Looking for PB advice

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CoachU

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Hey guys

I've been using macs for as long as I could remeber and I plan on going portable quite soon. I'm a graphic design student in my final year. I'm currently considering 2 options:

1. Buy a 15" PB.

2. Buy a 12" or 14" iBook AND a 20" Cinema Display to get more screen room at home, which would get around the same price as buying the PB.

I've read around and really don't know what to do since there seems to be a lot of rumors about PB going to be updated soon. So I'm not sure if getting one right now would be a good thing. So buying an iBook would cost me less and the Cinema Display could still be used for a while.

What do you guys think ?
 
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For graphic design, performance wise, the Powerbook is going to kick the butt of the iBook. It's you choice, are you willing to give up a fair amount of performance in order to get a monitor?

Check out 20" monitors in other brands, you might get a much better deal. You don't "have" to have all Apple for it to work.

There is always the computer of tomorrow. There is always an update that will happen next. Sometimes you just have to pick a time and jump on the bandwagon.

I'd go with the 15" with better graphics card and as much ram as you can afford.
 
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I would have to agree with rs2 get the 15" powerbook it has alot of space on the screen you don't really need the 20" on your desk because it does not do much for you when you are not at the desk... I would ssay go powerbook not only becasue of the bigger screen when you are portible but because of the more processor power and the abililty that it has.
 
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Also be aware that the iBook does not have DVI outputs for a Cinema Display so will have to get a different monitor that uses VGA instead. Also, without using a hack you will still be stuck at the 1024x768 resolution without the option of screen spanning... even on an external monitor. And for graphic design I would definitely put the extra money into a Powerbook... The iBook will be somewhat of a letdown if you plan on doing anything graphic intensive.

PS... Add as much 3rd-party RAM as you can afford.
 
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Merlinblack

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I would also agree to go powerbook.

However, make sure you can carry around your power adapter<Obvious>, as I've noticed my new pb only has about half the life my GF's iBook has.
 
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CoachU

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Thanks for your replies guys.

You all seem to be quite unanimous about going for the PB, which was my first choice. But rumors made me unsure... Thanks for the replies. Is RAM easy to install? I actually have never done this, RAM replacement...

As far as the power adapter is concerned, I don't think this will be a problem. I already have started to look for a bag and will probably go for the Timbuk2 Commute, which seems to have plenty of room.
 
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Merlinblack

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RAM is usually easy to install on most notebooks it involves unscrewing the cover, shoving (gently now) the RAM in, and screwing the cover back on.

However, I have never seen or tried it on a mac before so it may be (unlikely) a little different.
 
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That's correct... It's extremely easy on the Powerbook... It's been a couple months since I added mine... you just pop out the battery... unscrew the cover. Slip the memory in. Close it back up... And you're done.

And I would agree about the battery life too... For some reason the PBs just don't even come close to the iBooks. My PB gets about two hours as long as I'm not doing anything too processor intensive. My wife's 12" iBook gets 5+ hours regardless of what she is doing. Granted I do have the 17" PB.
 
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Yeah, installing ram is very easy. The last time I did it, it went like most of my projects, 10 minutes to find a screwdriver, 30 seconds for the actual job.
 
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Merlinblack

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sarahsboy18 said:
And I would agree about the battery life too... For some reason the PBs just don't even come close to the iBooks. My PB gets about two hours as long as I'm not doing anything too processor intensive. My wife's 12" iBook gets 5+ hours regardless of what she is doing. Granted I do have the 17" PB.

My GF's iBook is 14" and she get 5 hours easily no matter what. On my PB (which is only 15") I only seem to be getting 2-2.5 hours before it dies.

Oh well life goes on I guess, I'll have to learn to sit beside a power outlet while using my machine.
 
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CoachU

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I decided to dive...

I'll go with the 1.67 GHZ 15" PB. 1GB RAM and 128MB VRAM. Cant afford more for now. Would like more screen size but since portability is an issue...

Have you guys bought your machine on apple.com ? And if yes have you had good service, any problem at all ? Have you had good delivery time ? I'm always skeptical about buying for that amount of money on the net. But I know its from a big company.

The iPod promotion and education rebate are quite interesting.

Any thoughts would be appreciated
 
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Just bought a PB from apple. Got in 5 days. Got the printer and the ipod deal as well. Just sent in my rebates. It's all worked out so far. Haven't got the rebates back but they could take a little while.

Dealing with apple is easy. Call or online, I've used both and they are pretty reliable imo.
 
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I am a web graphic designer and developer, and have just upgraded to a 15" Powerbook with 1Gb of RAM.

I usually run Dreamweaver MX, Photoshop CS2, a CSS progam along with Entourage and few other programs in parallel, with no problems. Ideally I will probably take the RAM up to its full 2Gb in the near future, but other than that it runs really well, very fast and most importantly stable machine.

Tris...
 
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CoachU

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I will too get it to 2GB eventually... but now my bank account is just full enough to buy the basic PB ;) Anyway...

But nice to know you run all those software without any troubles. I usually run stuff like Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark, Firefox and iTunes at the same time. I guess it should be all right.
 
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CoachU said:
You all seem to be quite unanimous about going for the PB.
Yes, of course you realize this is not a random sampling of Apple owners... you have posted this in the Powerbook forum, so obviously the majority are going to be biased, haha.

But in all seriousness, it is a great machine, I don't think you'll regret going PB.
 
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CoachU

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Yes, of course you realize this is not a random sampling of Apple owners... you have posted this in the Powerbook forum, so obviously the majority are going to be biased, haha.

You're right !!! ;) I actually didn't think about this. But anyway the answer I got here was the one I was actually looking for. I never really wanted to have an iBook ;)
 
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TOYOTA said:
Yes, of course you realize this is not a random sampling of Apple owners... you have posted this in the Powerbook forum, so obviously the majority are going to be biased, haha.

Ah not so actually... For financial reasons I was using a PC for my design work until recently. When it died I decided to go back to my Mac roots, and decided that the 15" was the best route.

Apart from getting used to the new Track pad and the amount of pressure you have to use to get the blasted thing to click, I am really happy with my choice.

Tris...
 
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CoachU

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Finally... I GOT MY OWN PB !!!

I just had to tell the world. Had it tonight. It went quite fast actually. I'm very happy. At first it looks all good. Wireless mouse works well. Its all good.

I must be dreaming ;)
 

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