Is this iBook better than 12in PB?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Okay, first time poster, long time lurker with a serious (well not THAT serious) dilemma. For the longest time, I was going to buy a 12in PB in January after MW. After some serious soul searching and some comparison shopping, I think this might be the better deal:



ibook (933 mhz) with 80gb hd, 680 gb ram and superdrive from MCE for $1,739 u.s (there's no sales tax, right?)



I'm reneging on the whole PB because I'm afraid it's just too small. I know the res is the same but the pixels are bigger. Reasons: for one, my vision sucks. Two, I've had a Pismo for 2 plus years and love the screen size (but do hate the bulk). Three, I've played with a rev. A 14in iB and loved it. I want the superdrive becaue I'm a big all-in-one type of guy. I'm absolutely not a power user but want this model because of USB 2.0 (my camera) and want to trade up from G3.



So my main concern is this: are the MCE people reliable? Will the new superdrive work like any other Apple SD? And, is it worth the extra $200 for the 67mhz if I were to trade up? Thanks for all your input!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    If I remember correctly, the iBook does not have the option of a superdrive, therefore you may be better off with the 12 or 15 inch powerbook, depending on what you can afford.



    -Ryan
  • Reply 2 of 6
    pesipesi Posts: 424member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pianoman

    If I remember correctly, the iBook does not have the option of a superdrive, therefore you may be better off with the 12 or 15 inch powerbook, depending on what you can afford.



    -Ryan




    MCE is offering a sort of aftermarket upgrade of the new G4 iBooks to a superdrive.



    big minus of this: no iDVD
  • Reply 3 of 6
    machemmachem Posts: 319member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pesi

    MCE is offering a sort of aftermarket upgrade of the new G4 iBooks to a superdrive.



    big minus of this: no iDVD




    But if he happened to find a copy of iDVD somewhere, lying on the ground, he'd be able to install it, I'm sure.



    Sounds like you've convinced yourself, and that's the only person that matters. Besides, you could do this now, and not have to wait until the MWSF circus.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    this question comes down to bulk. Do you mind it or not? Only you can answer that. As for me, size is paramount: the smaller the better, hence i love my 12" PB. My vision sucks too, but the screen size here is fine.



    NeilyB
  • Reply 5 of 6
    jcjc Posts: 342member
    OK, the difference between the iBook and the PB goes far beyond 67mghz. everything from the system bus on up. it is after all a Pro machine were as the iBook is a consumer model. the pb will give you more productivity for longer. I think the pb screen is better as well. if i were you i would think a bit harder about the 15. plus with a pb you may even get panther (OSX10.3)
  • Reply 6 of 6
    all new laptops ship with panther.



    biggest difference besides screen size, GPU, and L2 size:

    Code:




    12"PB 14" G4 iBook

    512K L2 cache 256K L2 cache

    NVIDIA GeForce FXGo5200 ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (both w32MB DDR VRAM)

    mini-DVI out analog out only

    official spanning firmware hack spanning, otherwise only mirroring

    closed lid support no closed lid operation

    superdrive no superdrive (3rd party, mebbe... mebbe voids warranty)



    hard drives and optical drives may differ in speed depending on config/BTO.



    both machines can take 1Gb RAM sticks in open slot









    tough call...



    edit: meh... required code formatting for layout
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