powerbook questions

nickgb

Hi, have a couple questions.



So I want to buy a 15" Powerbook, namely for its audio line-in capabilities. (I want to be able to hook up a midi keyboard for sheet music composition). I also want to be able to run Jaguar, and Panther eventually. So I know that basically all generations of G4 powerbooks can do these things, but is there a generation below which OS X performance drops off dramatically? I currently use one of the newer 700 mhz iBooks, with the 16mb Radeon and 640 megs of RAM. Jaguar performance is acceptable - nothing like a fast G4, obviously, but decent. Would moving to a similarly equipped Powerbook at say, 500 mhz, be a positive or negative change? I realize the importance of having 32mb of video ram, too, though - what is the earliest Powerbook generation to boast this feature?



I'm definitely going to wait to buy until the new Powerbooks come out, because I assume their arrival will drive prices on older 'books down. Perhaps the better question would be, what's the best Powerbook I can get for $1000-1200?



thanks

luca

Let's see...



I think moving to a 500 MHz PowerBook would drop your performance. My 800 Mhz iBook gets XBench scores in between 550 MHz and 667 MHz PowerBooks, so your 700 MHz iBook would probably be about equivalent to a 550 MHz PowerBook.



Also, the 400 and 500 MHz PowerBooks only had a pitiful 8 MB of VRAM. Absolutely avoid these because you'd be better off with your iBook. The 550 MHz and first-generation 667 MHz had 16 MB Radeons, the same card that is in your iBook. It is the minimum necessary for Quartz Extreme support. Then there was the 667 MHz and 800 MHz revision which has 32 MB Radeon 7500s, like the latest iBooks. Finally, the 867 MHz and 1 GHz revision (which has been around for something like nine months now) has 32 MB or 64 MB Radeon 9000s.



I'd say you shouldn't even consider anything under the second revision of the 667 MHz PowerBook. Those are probably about $1400 now, but I'm not completely sure. That revision didn't just give it a much better graphics card, but it also increased the screen resolution and gave it L3 cache.



If you're looking for one for $1000-$1200... I'd say just stay with the iBook. You won't see any improvement in performance if you get a PowerBook for that price. They command a premium price because of their expandability (replaceable hard drive, PC card slot) and their large screen. Even 400/500 MHz PowerBooks are $800-$1100 on eBay. 550 MHz ones are $1100-$1200. But even though the 550 MHz would roughly equal the performance of your iBook, I'd recommend waiting a little while, saving a little more money, and waiting for prices to drop a little before buying anything. If you could get a 667 DVI for $1300 or so, that would be an okay upgrade, although an 800 MHz or higher would of course be better.

nickgb

Quote:

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno

Let's see...

Thanks for that considered, articulate response! Yeah, I know $1000-1200 is a pretty ludicrous price point for a decent powerbook - in a better, kinder world, the iBook would come with audio line-in and that would be that.



Any predictions for how the arrival of the new powerbooks will affect the basic eBay price scale described by Luca? Clearly, people willing to pay 2500-3000 for a laptop will move to the new top-end, right? thereby dropping prices on the eBay offerings proportionally....

satchmo

Quote:

Originally posted by nickgb





Any predictions for how the arrival of the new powerbooks will affect the basic eBay price scale described by Luca? Clearly, people willing to pay 2500-3000 for a laptop will move to the new top-end, right? thereby dropping prices on the eBay offerings proportionally....

I think the value of the current PB will greatly depend on this new 15" PB everyone is waiting for.

A minor speedbump with a few cosmetic changes (i.e. Aluminum vs.Titanium) may keep the TiPB's resale value relatively high.

On the other hand, if the next iteration of a PB is G5 based...the prices of Ti's will fall drastically.

taoofmars

Quote:

Originally posted by nickgb

Thanks for that considered, articulate response! Yeah, I know $1000-1200 is a pretty ludicrous price point for a decent powerbook - in a better, kinder world, the iBook would come with audio line-in and that would be that.



Any predictions for how the arrival of the new powerbooks will affect the basic eBay price scale described by Luca? Clearly, people willing to pay 2500-3000 for a laptop will move to the new top-end, right? thereby dropping prices on the eBay offerings proportionally....

if all u need for your setup is audio-in, why don't you just get a small USB line-in like the Griffin iMic or something similar (or better, since you seem to have a grand or so ready to spend )?



unrefined googlage

nickgb

Yeah... it's true that I should probably just go for the iMic. I had sort of made myself forget that such devices were readily available...



However - I've found what seems like a pretty good deal, and would love some opinions.



A used 800mhz Powerbook, the DVI model, for just under $1000. The seller seems legit (not one of the Madrid-based Western Union types) and the pictures are all unique - that is, not the generic marketing photos, but digipics taken of the computer in someone's living room.



Assuming I can verify that he's the real deal, this seems like a pretty good bargain, right? All I really want that my iBook lacks is some more screen real-estate, a slot loading drive, and a little more VRAM. In addition, of course, to the audio line.



Opinions?

longhorn

as a completely unanticipated benefit of the TiPB's for audio guys, turns out Ti is really good at blocking electrical signals/noise.



for the hardcore audio guys, these laptops are a great little bonus. you might not really care at that level though, just something to keep in mind.

nickgb

ARGH! Why is eBay rife with such STUPID criminals?



I mean, when I get myself involved in a too-good-to-be-true deal, at least let me remain a believer past the feedback page! The last guy I investigated had the decency to hijack someone else's account - apparently hoping I wouldn't think to hard about the oddity of a small-time antique teapot collector selling a 17" powerbook for a grand. This one registered with eBay on August 19th, which just happens to be the same day that all three of the auctions in his feedback history started and ended. Not only that, but he apparently expects you to believe that he shipped the items, and that they were received by the buyers, all on august 19th. The same trio of supposed eBayers bid on the items (cell phones, it seems) and their one-item feedback histories were mysteriously composed of comments left by one another as well.



I don't mean to seem paranoid, but this sort of looks like he set up a bunch of eBay accounts, made them bid on his "auctions", and then had the dummy accounts leave feedback on his account to boost his rating.



Now, all this doesn't preclude him from having, or even from intending to sell, his Powerbook. But even if he is legit, how can he expect people to send money to a seller who makes such an clumsy effort to legitimize himself?

res

nickgb -- the audio in on the powerbook will not help you with MIDI; you will need a USB MIDI interface. If you want to recored audio as well, you can get a USB MIDI/Audio interface for under $200.



A 700MHz iBook is more then powerful enough for basic composing and sheet music software.



There is a lot of useful information on interfaces and recording in the forums at http://www.osxaudio.com/index.php

nickgb

Quote:

Originally posted by Res

nickgb -- the audio in on the powerbook will not help you with MIDI; you will need a USB MIDI interface. If you want to recored audio as well, you can get a USB MIDI/Audio interface for under $200.



A 700MHz iBook is more then powerful enough for basic composing and sheet music software.



There is a lot of useful information on interfaces and recording in the forums at http://www.osxaudio.com/index.php

\\





thanks for the heads-up!