17" PB G4 1.67 GHz DL with 20" Cinema Display

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17" PB G4 1.67GHz DL
hello,

I'd like to buy a 20-inch cinema display to hook up to my powerbook. I'd most likely use the laptop in closed mode. my question is if the cinema display would cause the powerbook to heat up significantly due to the graphics card powering the bigger display? how much does running the PB in closed mode contribute to increased heat?

I like the silence of my powerbook. I haven't heard the fans come on once since I got the PB 1 1/2 years ago and I'd like to it stay that way.

thanks for your input.
 
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2.6GHz Core i7 15" MacBook Pro - 8GB DDR3 SDRAM - 750GB 7200 RPM HDD - GeForce 650M GT 1GB VRAM
I doubt there'd be a difference since the 20-inch cinema display is only 1680x1050 resolution if memory serves me well. That's the exact same resolution of your PowerBook's native display if I'm reading your Mac specs correctly.
 
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ghettochild
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I doubt there'd be a difference since the 20-inch cinema display is only 1680x1050 resolution if memory serves me well. That's the exact same resolution of your PowerBook's native display if I'm reading your Mac specs correctly.

that's correct, same resolution as the PB. still, I wonder about heat issues in relation to using the PB in closed mode. I remember reading quite a few threads 2 years ago here and on other forums about the fans constantly coming on when using a cinema display with a 12" or 15" PB, but I don't recall ever having read about any experiences with a 17" PB in closed mode with a cinema display.

as I said in the previous post, I very much like the quietness of the PB, and I wouldn't want the fans running all the time when hooked to a ACD. on the other hand, I'd much appreciate the larger screen.
 
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that's correct, same resolution as the PB. still, I wonder about heat issues in relation to using the PB in closed mode. I remember reading quite a few threads 2 years ago here and on other forums about the fans constantly coming on when using a cinema display with a 12" or 15" PB, but I don't recall ever having read about any experiences with a 17" PB in closed mode with a cinema display.

as I said in the previous post, I very much like the quietness of the PB, and I wouldn't want the fans running all the time when hooked to a ACD. on the other hand, I'd much appreciate the larger screen.

To be fair, 12" and 15" PowerBooks from a couple years ago ran natively at 1024x768 and 1280x[I'm not sure what] resolutions respectively, and didn't go higher than 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with a 64MB VRAM video card (unless you upgraded the 15-inch, which would in itself cause increased heat and thus fan activity). This is in contrast to your machine, which sports a 1.67GHz G4 and a video card with 128MB of VRAM, having beeen designed to handle 1680x1050 resolution at all times. Also, the PowerBooks, unlike the iBooks, were designed to run in closed book mode, and thus do not release a proportionately large amount of heat through the keyboard.

That said, a CPU-intensive will make your fans come on if the unit is working properly. You shouldn't worry too much about fans coming on, since that's your computer doing its job and keeping the CPU and other parts safe. Plus, in closed book mode, you probably won't have the laptop close to you anyway. That's just my two cents. If you're that concerned about it, though, you might try finding a friend with a display that supports the resolution in question and try using it with your PowerBook to see the results.
 

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