Advice for the buyer

lordowen

Now, I'm not a stranger to macs, PowerBooks especially, but with all the talk about Panther and 970, I'm suddenly left a bit in the lurch. I want to get the new 17in G4, but I'n not sure if late April will be the best time. I hate getting a new comp and then watching it get seriously upgraded within a couple of months (ex: Pismo)



I go to College in the fall, and I know I'm not the only one with this problem, but should I ditch my Lombard (that I've but a lot of work into, incl. a DVD drive and FireWire) and get the new one sooner, or just sit on it?

murbot

Purchasing advice actually belongs in General Discussion, lordowen.



Moving there now...

drboar

For a tower the answer is easy; Wait!

How long time for the 970 to migrate down in the portable is anyones guess. We all want the computer to run faster but if it is just slow I would wait. If it painfully slow and really takes the fun out of working with the computer get a new one. I have a new dual 1.25 now but if I could have kept the old B&W G3/300 I would have waited for the 970s. Unfortunaly the option was either a new computer or a 7300/200 and no OS X so I more or less had to buy one

buonrotto

Frankly, I think it's going to be a while before we have 10.3 Panther and 970s, especially in PowerBooks. Ask yourself a question: does a current Mac perform what I need it to perform and well for the next 3 years (or however long you plan to use that computer)? If it's yes, feel free to buy. New stuff is always on the horizon, and waiting for the latest and greatest when there's something that fulfills your needs well now and in the foreseeable future is just an exercise in frustration. If you do buy, make sure you're content with your decision, and promise yourself you won't be angry or jealous when the newest thing comes out soon afterwards. It's inevitable.



Besides, Murphy's law states that nothing new will come out until you buy your new computer.

ponton

I have the same problem, with one slight difference. If I can buy a 1.42 GHz system with 23" display for 25% discount, and with the history of using computers for 3-5+ years, is this still a good deal? Any comments?

steve

Of course it is a good deal. I can't believe you guys are acting like dual 1.42GHz G4's don't kick an incredible amount of ass. At the previous pricepoints, I might've been put off, but 25% off $2699 is not a bad deal at all. I don't think there is any task that can't be satisfied by that machine.



I mean, think about it. TWO practically one-and-a-half gigahertz processors, when PowerBooks have not even breached a single gigahertz, and still perform like they own the world.



The power is there. It's all a matter of price, which you obviously have taken care of with that discount. Go for it.

the general

If you need a new machine now, get a new machine now. if you dont then dont bother until you need one(unless, like I did, I could not refuse the 17" imac ...

remember, all these people saying wait for the 970, most of the time, they were the ones who were always saying wait for the g5, wait for the g4+, wait...wait..wait... then after a year and a half.. still waiting.

lordowen

Thanks guys. It would seem that the 17in PowerBook does have all that I need for the next couple of years, and if something better does come out, I can do what I did with my Lombard: open 'er up and replace components like there's no tomorrow.



I mean, I did manage to get a FireWire card and solder a DVD board in the sucker (albeit with interesting results), then swap out the drive. Besides, I can just get a tower after a while (yes, I know, they are good DrBoar), and use that for my "Power of God"-type work.