Question on the 12" PBs

imantaimanta
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I had a quick question for the knowledgable folks here. I was thinking about getting a 12 inch Powerbook and I am curious if anyone knows the difference between the 867mhz thing and the 1Ghz models, aside from the obvious CPU upgrade :-)



The real question is if that bump is noticeable and are there are other new things on the 1Ghz 12 inch to take into account. There are great deals on the old model, so I am just weighing the options.



Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    Other than the formal differences you can see on the Tech Specs pages, there are the usual arguments that Rev. B models often solve quirks of a Rev. A



    some Rev. A users moaned about slight warps to the case (all feet not touching)

    there were also a few beefs about hinge and latch behaviour in some shipments



    most of these issues are seldom reported (either only a few were ever bad, or Rev. B "fixed" things)



    do a search for 12" PB issues in Current Hardware, sort by date, YMMV.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    New model differences:

    - 512KB L2 cache vs. 256KB L2 Cache

    - 256MB onboard memory with dimm slot free, as opposed to 128MB onboard + 128MB dimm

    - GeforceFX 5200 Graphics vs. Geforce 420

    - USB2

    - DVI output
  • Reply 3 of 12
    ichiban_jayichiban_jay Posts: 660member
    and ram was upgradede to DDR.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    pianomanpianoman Posts: 4member
    Another *wonderful* improvement (easily notable in apple stores) on the Rev. B over Rev. A is the amount of heat given off. The Rev. B runs *much* cooler than the Rev. A did.



    -Ryan
  • Reply 5 of 12
    shabbasurajshabbasuraj Posts: 90member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Ichiban_jay

    and ram was upgradede to DDR.



    revA's already had DDR system memory...
  • Reply 6 of 12
    ichiban_jayichiban_jay Posts: 660member
    or notedede LOL
  • Reply 7 of 12
    pensievepensieve Posts: 661member
    I can't compare the 867 model to the 1ghz model, but I can say that my rev. A 867 model has been problem free since I got it. (Well, the feet fell off but that's because I tend to slide it around on surfaces.) The heat issue almost never gets to me. If you do get an 867, you'll be more than happy. Just be sure you get some sort of warranty on it because any little thing can be pricey to fix on a laptop.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    danmacmandanmacman Posts: 773member
    I am typing from my brand new rev B PowerBook G4 that I just got today. This is my second Mac, and first notebook of any kind. I've only had it about an hour, but so far so good - knock wood. The hand rest under my left hand is kinda getting warm, but no concerns as I expected this. And I haven't heard the fan kick in once, except for when I was running a cd briefly. Two quick questions PB users, a.) How long does it take for my battery to "calculate until full" and b.) Should I consider getting something like the RoadTools coolpad? Thanks.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    My 867MHz PowerBook was one of the best Macs I've owned. (867/256/60/AP/Combo)



    Heat was never an issue for me at all, and I heard the fan come on twice in the 4 months that I owned it. If it weren't for the insane offer I got for the machine, I'd have kept it for sure.



    Damn, after reading the list of improvements again, I almost feel bad about selling it for exactly what it cost me. 4 months of use for free. heh heh
  • Reply 10 of 12
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    dan, you should be running the battery down so it has a chance to calibrate itself...
  • Reply 11 of 12
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    Yep, run it right down until you get the warning message, and close anything important that you're running. Surf the web and listen to music until it goes to sleep on its own. Plug it in and let it charge to 100% and you should be good.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:

    My 867MHz PowerBook was one of the best Macs I've owned. (867/256/60/AP/Combo)



    I was surprised, until I remembered who the poster is.



    My rev. A 12" PowerBook still feels nice and new after nearly ten months. I don't need USB 2 or DVI, but how much better is the GeForce 5200 than the 420 ? Any handy benchmarks? (Asking out of curiousity, not a need to upgrade.)
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