PowerBook buying advice

socrates

Okay, so I've decided that the time has come to say goodbye to my Pismo. I want a new machine, and I was all set to get the new 15 inch AlBook, until I heard about all the trouble with the screen, etc.



So now I'm torn. I really want all the power of the 15inch, but I'm sorely tempted by the 12inch instead. I'm a programmer/web developer so I need a decent screen and a powerful processor. I also like to play games occasionally.



So here are some specific questions about the 12inch as compared to the 15inch:



- Is the Geforce Go 5200 any good? Will the 32MB VRam gap make that much of a difference for my needs?



- Is the machine fast/snappy?



- How much ram should I get? Is 768MB enough, or even 512? I don't want to spend masses of extra money for a very small performance boost.



- How robust is it? I want to carry it about in a rucksack and I don't want it to get trashed like I know the 15inch PB would.



Will I always regret it if I buy a 12inch now, or would I do well to avoid the horrendous nightmare that the 15inch machine has proved to be for others on this forum?



Thanks in advance,



Socrates

cosmonut

I'm going to wait until after MWSF in January before I buy a 15", hoping that it'll get a revision/update then.



If I were you, I'd wait until then or buy a 17" now. I think if you go down to the 12" screen, you'll get annoyed with its small size after a while.

trowa

I found the 12" powerbook screen to be too small for me. I know I can always hook it up to a monitor/LCD but what happens when I can't? A friend of mine has the 12" and he is happy with it, although he says at times he wished it had a little more juice.



I think the 15" is the perfect blend of power and portability. I love the 17" screen, just wish it was a little lighter. If you decide to get the 15", try to go to a local apple store and ask them if you can check it out first before you buy. There have been some reports of defects with the newer models.



whatever powerbook you decide to get, make sure you get 1 GB (or more if you can). it seems to make a big difference.

scott

The 12" is plenty big for me. I knew I liked it because the wife's iBook was just fine.



The first run of anything from Apple is always a little off, look at my missing feet and the slight bend in the Al at the latch \, but I would guess that the 15" out now are worked out much better.

socrates

Thanks for all your help. I had a look at the 12" side by side with the new 15" at my local John Lewis (no Apple stores in sunny England I'm afraid).



I couldn't really compare the screens properly as the one on the 15" display model wasn't working (not a great sign), however the one on the 12" did seem dimmer than the beautiful 17" screen nearby, and also seemed really tiny.



I know it has the same resolution as my existing model (that is to say, even though it's smaller, it has just as many pixels and therefore the effective display area is the same) but it just seems so small that I don't think I could stand it.



I'm probably gonna plump for the 15", though I'll probably have to wait till after christmas before they have any in stock anywhere (the lady on the Apple store phone line said they didn't have any because Apple were fixing the screen problems, which I suppose is a good sign).



I think I would kick myself if I spent £2000 on a fully kitted-out 12" now, when the same amount would buy me a (hopefully bug-free) 15" in a couple of months.

pensieve

Do you want portability or more screen size? I do a fair bit of web programming and I find that the 12" is ideal for how much I need to move around. At home, I'll connect to a 17" monitor and keyboard. For me, the portability factor wins out and if I need more room I'm at home where I've got another monitor to attach. It works great.

socrates

I can't really decide. I do move about a fair bit, though I don't really work whilst on the road. The portability aspect of the 12" is very nice, but I don't think I would ever really use an external monitor - it just doesn't suit the way I work; I like to work in bed rather than at a desk.



If I get a 12" it will have to be because I can live with using that tiny screen most (if not all) of the time, and I'm not sure I can do that after using a 14" for so long.



And then there's the other drawbacks - slower processor, crappier graphics card, no PC card slot (I have a compact-flash adaptor for my camera and this thing is a real timesaver), and no illuminated keyboard, which would be quite handy for someone who works in bed :-)