Noise level on 12" PB Vs Mini

[rosso]

Hello,

I'm going abroad soon and was considering a cheapy ibook to keep me company but (and its an important but) Apple also makes a tasty PB range. Its caught my eye. Now I already have the mini but would consider selling up to raise cash for the extra cost of a 12" PB.

The PB has a better Graphics card, a faster processor and I can stuff more RAM into it. Outcome = faster computer than my current mini. Now my only gripe is with sound. I demand a silent computer. Ultimately the computer would serve as source in a music server so any sound would hinder the music.

I'd like to know from PB users:

1. How often does the fan come on? Is it annoyingly loud?
2. Is the HD churning audible?
3. without the fan is there a noticable hum?

Thanks

 

[BrianH]

1.My fan comes in when i load up 5 programs and have been using it for a while.
2. Only when it starts up.
3. BARELY.

 

[rosso]

1.My fan comes in when i load up 5 programs and have been using it for a while.
2. Only when it starts up.
3. BARELY.

Thanks for the info Brian, BTW how much RAM do you have and how often does the beachball pop up?

 

[BrianH]

I have the standard 512. It does everything for me and then some. To answer your question, the beach ball very rarely comes up, even with 6 programs up. However, keep in mind that I run Adium (similar to AIM), safari, and iTunes, on all the time.

I just opened MS Word, powerpoint, and excel, with adium, safari, and iTunes running and got no beach ball. The 512 is perfect for me, but I am just a simple user. An iBook would have suited my needs perfectly, but I fell in love with the aluminum, and since I'm on a computer 3 hours a day, I may as well get what I want.

 

[rs2sensen]

1. My 17" is the quietest laptop I've ever used. Even after hours of heavy work, the fans will rarely go on for long, and when they are on, they are barely audible.
2. I very rarely can hear my HD.
3. There is a slight hum, like any computer, but as I said before, this is one of the quietest computers I've ever used.

I have 1GB ram and use my mac for multimedia editing.

 

[Biturbo V12 AMG]

the fan noise and how often it goes on depends on

1. temp
2. surface your computer is on. (on glass desk my powerbook 15inch fans go on in about 10mins of normal use) note. the powerbook cools off by using the bottom of the computer to transfer heat so your computer might get your lap a little hot after prolonged use.
3. what apps you are running.

i have to agree with the people above if you complain about the noise of a powerbook then you have never used a PC laptop.