08-01-2004, 12:39 PM

Hey all, here's a quesiton I'm having serious trouble with. I need a laptop badly for school and mobile computing. I have a very poweful AMD desktop, but need something portable, reliable, and that does wireless networking. I'm looking to get the most bang for the buck, so here are 3 options I've found around the internet and/or from Apple.com.

1.) Pismo Powerbook G4 500mhz =~$500-600

G4 500MHz PROCESSOR
CDRW/DVD-ROM INSTALLED
MEMORY UPGRADED TO 384MEGS.
OS 10.3.4 FRESHLY INSTALLED WITH OFFICE X.
2 FW PORTS, 2 USB PORTS, S-VIDEO OUT, MODEM, EITHERNET PORT
14.1” TFT Screen
12V AUTOMOBILE CHARGER/POWER SUPPLY INCLUDED. SPARE BATTERY IS INCLUDED.
1 MB L2 Cache
HD 9.37 GB Model:
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Wireless Card

2.) TiBook 800mhz =~$1000

800 MHz
1gb RAM
40.0 GB HD
Slot Loading Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
15.2 display
Built-in AirPort Card
AppleCare Protection Plan
Ports: Firewire, two USB, DVI, S-Video Output, audio line in, headphone out, 1 Modem Port, 1 Ethernet Port
Battery works fine, adapters work fine, no cosmetic blemishes, etc

3.) iBook 1ghz =~$1,100 from apple.com (w/ educational discount)

1ghz G4
512mb DDR RAM
30gb HD
Combo drive
12" display
Airport Extreme
Radeon 9200 w/ 32mb VRAM
all the goodies


I'd like to get a really solid system here. The Pismo looks very intriguing b/c it's in fantastic condition, rugged design, good battery life, and if I upped the RAM to 1gb I think this would make a very formidable machine for running OS X, iTunes, Office, Safari, and email at the same time (no content editing, creation, photoshop, etc. Also, the price seems great, at just $500-600 USD.

I think I'd really appreciate a 14.1" or 15.2" display more so than the 12 inches of the ibook. Also, I understand I could upgrade the PISMO's hard drive or even CPU at a later date (1ghz G3 I'm told is the fastest current upgrade offered, but I wouldn't need that for a couple of years or so).

So, any suggestions? Again, I already have a very powerful AMD system for games (see specs below), and I've never had a mac before, but I've used OSX and love it. Thanks for any help.



Current System:
AMD Athlon-XP 2400-M @ 2.42ghz (11x220)
512mb DDR @ 2x220 = 440 FSB
GeforceFX 5950 Ultra
60GB HD / DVD / CD-RW / Floppy
WinXP SP2 RC2

08-01-2004, 01:10 PM

Well, the TiBook and Pismo both sound like good options, so it's going to depend upon how much money you want to spend. I think in terms of pure "bang for the buck", it's going to be tough to beat the Pismo, so that would most likely be my choice. The TiBook is also a nice option, but IMO it isn't going to give you twice the usefulness (especially for the uses you mentioned) for twice the price of the Pismo. As you mentioned, the Pismo is upgradable if you decide you need to, it comes with Office X which could be useful for the school, and it has the Airport card you'll need for wireless internet. However, any of the choices you listed would be a good one.

08-01-2004, 01:48 PM

I might be wrong, but doesn't the Pismo only support up to 512MB of RAM?

That said, I would go for the Pismo as well, but if you're looking to get it to last you through school and possibly further, you might want to consider the TiBook. It won't make a big difference now, but down the road it'll be able to handle whatever is thrown at it.

08-01-2004, 04:29 PM

Close call. From the eyes on a Mac newbie (but PC expert) I think the Pismo looks the best deal, especially with Office X which is almost worth the entire price in itself (make sure they provide the original license documents if poss). Max out its memory, though, OSX seems very hungry in that aspect.