12" PB vs 15" PB advice

[teerexx52]

I purchased a 12" PB 1.5 with Super Drive several months ago. I cart it around all the time so I felt the 12" was the best for me. I also hook it to a 20" ACD when I am at my desk at home. In retrospect I was wondering if the 15" would have been a better choice? Is there much difference in speed and processing power? I know the screen resolution is much superior on the 15" but is the 15" a brighter screen? I have the oportunity to sell my PB 12" and was thinking about it and moving to the 15" I would appreciate advice or information from anyone who has one or both of these models. Thanks

 

[cooknwitha]

I have the 12" but have used both and if money wasn't an option, I'd still go for the 12" as a portable. 14" and 15" laptops just seem to bulky. I love 12". If I were to use it more for home use, then that's a different scenario but when it comes to portable, 12" I say.

 

[Diatribe]

There is a guide to this question in the MR guides section. The link to this is either directly in the guides section or in the Mac Beginner's Guide in my sig.
Though I do have to say I am in the exact same position as you and my next PB will be a15".

 

[Seasought]

I purchased a 12" PB 1.5 with Super Drive several months ago. I cart it around all the time so I felt the 12" was the best for me. I also hook it to a 20" ACD when I am at my desk at home. In retrospect I was wondering if the 15" would have been a better choice? Is there much difference in speed and processing power? I know the screen resolution is much superior on the 15" but is the 15" a brighter screen? I have the oportunity to sell my PB 12" and was thinking about it and moving to the 15" I would appreciate advice or information from anyone who has one or both of these models. Thanks

Perhaps this is what you are looking for.

Also, this link with regard to the sizes of Powerbooks might also help you decide as it contains relevant information.

 

[devilot]

Perhaps this is what you are looking for.

Perhaps a slower read through of the original post would help.

Looks like the OP is trying to decide between the 12" PowerBook and the 15" PowerBook. Not between the 12"PB and 12" iBook.

 

[Diatribe]

For those too lazy to wade through my Mac Beginner's Guide and for those who cannot find the correct link

 

[Seasought]

Perhaps a slower read through of the original post would help.

Looks like the OP is trying to decide between the 12" PowerBook and the 15" PowerBook. Not between the 12"PB and 12" iBook.

The information is still relevant and I updated my post to reflect the other guide that is mentioned twice here.

 

[Diatribe]

The information is still relevant and I updated my post to reflect the other guide that is mentioned twice here.

Don't mind devilot... happens to the best of us

 

[Seasought]

Don't mind devilot... happens to the best of us

No worries.

 

[teerexx52]

Thanks. The guide was very helpful. I now am considering one last thing. When my 12"PB is connected to my 20" ACD the fans run full blast constantly. I'm hard of hearing but boy are they loud.

 

[Diatribe]

Thanks. The guide was very helpful. I now am considering one last thing. When my 12"PB is connected to my 20" ACD the fans run full blast constantly. I'm hard of hearing but boy are they loud.

Are you running in mirrored, closed lid or spanning mode? Either way it should run a lot cooler with a better graphics card when using an external monitor.

 

[teerexx52]

Running in closed lid mode

 

[Diatribe]

Running in closed lid mode

Hmmm. Dunno, the only thing I can tell you is that I already hear the fan without an external monitor on my 12". I can imagine that it is a lot worse with. My dad has a 15" PB with a 19" ext. monitor and I can barely hear it. Don't take my word for it though.

 

[OutThere]

Running in closed lid mode

Running in closed lid mode will make any computer very warm...the 12" PB's fan is a little trigger happy compared to that of the 15" and 17" versions, but if you would leave the lid up the fan won't run as much.

If you really do carry it around a lot you'll find the 15" version to be significantly less portable. In my experience borrowing my friends' computers, it doesn't always easily fit into backpacks (it's too tall), and it's a lot heavier than my 12", but if you aren't carrying it around all the time, the extra screen space will give you some more breathing room.

 

[wPod]

Running in closed lid mode will make any computer very warm...the 12" PB's fan is a little trigger happy compared to that of the 15" and 17" versions, but if you would leave the lid up the fan won't run as much.

If you really do carry it around a lot you'll find the 15" version to be significantly less portable. In my experience borrowing my friends' computers, it doesn't always easily fit into backpacks (it's too tall), and it's a lot heavier than my 12", but if you aren't carrying it around all the time, the extra screen space will give you some more breathing room.

i agree with the first part. the 12" runs pretty hot with the lid closed. according to the CPU heat widget in dash board my 12" would run near 150 F while the 15 runs at about 140 F (both of these are at max, the 12" was a rev A and was notorious for being hot while my 15" is a rev B) elevating the PB on something (i always use a carabiniere, but there are many stands you can purchase) that allows for airflow around the entire PB will cool it by a couple of degrees.

as for the 2nd part I think the 15" is pretty portable. weight wise there is little difference. i think there is a pound difference and thats really not much. when i switched from my 12" PB to my new 15" PB the small weight difference did not bother me at all. size wise the 15" does take up a little more room. but if you really want the screen real estate (i love it for engineering spread sheets and other engineering projects i work on for school) then the little extra space of the 15" is totally worth it.

 

[teerexx52]

Will the constant running of the fans possibly cause any problems?

 

[chaosbunny]

Having switched from a rev A 12" pb to a 15" one in april I must say there really isn't that much difference in portability. I did not notice any weight difference in my backpack and the a little bit bigger size can be neglected as it is still very flat. I think it depends what kind of work you are doing on the go. For a graphic designer these 3 inches matter a lot, but if you are doing more office/writing work on the road the 12" will be enough.

 

[Seasought]

Having switched from a rev A 12" pb to a 15" one in april I must say there really isn't that much difference in portability. I did not notice any weight difference in my backpack and the a little bit bigger size can be neglected as it is still very flat. I think it depends what kind of work you are doing on the go. For a graphic designer these 3 inches matter a lot, but if you are doing more office/writing work on the road the 12" will be enough.

Interesting. I would have thought there would have been a significant difference in weight at least. That's the difference between perception and practice I guess.

I don't mean to pry but do you use yours primarily for school (you mentioned using a backpack but I realize you might just use one for other reasons)?

 

[Piarco]

After 3 12" PB's (I'm an upgrade junky) I moved to a 15" PB, and apart from surfing on the couch, IMO the 15" is not significantly less portable than the 12". The 15" is my main computer - both at home and at work (got sick of the Dell's at work messing up) so I carry it on the 15min walk to work every day of the week. And its definately not noticably heavier than the 12". In fact the pro's of going with the 15" far outweigh its percieved weight-con.

I'll still be interested to see if there is a 13.3" PB and how its specs stack up against the 15" PB when the IntelMac's get released, but for the time being the 15" is the best balance of performance/weight.