17" Powerbook or imac G5?
I am converting from PC and am trying to decide between a 17" Powerbook (1 gig memory) or a 1.8 iMac (1 gig memory). I like the portability of the powerbook but am wondering how much slower it is in real life to the iMac G5. I mainly use my computer for web browsing, photo manipulation (Photoshop elements 3) and some digital home video editing. I am looking forward to using iLife for the video editing, burning to DVD (8x Superdive versus 4 x in iMac) and for photo storage etc. I realize i will need Elements 3 for Mac and Office for Mac.
I would welcome any real life advice or experience on whether the G4 at 1.67 is practically much slower than a 1.8 G5 in real life.
Thanks
I would welcome any real life advice or experience on whether the G4 at 1.67 is practically much slower than a 1.8 G5 in real life.
Thanks
Comments
reg
I prefer the mobility of the Powerbook - around the home as well as very occasional travel but if I lost a lot of power - say the rendering speeds of video were much longer or I had to wait for photo editing changes then I will go with the iMac. It's real life usage that matters!
I think you would be impressed by the Powerbook. The difference between the 1.67 GHZ G4 Powerbook and 1.8 GHZ iMac G5 is minimal. I would go with the Powerbook. I like portability, and you plan to use an external keyboard & mouse, just like me, so that is great. Furthermore, the Powerbooks give you Firewire 800, gigabit ethernet, fantastic video out options, etc.
You said you're interested in the 17 inch Powerbook, so that is a better video card than the iMac G5 too.
However, what about the price? You'd save money with the iMac.
Also, you're going to upgrade the memory on your own, correct? That will save you money.
I would get the 17" because of the screen - I currently have a Sony 19" CRT - which is nice but sooooo big it takes up all my desktop. The other factor (either iMac or Powerbook) is to get a virtually wireless environment - I plan to use a Airport Extreme base station to handle web access and connect to the printer etc. That will satisfy my wife as well who has an aversion to "wires everywhere"!
Is it much cheaper to get additional RAM for third parties rather than get it built in from Apple?
For example:
To up the the 17" powerbook to 1 gig is $150. At crucial.com, the same upgrade is $95. But, if you need someone else to install it, it would be easier to just buy it from Apple.
For the iMac you could buy two 512mb sticks from crucial.com for $75 each, a total of $150, or Apple would charge you $75 to go to 512, and $225 to go to a gig.
In short, on the powerbook it would cost $50, but the iMac's ram would cost you $75 extra. But, it is nice to have your ram covered by applecare. Generally though 3rd party ram from reputable sources is quite good.