Loaded 15" PB or Stock 17" PB?
I am still debating between a loaded 15" PowerBook (128mb graphics memory & 5400 HD)or a stock 17" PB. I am trying to stay in the $2500 range (educational discount). I take my laptop to and from home to school daily, do some traveling and hangout in cafés. I web design and do some occasional video/DVD editing. This will also be my main computer (I currently have a 15? PB 667). Any thoughts?
Comments
Now a loaded 17"...wow.
But as it stands (loaded 15" OR stock 17"), I'd have to choose the former. And you mention taking it around quite a bit...the 15" is probably a tad more luggable and compact than the 17", for day-to-day class/cafe hauling.
5400rpm and 128MB graphics...do it.
[stiller]Do it. Do it.[/stiller]
Originally posted by sunrein
I've got a loaded 15" PB (1.25) and I love it. I'd choose it any day over a stock 17" for its portability and usefulness. On the high end of things, I use it for live multitrack recording and audio editing. It's never let me down once and I've never felt cramped by the screen size (thanks to expose).
sunrein What app do you use to multitrack with? Also, (just presuming here) what Firewire box are you using to route the signal into the PB?
TIA
is it the VGA or DVI version?
if it is the VGA version--you know you can get $700 if you trade it in?!
oh and I hope you are keeping the ram stock on the 15" otherwise you can get the same LOADED 17" for just $100 more...
If your doing work that requires the 5400rpm HDD and the 128VRAM then get the 15"tho... im only getting the 17"cos i can get an awesome discount and becasue i made sucha profit from selling my last PB.
But yeah go to a 17"and you wont go back to anything else.
Ah yes. And the reasons I bought the 17" over an 15" powerbook:
1: 17" portable screen. Being a graphic artist, I need a large screen that I can take with me to work, home, and to numerous other studios.
Reasons I bought the 17" over the 12" powerbook (Includes previous statements):
3: Backlit keyboard. I don't know about you, but when I am laying on my side in bed, I find it difficult -not- to "two-finger type". And it's usually dark, to boot.
3: 128mb ati 9700. Need I say more? ^_^
4: Firewire 800. Down the line, I will be needing it for an External HDD. It's good to be prepared.
5: 1000base-t ethernet. I constantly find myself transferring gig+ sized files across our network. I would hate for my ethernet port to be my bottle-neck.
6: 1.5Ghz. Duh? :P
7: More ram expansion.
Reasons I bought the 17" over the iBook (Includes previous statements):
8: 80gb 5400 rpm Hdd. Side the additional 20 gigs over the largest available iBook Hard Drive, the faster speed is required as well. When constantly loading and saving large documents, that extra boost in speed is more than crucial.
9: iBooks cannot be hooked up to Apple LCDs. I plan on purchasing a 20" Apple LCD as soon as possible.
10: Faster bus.
11: etc etc.
- Xidius
Originally posted by CosmoNut
The 15" will be the ultimate compromise of size, function, and price. Definitely buy the 15"! I love mine, and think that the 17" will just be too big to lug around as much as you say you will.
Agree...
The 15" is the perfect size and matters.
Originally posted by sak
I am still debating between a loaded 15" PowerBook (128mb graphics memory & 5400 HD)or a stock 17" PB. I am trying to stay in the $2500 range (educational discount). I take my laptop to and from home to school daily, do some traveling and hangout in cafés. I web design and do some occasional video/DVD editing. This will also be my main computer (I currently have a 15? PB 667). Any thoughts?
Here's my advice. Throw out all considerations including price except for screen size and battery life. Now ask yourself what you really need from these two features. If you absolutely need a certain amount of battery life and only one of them can provide it, then that's your computer. If that is not a factor to you, then throw that out as a consideration and focus on screen size.
It is all about what you need when you're mobile. If you need the extra real estate when you are out and about, then the 17" is your book. No other consideration is as important. If you don't need the extra pixels and the 15" provides enough power for you to get your mobile work done, then that is your book. The reason no other factor matters is that they can all be made up on the desktop. If you don't need 17 inches of screen on the road, then you can add a 17" screen to you desk and connect it to your computer when you need to. The same is true for the HD. The processor is the same. Ram is also not a limiting factor. Money should not be the deciding factor either because you can always save a little more for the options you really want. How much screen size do you need on the road? Answer that and you will answer your own question.
Have you checked barefeats.com? They compared a stock 1.5GHz PB 15" with a BTO version with the 5400rpm HD and 128 vram. The results are the 5400 rpm HD is a little faster but the extra vram improvement is negligible compared to the 64mb version.
Now take the 17" display which is gorgeous, those two inches mean a lot and the fact the 17" Powerbook comes with a single 512mb ram module (15" comes with 2 256mg modules) and you have a Powerbook that IMHO beats the 15" version even with the BTO options.
If you need more portability than the 15" is great but if you don't the 17" Powerbook is better.
Just my opinion of course.