Buying Advice: Refurb. 15"PB vs. 15"MBP??

[Velmonk]

Greetings all.
I have been perusing this and other forums reading posts about the issues that the MBPs have (heat, whining, etc.) and also about people who are trying to decide whether to buy a last gen PB or a new MBP.
What I've noticed is that most people suggest buying the MBP as the PB will be outdated much sooner and the performance is much better on the MBP. The thing is, nobody seems to discuss the MBP issues in this comparison. I would be inclined to buy a MBP if I wasn't reading so many complaints about them. I wouldn't normally buy a rev.a Mac product for this very reason. Add that to the fact that a refurbed. PB 1.67 is almost $1000 cheaper than the MBP I would be looking at and the PB starts seeming like a good choice since I need to replace my current PB soon.
So, what I'm asking for is advice about whether its worth the price difference and heat/noise issues to have the newest/fastest? The only really high cpu load stuff i do is ProTools LE but that isn't even compatible w/the MBP yet.
I do like to run multiple apps at once though.

 

[iGav]

The thing is, nobody seems to discuss the MBP issues in this comparison.

Does anyone discuss the PB problems though???

 

[Velmonk]

Does anyone discuss the PB problems though???

I guess not...and they are?

 

[m-dogg]

I decided to get a refurbished PB over a MBP last month, basically deciding that the savings were enough to justify the older technology of the PB. I have no issues with it - It's really a great machine. I do plan to up the RAM but it hasn't been as sluggish with 512MB RAM as I thought it would, so I've held off for the time being.

This was a second machine to complement my iMac G5, so I still have that available to handle any heavier lifting I need to do. The fact that I wanted/needed the laptop for portability more than for power helped push me to getting the PB and saving some money as well.

 

[m-dogg]

I guess not...and they are?

If you go back to forum threads from late last year, there were some complaints about a horizontal line problem on some people's machines (this was the high-res revision). This didn't impact mine. Not sure if I got lucky or they've fixed whatever the problem was.

Another thing is that some people had battery problems early on, but a new battery firmware was released after the new PB's initially came out. Also, the battery calibration process changed slightly beginning with that PB model, so some people may not have realized that and were calibrating their new PB the same way as they did on their old one, which may have affected battery life as well.

 

[macanudo]

I had a 1.25 PB G4. It served me well for 2.5 years. The only problem that I had with it was a cracked LCD that I got replaced through powerbookresq. For day to day tasks such as internet, email, office and CPU intensive tasks (iDVD, Matlab, FCP), it's ok. It won't run like a G5, it's just ok. I am introducing my brother to mac, so I gave it to him.

Now I have a MBP, basically upgraded because I had a laptop that I needed to run 2 windows specific apps on and virtual PC just wasn't cutting the mustard. I am not going to mention my MBP's problems here. It's so nice to have one machine that does everything. So for me, the cost of justifying one laptop that does it all, was worth it.

 

[jaisai01]

i was also in the same delimma about the 15" PB or MBP. i went with the MBP, and right now have not encountered any of the probs cept the heating issue.. which to me is not that hot. yes it gets warm but not scolding hot. there is no issues with the screen, whine or anything else. i would say go for the MBP, i love it and with the build being on week 13 or higher. i say it is the better bet to go with ..
arul

 

[yoda13]

Well, I am humming along with this 1.5 ghz Powerbook and while it is outdated technologically speaking, it runs everything that I need it to do well, and then some, and the refurb you are looking at is faster and more capable than mine. If you want to avoid the teething problems with the MBP, then get the PB. If you want the latest and greatest, and will be keeping the computer at least three years, then I would get the MBP and deal with whatever issues it gives you.

 

[baby duck monge]

Well, I am humming along with this 1.5 ghz Powerbook and while it is outdated technologically speaking, it runs everything that I need it to do well, and then some, and the refurb you are looking at is faster and more capable than mine. If you want to avoid the teething problems with the MBP, then get the PB. If you want the latest and greatest, and will be keeping the computer at least three years, then I would get the MBP and deal with whatever issues it gives you.

Agreed. I'm running a 15" 1.5GHz with 1gig of RAM right now, and it's great. I would sell it to ya for the right price (I'm interested in one of these mythical 13.3" MBs), but I'm more than happy with it, and would definitely recommend an older PB to anyone.

 

[superwoman]

I am in the same dilemma. I just sold my TiBook 867, wanting to upgrade to something.

The thing that I worry most is the resale value of the 15" G4, say, 1 year down the road. The G4 processor is effectively obsoleted by then, Apple would have transitted entirely to Intel. By then, there will probably be a low-end MacBook that performs much better than the high-end G4. So who would still want to buy the G4? I would not be surprised if its value drops to below 50% 1 year down the road...

A refurb last gen 1.67GHz G4 sells for $1599. A refurb MBP 1.83Ghz sells for $1699, inclusive of an iSight, which itself cost around $100. Effectively, they are comparable in value. So I'm inclined to go for the MBP. But the heat and the whine is holding me back.

At the moment, I'm holding out for the anticipated 13.3" MB. If it does materialize by the end of May, and it's specs are not too shabby, I will go for it, and save the money to buy a 20" LCD.

 

[tristan]

Don't get me wrong - my Nov 2005 1.67ghz G4 Powerbook w/1 gig of RAM is technically outdated, but I never have any performance problems with it. I think its an awesome machine and would recommend it to anyone. But I don't know if I'll be as happy with it 18 months from now.