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taking a fresh look at macintosh

post #1 of 43
4/6/05 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
I'm looking at the mac laptops in a new light. Before, I wanted one cuz they looked cool. Now, it's because I just don't need the kind of firepower that a PC lappy's GPU brings to the table. It seems the only major difference between an apple and a pc hardware-wise is the GPU (and maybe the CPU, but I know shite all about G4s), so since I just don't play games anymore, why would I need a 6600 or an x700 if I'm never going to do it justice?

I remembered my post in the "why would I switch" thread, and after looking at apple's site again, I noticed I can actually afford a 14" ibook with a student discount, and still upgrade the memory. Which brings me to my first question: I know 256mb of RAM just won't cut it. Is there a 'sweet spot' of sorts? An amount where I have just enough to make OS X sing? Also, how well does the mobile radeon 9200 work? Can it get me through a dvd without hiccuping or doing anything weird? Lastly, any idea when Tiger's coming out? If it's not standard by now, are they at least shipping an upgrade CD with their new systems?
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post #2 of 43
4/6/05 at 2:56am
in order

g4 is not much less powerful than pentium m 0 there are some things my 1.33 g4 pb did faster than my sony

gpu - you are right, it's not going to be a gaming machine, but it will get you through dvd's with NO problem.

Sweet spot for the ram - at this point i'd suggest you pop another 512 in the spare slot 768 should handle everything but major video editing without a problem.

Tigershipping certainly by the end of the month,probably halfway through - at least that's the rumour mill.
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post #3 of 43
4/6/05 at 3:24am
There's a rumor going around that all new Macs will ship with 512 standard once Tiger comes out, but OS X loves as much memory as it can get.
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post #4 of 43
4/6/05 at 5:45am
i'd also suggest waiting till mid month when the new iBook revisions are due (usually in april and october, per the last few years). i'm guessing that apple would release tiger and the newer iBooks in tandem.
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post #5 of 43
4/6/05 at 8:38am
Thread Starter 
newer ibooks? That's news to me. In that case, I'll be waiting with baited breath to see what Apple cooks up.

So what's the consensus on battery life? About 3.5 hours average?
Also, what's the learning curve for OS X? I went to an apple store a few months back, but didn't really get a feel for it in that sort of environment (as nifty as macs are, and as much as they deserve it, Apple sales guys can be really...overenthusiastic about their product. Didn't really get the peace to use it myself)
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post #6 of 43
4/6/05 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by triadone
i'd also suggest waiting till mid month when the new iBook revisions are due (usually in april and october, per the last few years). i'm guessing that apple would release tiger and the newer iBooks in tandem.
Its april! any rumors circulating? usually if there aren't then prob nothing for april.
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post #7 of 43
4/6/05 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
Is the 4200rpm hard drive that's built into the ibook upgradeable? I'd like to get a 5400 one.
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post #8 of 43
4/6/05 at 1:40pm
i'm sure you could even stick a 7200 one in there
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post #9 of 43
4/6/05 at 2:55pm
changing a harddrive on an ibook is not hard or easy. It's time consuming and somewhat delicate. harder than the powerbooks.

The ibooks are due for a revision right about now.. but then i can't see them updating that line again until they do the pb line too, which won't be for a bit.

realistically on my 12" pb i never had a problem getting 3.5 hrs. a 14" ibook can get 5.

all powerbooks ship with 512 now - other lines do not.
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post #10 of 43
4/6/05 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
Well, as for the ibook revision, I just called Apple. The rep I spoke with said that if anything's going to happen in terms of a hardware update, or even Tiger being released, he won't know it till it happens. Oh well. Let's all play the waiting game! Again!
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post #11 of 43
4/6/05 at 6:03pm
oh you get more life with ibook than powerbook eigh? damn
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post #12 of 43
4/6/05 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 
Is there a drastic difference between a 14 inch screen and a 12 inch? The resolutions are the same, but I wonder if I'll have to crank up the font sizes.

Forget I asked. After looking at the photo of the 12" powerbook, I know my hands are too big for that thing.
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post #13 of 43
4/6/05 at 8:01pm
The keyboards are the same size.
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post #14 of 43
4/6/05 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xarthan
i'm sure you could even stick a 7200 one in there
got a 7200 in this powerbook (550), but the ibook is alot tougher to upgrade - virtually have to disassemble the computer to get at it - highly user unfriendly AFAIK (from my apple re-seller/tech)...

RAM is easy tho - I think the newer PB's all have 5400 RPM drives now...
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post #15 of 43
4/6/05 at 8:25pm
Thread Starter 
well, from what I read in the 12" ibook review, 4200 rpm isn't that bad. Guess I just need enough ram and it really won't matter much.
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post #16 of 43
4/6/05 at 9:09pm
ram and hdd speed do different things for you, so yeah, getting a 5400 or a 7200 will make a great deal in boot-up and loading times for large files, though more ram never killed anyone before either
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post #17 of 43
4/6/05 at 9:15pm
Thread Starter 
yarg. too bad I can't afford the 15" powerbook without help. Oh well. I'll just be over here, in my corner, thinking about my various options.
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post #18 of 43
4/7/05 at 3:07am
ellement,
btw, w/ re: to your call to apple... it's their usual deal to deny any pending changes, even when they may very well know what is coming down the pipe. as noted, the iBooks have been updated in april and october for the last 3yrs, while the PBs get a refresh in january and june.

also, re: keyboard size on the 12" machines. if there's a local apple store near you, i'd suggest going in and checking out the KBs on them. my 12" iBook is the only one w/ "undersized" keys, and they come in @ 95-97% of full size keys. the 14" iBook and all of the PBs come w/ full size keys, w/ the only undersized ones being the arrows and F keys. the 12" PB can b deceptive w/ how "small" the KB appears. it's actually the same size as the KBs on the 15 and 17" models.
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post #19 of 43
4/7/05 at 6:28am
Thread Starter 
I guess that makes sense. There's more laptop around that keyboard, which makes it look bigger. I'm pretty sure the 12" won't do it for me, because I'd also like to buy a Wacom drawing tablet. I've always been an itinerant artist at heart, and, well, illustrator or some equivalent is easier to carry around than a box full of normal supplies and sketchpads and whatnot.
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post #20 of 43
4/7/05 at 8:05am
ther eis a typo correction to my earlier post.. i never had a problem getting THREE point five hours, i mistyped 2.5

my bad.

abf - good post.

the 4200 - 7200 is a palpable difference. massively so.
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