Finally going portable

[hsotnicaM]

I've been a Mac user since SE. Yeah that means I'm old.

I'm finally going portable. Next week I'm ordering a MBP 17 2.4/160-7200/HR Matte. The reason I'm going portable is because too often I would like to work in any given room in my house, car, etc.
A few things I do on my computers - graphic arts, video editing, web design, music composing, web browsing, and various other tasks.

A few questions - any suggestion on peripherals and accessories?

I just purchased this
<http://www.case-mate.net/notebook-sleeves.html>
to protect the device the moment it comes out of the box.

160GB HDD seems extremely small since I work on 1TB internal HDD space plus a 1.4TB RAID. I hope all my programs will fit! Any thoughts on external HDD, maybe using the USB port for power? Does this just kill the battery? Keyboard skins for the 17"? Cases? Am I missing something?

Any help? Is 160GB enough for Adobe CS3, FCP, etc.?
Recommend any HDDs? Other things I may not know about when it comes to laptop?

 

[showtime]

Good decision. I have a macbook for school but I also have a bunch of accessories hooked up to my mac. Right now I'm living off of a 120gb hd in my mac but have I have a 500gb western digital my book. I also have a 22" lcd monitor hooked up and the logitech s 530 keyboard/mouse combo. I love the setup because I get the best of both worlds. A desktop and a laptop.

 

[grafikat]

I would look at a firewire drive

 

[hsotnicaM]

Good decision. I have a macbook for school but I also have a bunch of accessories hooked up to my mac. Right now I'm living off of a 120gb hd in my mac but have I have a 500gb western digital my book. I also have a 22" lcd monitor hooked up and the logitech s 530 keyboard/mouse combo. I love the setup because I get the best of both worlds. A desktop and a laptop.

It's funny, I've thought this laptop may replace my desktop. I could use the G4 as a server.
Is your external portable? I've been thinking I need something larger and portable.

 

[xpovos]

It's funny, I've thought this laptop may replace my desktop. I could use the G4 as a server.
Is your external portable? I've been thinking I need something larger and portable.

Your 17" could very easily replace your desktop; I've been considering going the same route with my 17.

For portable externals, I recommend the LaCie portable drives on the basis of power consumption. This is only from my experience with them, but I've been extremely pleased. I don't know what the maximum available capacity is right now, though. I use an external 120 to complement my internal 160-7200.

I like the Tucano Second Skin microfiber sleeve for the 17". It's a nice snug fit, thinner material than the InCase neoprene sleeve (and so fits better in a carrying case designed for the 17" with little room to spare).

I've had trouble finding a good case for the 17 that has enough storage space without being so **** bulky. It's not easy. For the time being, I've settled on a "SlingPack" (I think that's what it's called) which is a sling backpack design. Good protection, easy to carry, definitely not the nicest-looking thing I've ever seen. I'm still browsing the market for a different case. Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Genghis Khan]

last time i checked, FCP was 53Gb (-ish)...you'll need an external HDD....as for battery drainage, i have no idea