About to buy a new PowerBook: need your help/advices/opinions... !!!
Hey guys,
Like many people on thie board, I'm about to become a new member of the MAC community after 12 years in the world of Microsoft
I've studied all the possibilities, and I'm almost set on my choice (Pb 1,5Ghz, 15", 1Go RAM, 128Mo video, 80Go HD...) but I still have a few questions:
- I'm gonna start with 1Go for the RAM. Do you think I may need more in the future and should take it on one slot instead of 2?
- for the harddrive, there's not a big difference in price by taking the 5400, but I was wondering if that would alter the battery life compared to the 4200. Is the performance bonus worth the battery life reduction?
- for the Xtreme Airport: is the new one very interesting? Since I'll soon be in Paris and will ahve a modem with my DSL line, I may take the Airport without the modem and with the new features (power over ethernet and UL2043)
- could you give me some links for the best protections (skins, bags...). Also, should you put a protection on the screen when you travel with it, so that the keyboard won't let any mark on the screen?
- Is AppleCare worth it? I think no, since it's very expensive and never had any problem with my hardware before... but i need your input there!
- have you guys taken any optional features like sofwares when u bought yours?
Thanks for all your help, I'm gonna buy mine as soon as I'll have some good replies here
Like many people on thie board, I'm about to become a new member of the MAC community after 12 years in the world of Microsoft
I've studied all the possibilities, and I'm almost set on my choice (Pb 1,5Ghz, 15", 1Go RAM, 128Mo video, 80Go HD...) but I still have a few questions:
- I'm gonna start with 1Go for the RAM. Do you think I may need more in the future and should take it on one slot instead of 2?
- for the harddrive, there's not a big difference in price by taking the 5400, but I was wondering if that would alter the battery life compared to the 4200. Is the performance bonus worth the battery life reduction?
- for the Xtreme Airport: is the new one very interesting? Since I'll soon be in Paris and will ahve a modem with my DSL line, I may take the Airport without the modem and with the new features (power over ethernet and UL2043)
- could you give me some links for the best protections (skins, bags...). Also, should you put a protection on the screen when you travel with it, so that the keyboard won't let any mark on the screen?
- Is AppleCare worth it? I think no, since it's very expensive and never had any problem with my hardware before... but i need your input there!
- have you guys taken any optional features like sofwares when u bought yours?
Thanks for all your help, I'm gonna buy mine as soon as I'll have some good replies here
Comments
I have the 15" 1.5Ghz, with 128MB of vid. mem. along with the 5400 RPM drive, and a single 512. I love this computer a lot, its replacing my desktop G4 which I have had for a while.
Go with the 5400 RPM drive, there is little to no difference in battery life, and the added speed out wieghs the the battery life issue.
If you have the cash, go with the single 1GB stick of ram, (lucky you)
I myself am trying to find a nice bag for my powerbook, but make sure it really fits. My friend has one of these bags - http://www.booqbags.com/ - and they rock....
Go with the faster drive, it is worth it. Also go with the 128 vram. You never know what apps will require it in the future.
As for bags I like Marware.
http://www.marware.com/Overview_N_Laptop.html. I have the Sportfolio. There are a lot of good manufactures out there so it will come down to your taste and how how many accessories you will be carrying with you.
Software - That is hard to answer. Apple gives you alot for the non pro apps free. I would upgrade Quicktime to pro. I do a lot with Photoshop so that was a must for me. I also have MS Office but I could get by with AppleWorks. You might check Version Tracker http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/. It will give you a good idea of what is out there.
I have apple care but have never had to use it. But peace of mind is nice to have.
reg
I saw it in person the other day and they are made beautifully , are light and would protect a Powerbook very well.
As a matter of fact I'm getting one, here's a link:
http://www.brenthaven.com/flash.html
moving now!
Originally posted by ult_David
I've studied all the possibilities, and I'm almost set on my choice (Pb 1,5Ghz, 15", 1Go RAM, 128Mo video, 80Go HD...) but I still have a few questions:
- I'm gonna start with 1Go for the RAM. Do you think I may need more in the future and should take it on one slot instead of 2?
Definitely get the 128MB VRAM Radeon 9700 card. Its very cheap. As for RAM. You *will* need more *in the future* (you always need more RAM in the future), but a total of 1GB is plenty *now* for people who use PowerBooks casually (iApps, MSWord, Safari etc) and useable enough for Pros who Photoshop etc Are you a pro user? Whether you are or not, get as much RAM in as few sticks *as you can afford*, BUT NOT FROM APPLE. Apple RAM is hideously expensive: 1x Apple 512MB stick costs £210.00 1xCrucial 512MB stick costs £83.41 -- Crazy!!)
- for the harddrive, there's not a big difference in price by taking the 5400, but I was wondering if that would alter the battery life compared to the 4200. Is the performance bonus worth the battery life reduction?
Get the bigger hard drive unless you will get a 7200RPM in the future and install it yourself (and void your warranty). Its reasonably cheap and there's not much battery hit. My 5400RPM 1.25Ghz PB runs for about 3hrs, medium usage -- you can't get much better on a PowerBook I'm afraid
- for the Xtreme Airport: is the new one very interesting? Since I'll soon be in Paris and will ahve a modem with my DSL line, I may take the Airport without the modem and with the new features (power over ethernet and UL2043)
Not an expert here, but the UL2043 specification just means the device conforms to health and safety guidelines so that it can be put in ceiling ventilation spaces in offices etc-- nothing for you to worry about methinks. Look at a close comparison here. Maybe you should get the Airport Extreme WITH modem if in the next couple of years you will move somewhere where you don't have broadband?
- could you give me some links for the best protections (skins, bags...). Also, should you put a protection on the screen when you travel with it, so that the keyboard won't let any mark on the screen?
I use the Tucano Second Skin Folder (made from neoprene -- rubbery material that protects from scratches) and just put that in my good Karrimor rucksack. Download product catalogue (English) from here.
- Is AppleCare worth it? I think no, since it's very expensive and never had any problem with my hardware before... but i need your input there!
Most people here will say its worth it -- you never know what might go wrong. I didn't buy Applecare with my PowerBook (I generally think extended warranties are a rip-off), but my PB is the only thing of such expense that I carry around with me and so my prejudices change concerning it. All computers are more and more likely to f**k up the older they get -- this is especially true for notebooks with all their miniaturisation and wear and tear -- so I intend to buy an extra 2 years of Applecare for my PB before the 1 year warranty runs out. More details here. Look at previous AI discussions on the subject.
- have you guys taken any optional features like sofwares when u bought yours?
I bought Final Cut Express bundled with my PB because it was only about £20, but I've never used (although I *intend* to... when I get a camera
Thanks for all your help, I'm gonna buy mine as soon as I'll have some good replies here
Is this good enough
P.S. I couldn't find AppleCare for PowerBooks on the UK Apple store. Strange huh? Can someone check for me?
Originally posted by SonOfSylvanus
P.S. I couldn't find AppleCare for PowerBooks on the UK Apple store. Strange huh? Can someone check for me?
All I see is a link from the UK info page for Applecare, but the Powerbook links don't seem to show the "Add to cart/order" buttons on the left side.
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObje...earnMore=M8853
I've studied all the possibilities, and I'm almost set on my choice (Pb 1,5Ghz, 15", 1Go RAM, 128Mo video, 80Go HD...) but I still have a few questions:
Are you're capital B's not working or something
Originally posted by ult_David
I've studied all the possibilities, and I'm almost set on my choice (Pb 1,5Ghz, 15", 1Go RAM, 128Mo video, 80Go HD...) but I still have a few questions:
- I'm gonna start with 1Go for the RAM. Do you think I may need more in the future and should take it on one slot instead of 2?
- for the Xtreme Airport: is the new one very interesting? Since I'll soon be in Paris and will ahve a modem with my DSL line, I may take the Airport without the modem and with the new features (power over ethernet and UL2043)
- Is AppleCare worth it? I think no, since it's very expensive and never had any problem with my hardware before... but i need your input there!
Hi, I'm also from Helsinki. Going to buy a new Powerbook tomorrow, the store (Tektor) called me on Friday and told they have the new books. I'm going to buy the combo model. This will be my first own Mac as well.
It's sound advice that you should only buy the minimum (256MB) of memory, since for the price you pay for the upgrade to even a 512MB chip at Apple Store, you can buy a 512MB chip (for a total of 768MB) and have money left over. If you want more, you should still get aftermarket chips and sell the original component. You could take a look at http://www.mbnet.fi/hintaseuranta/ and check out the market prices for SO-DIMM SDRAM. Me, I'll start out with 256MB and add 512MB later.
Airport (802.11b) has a top speed of 11MBps, Airport Extreme (802.11g) a speed of 52MBps. Neither is a potential bottleneck when you connect to Internet through a cable modem (generally 512KBps-1MBps) or other slow connection. 802.11g is useful if you do large file transfers inside a local network or you have an extremely fast direct Internet connection. AFAIK you would need an expensive router at the other end to use the power over ethernet feature.
I doubt 128MB of VRAM is much good, but to know for sure, there have to be application specific benchmarks. Two links for reference.
Tom's Hardware Guide reviews the first 128MB cards in 2002:
http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphi...205/index.html
Barefeats says they'll have AlBook 128MB benchmark up soon:
http://www.barefeats.com/pb11.html
One odd thing about the 15" vs. the 17" is that the 17" DOES come with 1 512 module standard. When you take that into account, the price difference between the 17" and the 15" is pretty small. If you're at all thinking about the 17", you might want to consider that. If you prefer the size of the 15", then it's no big deal, but if you're looking for an excuse to buy the 17", that's a pretty good one.
Originally posted by SonOfSylvanus
P.S. I couldn't find AppleCare for PowerBooks on the UK Apple store. Strange huh? Can someone check for me?
Yeah, strange. Especially as I'm sure the PowerBook link was there about 10 days ago. (I too have a less-than-1-year-old PB, and I'm going to buy the extra 2 years this summer). I was stooging around the UK Apple Store 10 days ago, but decided I'd wait a couple months more before spending £279. But now the PB link has gone.
Alternatively, order a random PowerBook at the online store, and add AppleCare. At the checkout page, remove the PowerBook, just leaving the AppleCare. Voila. Or am I missing something?!