Swapping Windows Laptop + Cash For PowerBook 15"

One of my friends has a PowerBook that he wants to sell and is also looking for a Windows laptop for VB coding and installing linux on.

Anyway, since my primary computer is a Windows XP laptop, he has suggested that I swap my laptop + cash for his Powerbook.

My laptop:
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo A1630, AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0GHz), 512mb RAM, 40GB HDD, DVD RW, integrated wireless, 15.4" widescreen, ATi MR9700 64mb.
It is about 18 months old and in good condition apart from some faded paint. I paid £750 for it new.

Friend's PowerBook:
15 inch G4 1.33GHz, 768mb RAM, 60GB HDD (I think), Combo drive, Airport + Bluetooth, 64mb ATi graphics (I belive it is a 9700). He says it is about 3 years old.

He says he wants my laptop + £350 cash, but I have managed to knock him down to laptop + £250 cash.

Would this be a good deal?

Or if not, how much would the PowerBook be worth?

I am seriously considering it to get me out of the Windows world, but I would need to ugrade it to a Superdrive and probably top up the RAM to at least 1GB.

And how would performance of a G4 1.33GHz compare to an Athlon 64 3200+?

Also, I am going to be buying a MacBook Pro next summer for Uni, so the laptop would be used for about a year and then I'd probably give it to my sister for a very cheap price.

Another thing to consider is that I already own a G4 Cube and planning to upgrade that to a G4 1.5GHz processor at a later date, would it be better to spend money upgrading the Cube?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

You'd be better off buying a new MacBook, imao.

I think he's having a Giraffe.

And how would performance of a G4 1.33GHz compare to an Athlon 64 3200+?

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Very poorly, IMO. That Athlon is at least twice as fast. Also, the combo drive won't write DVDs, whereas your current machine does. You're going to give him 250 notes, plus spend about another 200 on RAM and a DVD burner. Your machine is worth probably 400 pounds, so you just spent 850 on a 3 year old Powerbook.

Also, I'd check the specs very carefully. A Powerbook from 2003 with a ghz+ CPU, 60 gig HDD and an R9700 64mb is pretty generous. The only downside to your machine is the 40gig HDD which can be upgraded to 80 or 100 gigs for less than 100 pounds.

Sell your machine and buy a new MacBook or MBP when you're ready. Your laptop is Vista compatible, so that's a good selling point.

OK Thanks for the replies, my initial reaction was it was a bit pricey but this has confirmed it.

Similar models to mine go for around £300-350 (for the slightly faster 3400+ models).

My friend said he will accept £500 cash for the PowerBook (which seems about average by looking on eBay). But I will try offering £450 and see what he says (but he does want to sell it quick so he may agree).

After discussing with my dad and since he brought my laptop for me and paid partly for it, he won't let me sell the laptop. However, he has said if I give the laptop to my brother and pay £250 towards the PowerBook, he will pay the extra £200 and it can be my Christmas present.

This seems fair because I was going to give him the laptop next year when I buy my MacBook Pro for uni.

A 1GB RAM stick is about £80 and a superdrive is about £60, but these can come at a later date and I'm sure I'll be able to get them cheap on an auction.

I'm a little out of date with UK prices, but I like the sound of the Christmas pressie offer from your dad. Nice one.

I still think you're getting a slightly slower machine, but it will be more than capable. Does anyone know how a 1.3ghz G4 handles HD video?

Thanks, I think my friend was trying to take advantage because he thought I didn't know much about Macs.

He soon changed his tune when I told him I owned a G4 Cube (he was amazed!). Anyway I'm sure it will feel much faster than Windows!

Apparently, some guy with a 1.25GHz PowerBook says iMovie HD works fine but it is slow and you need preferably 2GB RAM and a 7200rpm HDD.

And here is some more detail:
http://www.delarte.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=37

Final Cut Pro requires 1-2GB RAM and a G4 1GHz for HD footage, or a G5 for HD DVD authoring. for motion, the minimum is a 1.25GHz PowerBook/iMac.

I just wonder about HD Playback under h.264. I would not invest in a machine that could not do it at at least 720p

Apple states on its website you need a 1.8ghz G5 to playback HD content. I know for a fact that an Athlon 3400+ will playback 720p and 1080p without a second thought.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/player/specs.html

Your machine will have no problems playing back iTunes video though.

My Mac Mini 1.25Ghz G4 with ATI 9200 Radeon will play HD at 720p but frame drops at 1080p. Same with my iBook G4 1.33Ghz and ATI 9550. Neither will play 1080p but then again my AMD 64 3200 Plus with Radeon 9800 Pro still dropped frames at 1080p HD.

I am now the proud owner of a PowerBook and officially Windows Free!

I got it for £450 (well I'm paying £250) and it was in fact a 2004 model. It seems to be in mint condition (boxed and hardly any visible scratches) and had Tiger and iLife 06 install discs too.

It seems to be coping fine with general everyday uses, and when opening 15+ tabs in Camino, it doesn't slow down like my Windows laptop.

I tried a few 480p quicktime videos and they run at a solid 24fps, but 720p video hovers around 12fps. But, since HD is just very new here in the UK it's not really an issue.

I'm currently in the process of installing apps and transferring my files (it's amazing how fast hard drives fill up!)

(Which PowerBook versions have the backlit keyboards and sudden motion sensors? Mine doesn't seem to.)

Congrats mate, you have a really nice Notebook there.

I think the motion sensor is in your machine actually, but you might want to look that up.