What would be a good replacement for my desktop?
I am in a bit of a pickle.
Early this year, I wasn't even into computers that much. I used mine a lot, but basically just for internet surfing and games. My primary interest was astronomy and telescopes. So I didn't need much of a computer - I used an 8100/100 with a 14" monitor and 112 MB of RAM. It got frustrating, though, and I wanted something better. Lucky for me, my dad replaced his Wallstreet 233 with a TiBook 550 in April, so he gave me his old Wallstreet and I sold the 8100. That's when I started really liking computers. I eventually put OS X on the Wallstreet, and I upgraded the hard drive and RAM to be more useful. Finally, about two months ago, I replaced the Wallstreet with a PowerMac G4 tower, dual 500 MHz with a Radeon graphics card.
I love the thing, but I'm starting to think that I should have gotten another laptop instead of this desktop. I have a few concerns, but I also have many good reasons to get a laptop. Here's how I broke it down:
1. I really like having multiple hard drives on my desktop. If one ever fails, I can just back up the data to the other one while I reformat and reinstall on the failed one. That happened just earlier this week. I also like the amount of storage I have - right now I have an 80 GB and a 40 GB hard drive, both internal. Perhaps I could get an external Firewire case for one of them, and sell the other.
2. I want to burn CDs and watch DVDs, so a combo drive model would be a definite plus. My tower has a combo drive in it and I don't know how I'd get along without it.
3. I'm fine with just about any 1024x768 screen, but a higher resolution would be awesome. Also, the tiny 12" iBook screen gives me eyestrain, so I would have to get a 14" one if I got an iBook.
4. I was a bit concerned about expandability, but usually it's more cost effective to replace rather than to upgrade. Often times, a few hundred dollars more will bring you from a major processor upgrade to a major upgrade for the entire system.
However, I have a number of good reasons for wanting a laptop:
1. I am in college. I never really brought my Wallstreet with me most places, but I didn't realize we had both wired and wireless networks throughout the campus.
2. My roommate is a bit of an early bird, he likes to go to bed early and wake up early. That, of course, conflicts with my schedule. So it would be nice to take my computer out into the lounge and just plug in there, so I don't have to wait until he's asleep to start using my computer again.
3. I often go between the dorm and home. It's way too inconvenient to bring my huge tower and huger monitor (a 17" ADC CRT) home each weekend that I come home, so I generally just have a cheapo computer at home I can use to check my email. It was a 7500 for a while, now it might be my dad's beige G3 that he rarely uses. But having all my contacts and files with me would really help a lot.
My current system could probably pull in about $1200-$1500 depending on how I configure it. Right now, it's like this:
Toshiba SD-R1202 16x10x40x12x CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
Internal Zip 100 drive
80 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital SE hard drive
40 GB 7200 RPM IBM Deskstar hard drive
512 MB of RAM on one DIMM
Dual 500 MHz G4s
Radeon AGP Mac Edition (ADC and VGA, 32 MB)
17" Apple Studio Display CRT
Pro Keyboard
Logitech Wheel Mouse
No modem
If I sold it I would definitely keep the mouse and keyboard. Laptop keyboards are okay but the lack of a numeric keypad is bothersome.
BTW, I never would take my laptop into class and take notes with it, and I don't go to the library and study ever (I study in my dorm room, looking up articles on Lexis-Nexis). I would just take the laptop with me to check my email or surf the web from anywhere, and I would be able to bring it home as well.
Finally, there's gaming... I have quite a few games on my current machine, with Max Payne and Unreal Tournament being the two most demanding ones. However, I'm not much of a gamer anymore, and most of my games will probably run well on just about anything from the last two or three years - games like EV Nova, Deimos Rising, and Age of Empires II. Even Unreal Tournament was good on my Wallstreet, if I turned all the effects way down. What about Quake 3? I used the demo on my computer and it just flies at the max settings - how would it perform on other setups?
I think I can live without a whole lot of gaming... and if I get something like a current 14" iBook as a replacement, I'll have a good deal of hard drive space as well as a graphics card comparable to my current one.
So... after that long winded question-statement-ramble thing, does anyone have suggestions for what I should do?
EDIT: I also have some qualms about getting rid of this system because I made a bet with a friend that I would keep it until it is as old as my 8100 was when I got rid of it... so if I replace it before 2008, I owe him a dollar
Basically I think I can handle having a low end computer, this is the first time I've had anything other than a low end one.
[ 12-05-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]
[ 12-05-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]</p>
Early this year, I wasn't even into computers that much. I used mine a lot, but basically just for internet surfing and games. My primary interest was astronomy and telescopes. So I didn't need much of a computer - I used an 8100/100 with a 14" monitor and 112 MB of RAM. It got frustrating, though, and I wanted something better. Lucky for me, my dad replaced his Wallstreet 233 with a TiBook 550 in April, so he gave me his old Wallstreet and I sold the 8100. That's when I started really liking computers. I eventually put OS X on the Wallstreet, and I upgraded the hard drive and RAM to be more useful. Finally, about two months ago, I replaced the Wallstreet with a PowerMac G4 tower, dual 500 MHz with a Radeon graphics card.
I love the thing, but I'm starting to think that I should have gotten another laptop instead of this desktop. I have a few concerns, but I also have many good reasons to get a laptop. Here's how I broke it down:
1. I really like having multiple hard drives on my desktop. If one ever fails, I can just back up the data to the other one while I reformat and reinstall on the failed one. That happened just earlier this week. I also like the amount of storage I have - right now I have an 80 GB and a 40 GB hard drive, both internal. Perhaps I could get an external Firewire case for one of them, and sell the other.
2. I want to burn CDs and watch DVDs, so a combo drive model would be a definite plus. My tower has a combo drive in it and I don't know how I'd get along without it.
3. I'm fine with just about any 1024x768 screen, but a higher resolution would be awesome. Also, the tiny 12" iBook screen gives me eyestrain, so I would have to get a 14" one if I got an iBook.
4. I was a bit concerned about expandability, but usually it's more cost effective to replace rather than to upgrade. Often times, a few hundred dollars more will bring you from a major processor upgrade to a major upgrade for the entire system.
However, I have a number of good reasons for wanting a laptop:
1. I am in college. I never really brought my Wallstreet with me most places, but I didn't realize we had both wired and wireless networks throughout the campus.
2. My roommate is a bit of an early bird, he likes to go to bed early and wake up early. That, of course, conflicts with my schedule. So it would be nice to take my computer out into the lounge and just plug in there, so I don't have to wait until he's asleep to start using my computer again.
3. I often go between the dorm and home. It's way too inconvenient to bring my huge tower and huger monitor (a 17" ADC CRT) home each weekend that I come home, so I generally just have a cheapo computer at home I can use to check my email. It was a 7500 for a while, now it might be my dad's beige G3 that he rarely uses. But having all my contacts and files with me would really help a lot.
My current system could probably pull in about $1200-$1500 depending on how I configure it. Right now, it's like this:
Toshiba SD-R1202 16x10x40x12x CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
Internal Zip 100 drive
80 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital SE hard drive
40 GB 7200 RPM IBM Deskstar hard drive
512 MB of RAM on one DIMM
Dual 500 MHz G4s
Radeon AGP Mac Edition (ADC and VGA, 32 MB)
17" Apple Studio Display CRT
Pro Keyboard
Logitech Wheel Mouse
No modem
If I sold it I would definitely keep the mouse and keyboard. Laptop keyboards are okay but the lack of a numeric keypad is bothersome.
BTW, I never would take my laptop into class and take notes with it, and I don't go to the library and study ever (I study in my dorm room, looking up articles on Lexis-Nexis). I would just take the laptop with me to check my email or surf the web from anywhere, and I would be able to bring it home as well.
Finally, there's gaming... I have quite a few games on my current machine, with Max Payne and Unreal Tournament being the two most demanding ones. However, I'm not much of a gamer anymore, and most of my games will probably run well on just about anything from the last two or three years - games like EV Nova, Deimos Rising, and Age of Empires II. Even Unreal Tournament was good on my Wallstreet, if I turned all the effects way down. What about Quake 3? I used the demo on my computer and it just flies at the max settings - how would it perform on other setups?
I think I can live without a whole lot of gaming... and if I get something like a current 14" iBook as a replacement, I'll have a good deal of hard drive space as well as a graphics card comparable to my current one.
So... after that long winded question-statement-ramble thing, does anyone have suggestions for what I should do?
EDIT: I also have some qualms about getting rid of this system because I made a bet with a friend that I would keep it until it is as old as my 8100 was when I got rid of it... so if I replace it before 2008, I owe him a dollar
Basically I think I can handle having a low end computer, this is the first time I've had anything other than a low end one.[ 12-05-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]
[ 12-05-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]</p>
Comments
My school's custom Apple store offers the lowest end PowerBook for $2075 ($2111 with double RAM offer), not including the ridiculous inclusion of state sales tax (6.5% in MN). That's a bit out of my range.
They also have refurbished 667 MHz PowerBooks at the Apple store, for $1699.
Then there is the current 14" iBook 800 MHz for $1496 ($1530 with double RAM), and the refurbished previous generation 14" iBook 700 MHz for $1299.
I want this to last a while so I don't really want anything earlier than the DVI PowerBooks or the 600/700 lineup of iBooks.
Also, the Powerbooks have the reputation of being a bit toasty at times, and having a rather loud fan (when it comes on, that is).
Yet, a Powerbook has a droolworthy 15.2 inch widescreen, and I really think widescreen is the way to go if you ever use programs like photoshop, or even if you tend to use two or three programs at the same time.
I think, however, your best take would be the 800 ibook, closesly followed by the Powerbook. I wouldn't go for the 700, especially if that is only $200 off.
I really think you don't need a desktop once you have a PowerBook. And as to hard-drives: you can do as you say (firewire enclosure) for redundancy.
Also, the PowerBook keeps it value really well. Even more so than desktop machines (IMO).
I'll have to at least wait until after Xmas. Then I'll see.
If you wanna drop the desktop then sell it and get the 667 Powerbook.
[EDIT] STUPID HOMONYMS!!!!!
[ 12-05-2002: Message edited by: Spiffster ]</p>
Okay maybe it's not that bad, but I wouldn't want to spend any amount of time in it.
I love my iBook, but if I had the money I'd trade it for one of those 667's in a heartbeat. The Powerbook is certainly faster, has a better graphics card (excepting the latest iBooks) and a bigger screen. If you want a backup HD, get an external Firewire drive. The biggest problem is if the internal drive of the PB should die... that's pricey! So certainly pick up the extended Applecare for it.
- Sell-off everything
- Hit some dumpsters near computer stores or commercial parks. Sell the parts that work.
I used to do this on Saturday nights in the summer (before I was 21) and I made quite a bit of money. Often you'd find whole, working systems in the trash. I could sell a trashed 200MhzPMMX for about 50 bucks, and the thing is that you usually find a bunch where you find one.
Once my friend found a working Fiber Hub which he sold for 8000 dollars.
Now I'm on it and I love it. Go for the powerbook.
<strong>
They also have refurbished 667 MHz PowerBooks at the Apple store, for $1699.
Then there is the current 14" iBook 800 MHz for $1496 ($1530 with double RAM), and the refurbished previous generation 14" iBook 700 MHz for $1299.
I want this to last a while so I don't really want anything earlier than the DVI PowerBooks or the 600/700 lineup of iBooks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Hey Luca, I 'm in exactly the same boat. After a process of elimination, I thought I had my answer.
First, I would rule out the previous 700 iBook if you're looking for longevity. The additional 16mb in the videocard will help in the long run. That said, the new 14" iBook was ruled out after playing having seen it next to the 12" and PB.
So it was between the 800mhz 12" iBook and a PB. While my needs are that I can live with an iBook, there were 2 main reasons I won't.
First, is screen size. It has a very sharp screen but it no comparison to the PB. Second, is the keyboard. The iBook's keyboard is too chiclet like and noisy. Not rubbery like the PB.
The only problem is the price. At $1699, the PB is still a good $400 more than the iBook.
It's still a tough call...damn i wish there was a 13.3" iBook!
Good luck on your decision and wish me the same.