoping to get away with the 550.



    1) I've looked at the Final Cut Pro stuff on Apple's website, and obviously they herald the 667 as the coming of Digital Video Jesus; realizing it's not possible to do as many realtime digital effects with the 550, will I still be able to use those effects and wait for (reasonable) rendering times?



    2) How about the future? I want this computer to be my best friend through a decade of OS upgrades (I know, I'm still a baby) and while the graphics card will become sub-par before long and the hard drive might fill up, will the system bus speed (100 vs. 133) matter all that much?



    3) I'm so impressed it almost makes me teary to hear about all these people who still use their G3 Pismos and Lombards with pleasure and ease. I want to feel that way about my TiBook in a few years. Has the time for a trusty longtime laptop companion passed, or is it realistic to hold these high hopes for one of these machines?



    4) I know it's been asked before, but should I wait for the next PB revision? I've been intimate with the computer industry all my life, and I know that occasionally a technology gap arises that gives a 3-6 month purchasing-hold a yield of 2-3 extra years with that computer. I don't want to be on the wrong side of that gap.



    5) Will DVD-burning be possible with a 550 (or a 667) in terms of authoring DVD's from DV movies? If this is the way things are going, I want a ticket on that train.



    Thanks to any and all who might take the time to peruse these ideas and throw me a rope. I'm drowning here --



    -- PEte</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The current line of PowerBooks have been around a while - they are due for an update soon. If I were you I would wait until Apple announces new TiBooks.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    My philosophy is that you should use the PowerBook as a supplementary editing machine when you're on the go and you have to take work with you to places. I would not recommend using a Powerbook as your main machine for doing all that work. Drive space is limited (and the more you want, the more you're going to have to spend). This is what the PowerMac is for. Otherwise, I don't think there's going to be an update to the PowerBook line until March or later, so if you're willing to wait another 30 to 45 days (MacWorld Tokyo), that would be the wise move.
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