need help deciding on a new laptop

[twoodcc]

ok, i'm about to sell my current pc laptop (centrino 1.6 ghz, 60 gb HD, dvd-rw, BT, wireless, 1 gb of ram, etc)

i'm thinking about getting a powerbook, but i'm not sure if i can afford the new 15". i don't know if i want to get the 12" b/c it wasn't updated really.

here is what i would use it for: taking to class everyday (college), the usual microsoft office applications for school, internet, some video editing possibly, burning cds/dvds, listening to music, watching dvds and videos (on the go), etc (all i can think of at the moment).

i haven't ruled out an ibook, but it would have to have a superdrive in it.

i'm a college student with a budget, so what would ya'll advise me to do?

i could upgrade the ram later, so i would get it with the standard 512mb.
not sure if i should upgrade the harddrive or not - what do you think? it would nice to store videos,music, photos on a 100 gb hd, but i guess i could get an external one later.

thats it for now, please help me out. i'll probably be going to the apple store to look at them tomorrow night, so what should i be looking for?

Thanks in advance

 

[twoodcc]

btw, this won't be my only computer. i have a mac mini (1.42, combo, added 1gb of ram myself, no wireless or BT)

and i have a pc desktop that i build myself (amd 64 X2 3800+, 1gb of ram, geforce 6600GT, dvd-rw, 300 gb hd, 2 x 80 gb hd)

i will network all three computers together (still learning this), i do some video editing on the amd desktop. i would like to try more with OSX. can the powerbook run Final Cut Pro?

 

[russed]

i would say the powerbook is for you especially if you want to do video editing. if you want to watch vids etc i would say the biggger screen is essential. i have the 12" and its just a bit too small for that and everything else!

if you go for the ibook, regardless of the size, the screen resolution is still the same so you wouldnt get anything over the 12" really.

with regards to the hdd - i would say get as big as you can or you will regret it later on! i thought at the time i would never use it all, but i have and regret not getting the bigger option. i have got an external but still it would be nice to be able to carry more with me! also the powerbook 15" gives you fw 800 - which is really nice for the external hdd, as opposed to just fw 400 on the ibook/12" pb

 

[Danksi]

Unfortunately the 12inch iBook doesn't have the option (from Apple at least) to install a Superdrive. So if you're looking for portability, with a superdrive it's the 12inch PBook.

Since you're on a budget, the other option would be to use the PC's DVD Burner instead of a Superdrive. Would that work for you?

 

[twoodcc]

i would say the powerbook is for you especially if you want to do video editing. if you want to watch vids etc i would say the biggger screen is essential. i have the 12" and its just a bit too small for that and everything else!

if you go for the ibook, regardless of the size, the screen resolution is still the same so you wouldnt get anything over the 12" really.

with regards to the hdd - i would say get as big as you can or you will regret it later on! i thought at the time i would never use it all, but i have and regret not getting the bigger option. i have got an external but still it would be nice to be able to carry more with me! also the powerbook 15" gives you fw 800 - which is really nice for the external hdd, as opposed to just fw 400 on the ibook/12" pb

thanks for the reply. i will compare the 15 and 12 at the apple store tomorrow night. as far as the hd, i guess it will depend on what i can afford. also, if i stick with the 80, i could just pick one up at the apple store, right?
as far as an external hd, could i share it with my mini and pb if i got one?

 

[twoodcc]

Unfortunately the 12inch iBook doesn't have the option (from Apple at least) to install a Superdrive. So if you're looking for portability, with a superdrive it's the 12inch PBook.

Since you're on a budget, the other option would be to use the PC's DVD Burner instead of a Superdrive. Would that work for you?

nah, i would like to use idvd. i thought i could get by that way with the mini, but it's not happening.

now i won't do alot of video editing, mainly b/c i don't have much time for it anymore. the 12" would save me money, but since it wasn't upgraded, shouldn't i go for the 15"? don't they get about the same battery life?

 

[Danksi]

...as far as an external hd, could i share it with my mini and pb if i got one?

Two options here I believe.

1. Format the drive as FAT32, so it's compatible with PC and Mac, when directly connected. Although there's an individual file size limit of 4Gb (so may be a problem with larger Movie and DVD project files).

2. connect the external drive to the PC or Mac and network/share the drive with other machines - should be fast enough for access, but may be too slow for Movie editing.

 

[Danksi]

nah, i would like to use idvd. i thought i could get by that way with the mini, but it's not happening.

now i won't do alot of video editing, mainly b/c i don't have much time for it anymore. the 12" would save me money, but since it wasn't upgraded, shouldn't i go for the 15"? don't they get about the same battery life?

The 15inch PBook is a nice machine and should run Final Cut Pro (I believe).

 

[TheMasin9]

previous gen

ok, i'm about to sell my current pc laptop (centrino 1.6 ghz, 60 gb HD, dvd-rw, BT, wireless, 1 gb of ram, etc)

i'm thinking about getting a powerbook, but i'm not sure if i can afford the new 15". i don't know if i want to get the 12" b/c it wasn't updated really.

here is what i would use it for: taking to class everyday (college), the usual microsoft office applications for school, internet, some video editing possibly, burning cds/dvds, listening to music, watching dvds and videos (on the go), etc (all i can think of at the moment).


i haven't ruled out an ibook, but it would have to have a superdrive in it.

i'm a college student with a budget, so what would ya'll advise me to do?

i could upgrade the ram later, so i would get it with the standard 512mb.
not sure if i should upgrade the harddrive or not - what do you think? it would nice to store videos,music, photos on a 100 gb hd, but i guess i could get an external one later.

thats it for now, please help me out. i'll probably be going to the apple store to look at them tomorrow night, so what should i be looking for?

Thanks in advance

get one of the previous generation 15 inchers, minus the higher def display and longer battery life they are basically the same comp for about 400$ cheaper.

 

[twoodcc]

well i don't know, do you think the 15" is too big to carry to class and all? what about the 14" ibook? even though i like the powerbooks better

 

[twoodcc]

Two options here I believe.

1. Format the drive as FAT32, so it's compatible with PC and Mac, when directly connected. Although there's an individual file size limit of 4Gb (so may be a problem with larger Movie and DVD project files).

2. connect the external drive to the PC or Mac and network/share the drive with other machines - should be fast enough for access, but may be too slow for Movie editing.

what about sharing just between 2 macs?

 

[twoodcc]

well i might still be considering the 12" powerbook. i could save some money, and it is small, so it would be good for taking to class and everything, which would be 5 days a week basically. but it wasn't upgraded very much, so i don't know. do you think it's a bad idea? i'm going to look at them tomorrow night, but i want your opinions before i go.

thanks

 

[Veritas&Equitas]

Help me too!

I'm torn. I am a senior in college, and I will be attending law school next fall. I've heard all the arguments and all the theories in regards to the Mactel processors. I've been an avid PC user all my life, and have 2 mid-upper range gaming rigs and a decent Dell laptop (Inspiron 5150, p4 3.06, 512 mb, 5200Go) which I've had for over a year. I'm looking at buying a 15'' Powerbook off ebay, simply b/c I've fallen in love with my roommate's (ease of use, mobility, sexiness factor) That's not to say I'm making "the switch." I'd simply like it for email, Word, internet browsing, dvd watching, and maybe some photoshop editing as well, but not hardcore editing. I'm looking at the 15'' Powerbook, with
1.67 ghz (or 1.5, I guess there isn't that big of a performance difference)
1.5 gb memory
128 mb video card (Radeon 9700)
Superdrive (or Combo drive, really doesn't make a difference)

With these specs, I can find something on ebay usually around $1400-1500 or so. Should I go ahead and take the plunge? If not, for my needs, should I go with lesser specs? (i.e. 1.5 ghz cpu, 1 gig of memory, 64 mb gpu, combo drive) I know the first rev pb's usually aren't the greatest, and Apple probably won't switch to the Meron at least 6 months after the first Yonah, so dual-core is at least a year away. I'd like to unload my Dell laptop, and spot the $500-600 for a Powerbook. Do you guys think it's wise or not? How soon does everyone really think the x86 will be out, and will it make that big of a difference for my usage? Thank you for your response!

 

[twoodcc]

well i'm about to go the apple to compare the 12 and 15 pb's. are you sure the 15" isn't too big to take to class everyday?

any advice on what to ask the people there? can i pick one up?

 

[twoodcc]

well i just back from the apple store. i almost bought a pb tonight, but i decided to wait and order online. after comparing the 12" and 15", i think i'm going to go with the 15". what do ya'll think? how long should that last me?

 

[iQuit]

You can get an Education Discount...

 

[slooksterPSV]

For final cut I say go with a 15" PB or get the 12" and use an external monitor. That 64 VRAM will help out quite a bit when working with video. 32MB, yes you could run it, but Final Cut - if you install everything - takes up about 12+ GB... A teacher at my school, I think it took up 25 GB to install everything of Final Cut on his computers. So get a bigger hard drive, 60 might do you well, but I'd get an 80 GB one at least - or an external. Then again that includes all tutorials. Apples Website says it takes 12GB to install so it depends. You can run FCP on an iBook, ... here just look here at the specs. I say go for at least the 15" PB though:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...1PV1NzqI1hi/1.SLID?mco=E3A771F9&nplm=M9920Z/A

 

[godbout]

You will not be dissapointed with your 15" they are the perfect trade off for screen space/power and portability. I love mine! plus the 12 needs some improvement... it is starting to lag behind even compared to the other stale offerings

 

[generik]

Get the 15"

I deliberated for quite a while before I bought this, but now that it is here... w000t

 

[twoodcc]

thanks. how long does it usually take to get here from when i order it?

 

[FFTT]

You will suffer greatly waiting every minute for your shipment

Meanwhile prepare for your new child and do all the stuff you've been putting off to make time pass.

Buy or borrow OSX The Missing Manual Tiger edition.

Welcome to the community and congratulations!

 

[twoodcc]

thanks, i already have a mac mini, so i've already gotten used to Tiger. i just hope i'm happy with the powerbook. i'm scared about the heat issue. the ones at the apple store did seem kinda warm

 

[FFTT]

The new Powerbooks do run a bit warm so you might consider getting an iCurve and a keyboard for extended home use.

 

[motherduce]

What about the screen issues? You guys all say you like your 15, but is that the previous version?

 

[twoodcc]

what screen issues?