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Some final advice needed !Powerbook! NOT Mactel

the_insider

the_insider

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 20, 2005
177
0
USA / UK
Hey guys, i want to start off by saying thanks so much for all the help over the past 6 monthes. I finally am at the final stage of purchasing my very first apple computer! Ive finnaly collected up 2400 dollars, and this is far from enough for an apple in switzerland :p thankfully i have a brother in orlando, so i will use his educational discout and ship it to him. He will be visiting in a month so i need to order my laptop soon. This is my choice:

15" inch Powerbook G4
• 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 w/128MB VRAM dual
• 1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
• 100GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128mb)
Grand Total : $2,414.00


So here is where i need your advice. I was talking to my cousin, who is a powerbook user, and he told me it was a MUST to get the Apple Care. The thing is that i cant afford paying an extra 240! I looked on ebay, and found out that i could buy apple care on ebay. I was wondering can i buy the apple care in a year, since it prolongs the already 90 days of complimentary support and one-year warranty.
My final problem is that i dont want to get my powerbook when the update is comming up. Ive already waited around 6 monthes for this switch, and to wait another month would kill me! Do you think that w/e the update is, would it make a big difference? How much change would a 1.8 do rather than a 1.67? Finaly is it likely that in the next update we see some visual updates, like a new keyboard, or new color or something? Thanks for all your help guys,


Now reply! :p :p
 
H

hhlee

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2005
255
1
you can buy applecare any time up to a year after you purchase the machine. so don't bother with the applecare now if you can't afford it. use the heck out of your machine so whatever components fail can be replaced under the one year warranty.

i don't really understand what applecare over ebay is or means maybe someone else has a response for that.

no idea what the updates are going to be like or if they will even be soon... if its just an increase in ghz, a jump from 1.67 to 1.8 is...small and not worth it in my opinion.

ghz = easy to market

the_insider said:
Hey guys, i want to start off by saying thanks so much for all the help over the past 6 monthes. I finally am at the final stage of purchasing my very first apple computer! Ive finnaly collected up 2400 dollars, and this is far from enough for an apple in switzerland :p thankfully i have a brother in orlando, so i will use his educational discout and ship it to him. He will be visiting in a month so i need to order my laptop soon. This is my choice:

15" inch Powerbook G4
• 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 w/128MB VRAM dual
• 1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
• 100GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128mb)
Grand Total : $2,414.00


So here is where i need your advice. I was talking to my cousin, who is a powerbook user, and he told me it was a MUST to get the Apple Care. The thing is that i cant afford paying an extra 240! I looked on ebay, and found out that i could buy apple care on ebay. I was wondering can i buy the apple care in a year, since it prolongs the already 90 days of complimentary support and one-year warranty.
My final problem is that i dont want to get my powerbook when the update is comming up. Ive already waited around 6 monthes for this switch, and to wait another month would kill me! Do you think that w/e the update is, would it make a big difference? How much change would a 1.8 do rather than a 1.67? Finaly is it likely that in the next update we see some visual updates, like a new keyboard, or new color or something? Thanks for all your help guys,


Now reply! :p :p
Click to expand...
 
Nuc

Nuc

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2003
798
6
TN
...

Drop the ram and get it later from somewhere else when you can afford it...
Also you may not need the extra video ram.

Also the 17" has all the stuff listed above without the 1 GB of ram though for $2,399. If you don't mind the 17" I would go with that..... I did :D

You can get 512 of ram for less than $80.

Nuc
 
K

kant

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2004
337
0
hhlee said:
i don't really understand what applecare over ebay is or means maybe someone else has a response for that.
Click to expand...

You can usually find a retail applecare kit on ebay for $250+.
 
law guy

law guy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 17, 2003
997
0
Western Massachusetts
the_insider said:
15" inch Powerbook G4
• 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 w/128MB VRAM dual
• 1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
• 100GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128mb)
Grand Total : $2,414.00
Click to expand...

Nice configuration. I agree with folks on adding the RAM aftermarket from a good supplier like Crucial. I got the 128 MB card in my 15" PB and am glad I did - I wouldn't downgrade that. As opposed to RAM, that isn't something that could easily be upgraded after-the-fact. On applecare - I agree that it makes sense to put that off until later in the year. Enjoy your new PB!!
 
After G

After G

macrumors 68000
Aug 27, 2003
1,583
1
California
hmm ... never really needed AppleCare.

I would think it was only really worth if you buy a new computer once in a while (a while being something like three years or more). By the time my hardware conks out, Mac or PC, I usually want whatever new stuff is being offered, so I probably would put my $250 or however much it costs for AppleCare toward the price of a new computer (especially if I had a Mac Mini).

Now I know not everyone feels the urge, or sees the sense to do this, but I see breakdowns as a nice, easy justification to buy new computer hardware. I remember one poster who said something like "it may be better to spend $650 every three years instead of $1800 every nine" in response to someone who said they wanted to keep their computer for nine years. Makes sense to me. And if your old computers still work, you can use them too. And you end up with more in the end.
 
the_insider

the_insider

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 20, 2005
177
0
USA / UK
After G said:
hmm ... never really needed AppleCare.

I would think it was only really worth if you buy a new computer once in a while (a while being something like three years or more). By the time my hardware conks out, Mac or PC, I usually want whatever new stuff is being offered, so I probably would put my $250 or however much it costs for AppleCare toward the price of a new computer (especially if I had a Mac Mini).

Now I know not everyone feels the urge, or sees the sense to do this, but I see breakdowns as a nice, easy justification to buy new computer hardware. I remember one poster who said something like "it may be better to spend $650 every three years instead of $1800 every nine" in response to someone who said they wanted to keep their computer for nine years. Makes sense to me. And if your old computers still work, you can use them too. And you end up with more in the end.
Click to expand...


i wish everytime my computer broke down, i could just buy a new one. Too bad this sick sad world only allows me to buy one every 4 years. :D
 
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