in light of the pb update - some more buying qs please!

jonnyboyjonnyboy
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
hi all,



well the powerbook update has hit, and whilst some people have been unimpressed, i was pleasantly surprised since i've been waiting (only a little while, admittedly) for this before i seriously consider purchasing.portability is important as i am a little "international" at the moment!



current machine; p450 celeron wintel laptop.

usage; hobbying music production (currently on reason), mp3s, photos, net, email & word processing



"desired" machine; either 12" or 15" superdrive pb

usage; much the same but looking to mature to logic/cubase software & vst instruments.



now i really can't go without the superdrive. the amount of problems i've had with burning in the past; drives failing, wasted discs, discs inaccessible after a few weeks. i want to pay for a drive i'll be able to trust. at the moment the 12" is looking tempting due to size and cost, but a few qs;



1) the 12" doesn't have a spare ram slot. will i be happy with 512mb at least at first? when i come to upgrade is it feasible to buy a 1gig stick, take out the 512 stick and possibly sell it on?



2) the 12" has lesser graphics, but i HOPE this won't be a problem as none of my work is especially graphics intensive.



3) i will lose the backlit screen, but it doesn't scream at me as necessary at the moment.



are there any really crucial reasons i should be considering a 15"? do you all think the 12" will satisfy? at the very least it is a BIG step up from my wintel laptop. any thoughts? qs to me??



thanks all

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    xipetotecxipetotec Posts: 5member
    I have the same question, but for the 17".
  • Reply 2 of 7
    ijerryijerry Posts: 615member
    The 12" should suit your needs fine, and even allow you to grow into more graphics intense programs. You can add a gig stick to the PB via the bottom drawer. I think the slot it comes with is the Apple slot and you can't change that out, if the design is similar to the one I have. I use a 12" daily for all kinds of work, and it has been great! My good friend uses a 12" as well for Audio and claims it is perfect for what he needs(Logic). I am getting to a point where I need a faster computer, but you should be fine with the 12" as it is now.



    The 17" is a great computer, I could just never justify for myself! =)
  • Reply 3 of 7
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jonnyboy

    1) the 12" doesn't have a spare ram slot. will i be happy with 512mb at least at first? when i come to upgrade is it feasible to buy a 1gig stick, take out the 512 stick and possibly sell it on?



    You should be, and yes.



    Quote:

    2) the 12" has lesser graphics, but i HOPE this won't be a problem as none of my work is especially graphics intensive.



    It should be fine.



    Quote:

    3) i will lose the backlit screen, but it doesn't scream at me as necessary at the moment.



    You mean the backlit keyboard. I would sure as heck scream if I lost a backlit screen.



    Quote:

    are there any really crucial reasons i should be considering a 15"? do you all think the 12" will satisfy? at the very least it is a BIG step up from my wintel laptop. any thoughts? qs to me??



    The question essentially boils down to the way you expect to use the machine. The 12" is small and light and capable. If you feel that the extra screen width and power is worth the extra money, larger height and width, and an extra pound or so, get the 15". Another reason to consider the 15" is if the 1024x768 resolution on a 12" screen is a little too cramped for you.



    Given your stated use, I don't think you'd regret your purchase either way. They're both nice machines.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    jonnyboyjonnyboy Posts: 525member
    you guys are so friendly



    well it will probably be the 12" for me. my budget won't stretch too far, so i think it will be safe. no purchase for at least a month tho probably patience, patience!
  • Reply 5 of 7
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    A warning - Logic is quite a resource hog, much more than Reason. I use Logic Express on a PowerBook, and you'll get "unplayable" errors if you try to use several instruments with 512 MB. I'd recommend upping the RAM right away if you're going to be using Logic immediately.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    jonnyboyjonnyboy Posts: 525member
    well i'll probably ease into logic slowly as i still need to learn to use it. i'm willing to play that one by ear, but thanks for the info. i hear good things about logic's freeze function though??
  • Reply 7 of 7
    dave marshdave marsh Posts: 349member
    The new 12" PB has only ONE user accessible RAM slot, newly occupied with a 256MB SODIMM module, with the other 256MB soldered to the logic board. So, if you purchase with 512MB and choose to later upgrade by pulling out the 256MB SODIMM, you'll be able to go directly to 1.25GB and max out the laptop.
Sign In or Register to comment.