Converting + Upgrading

mikeyk · July 30, 2004 6:13PM

Hello all. I am a brand new member here and would like to say hi to everyone. I have been looking over the forums for a few days and I think I am going to be purchasing a new G4 powerbook sometime within the next month. I was wondering a few things.

1) Is now a good time? I have the student discount + the ipod/powerbook deal so thats why I want to buy before sept 25th. I just want to make sure I dont buy one and then apple all of a sudden releases some new stuff.

2) The powerbook, I havent decided which size to get (another one of my questions which I am sure you have heard 1000 times, sorry guys). I just want your opinion on my current situation and which machine you would recommend.

I currently have:

XP machine, w/ DVD burner, Gig RAM, 128MB graphics, 2.4Gz, pretty much its still top of the line after 2 years. I am looking now to get a laptop and convert to the nice powerbooks. BTW, out of 30 engineers at my school, 10 had MACS! They are hot at my school!

My question is, since I have a pretty good main computer and want to use this new one to leanr the MAC OS and use it for portability and such, should I go for the 12" or 15". And secondly, since I have a DVD burner already, is it worth the extra for the superdrive?

Lastly, is it worth it for the .Mac purchase and the extended warranty? I am sorry to ask all these questions and I am sure you have heard them all 1000000 times before

but any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. With any luck, I'll be posting a lot more and raving about my new powerbook in less than a month! Thanks!

onlyafterdark · July 30, 2004 6:57PM

Now is a very good time. Like you said, the discount with the iPod is going on right now and it looks very good. I bought a 12" PB last year and I love it. I keep saying that I need more power, but when it comes down to it the 12" fits my needs perfectly. Its great to carry around at school and with the right case/backpack it makes it even better.

I didnt buy .Mac right away when I got my PB. I instead did their trial offer to check and make sure that it was worth it. However, since they have a deal on it when you buy a new PB it might be worth looking into. I like the backup program and the fact that it comes with a antivirus app as well. Also the integration with iPhoto is great too. Havent found a more painless way to share pics with others on a website.

With the DVD burner, that is up to you. I would suggest it because it allows you to do more things with your PB but if you already have a DVD burner it might not be worth it for you.

mikeyk · July 30, 2004 8:19PM

Thanks for the input. I think I may go with the DVD burner, its true, from time to time I may use it and it'll be worth it in the long run probably - its always easier to get it now then curse myself later for not getting it.

I think the 12" is better also. Unless anyone else has another comment? I like the fact that it is sooo portable. I can take it anywhere with me.

Also, how much Ram is good? I was thinking of doing the 256 standard and then 512 from crucial. This enough? The 1 GIG is a lot more $$.

Thanks for your advise about the .Mac as well. But one more quick ?. On a PC mcafee sucks plain and simple. Norton is 1000 times better. Is mcafee good on a mac? I am completely new to the whole mac thing so Im hoping one of you mac gods can help me out a little more. Thanks again.

onlyafterdark · July 30, 2004 8:26PM

The Mcafee on the mac is fine (at least I havent had any problems with it). You probably wont use it a whole lot but it is nice to have just in case. And just in case you didnt know, the mcafee is the antivirus that comes with the .Mac.

As for the ram, getting a stick of 512 is what a bunch of my friends are doing with their new PB's. Its a lot cheaper than the 1gig and it will give a good performance boost.

Enjoy the new toys and welcome to the wonderful world of Apple.

mikeyk · July 30, 2004 8:38PM

Yea I cant wait! My parents have always used apple computers and I used to use them when i was younger. About 8 yrs ago i switched to PC and recently have been trying to get back into the apple products because they are soo damn cool! Im telling you, apple is doing things right because a lot of my friends graduating college got macs instead of PCs.

Sounds good with the .MAC with mcafee. thanks for the advise... What about the warranty? get the entension? I heard MACs are real expensive to fix if things go wrong.

onlyafterdark · July 30, 2004 9:02PM

I would, you never know when something might go wrong. And you probably dont want to end up with a expensive paperweight either.

Converting + Upgrading

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