Should I buy a TiBook 1Ghz

Jesus · Oct 25, 2005

Should I buy a TiBook 1Ghz for £550.

Stats:

Introduction Date:

November 06, 2002

Discontinued Date:

September 16, 2003

Processor Type:

PowerPC 7455 (G4) 1.

Processor Speed:

1.0 GHz (1000 MHz)

Processor Upgrade:

N/A

FPU (Integrated):

PowerPC 7455 (G4) 1.

System Bus Speed:

133 MHz (7.5:1)

Backside Bus Speed:

N/A?

ROM Size:

1 MB (NewWorld) 2.

Data Path:

64-bit

Level 1, Level 2 Cache:

64k, 256k (on-chip) 3.

Level 3 Cache:

1.0 MB 4.

RAM Type:

8 ns PC133 SDRAM

VRAM Type:

DDR Video RAM

Standard RAM:

512 MB *

Maximum RAM:

1024 MB (1.0 GB)

Motherboard RAM:

None

RAM Slots:

2

Standard VRAM:

64 MB

Maximum VRAM:

64 MB

Standard Hard Drive:

60.0 GB (4200 RPM) *

Int. Hard Drive Type:

Ultra ATA/66

Standard SuperDrive:

1X/6X/8X/4X/24X 5, 6.

Standard Disk:

None

Standard Modem:

56k v.92

Standard Ethernet:

10/100/1000Base-T

Case Type:

Portable (Silver) 7.

Form Factor:

PowerBook G4 7.

Exp. Slots:

Type I,II PC/CardBus 8.

Exp. Bays (Free):

N/A 9.

Battery Type:

61 W/Hr LiIon

Battery Life:

5 hours A.

Built-in Display:

15.2" Color B.

Supported MacOS:

9.2.1, X v10.2

Dimensions:

1.0 x 13.4 x 9.5 C.

Avg. Weight:

5.4 lbs.

Original Price:

$2999 US

Est. Current Price:

$1150-$1250 US

NO USB 2.0

Any opinions?

Jesus

Bear · Oct 25, 2005

Expect to have to buy a new battery soon.

AirPort not Airport Extreme.

Slow SuperDrive.

Gokhan · Oct 25, 2005

k

i have one of those its a very good all rounder with some extra ram mine has 1gb and does everything i want i never close the lid for fear of breaking the hinges though and yes the superdrive is very slow but u can buy an external one

it depends if u need raw power or sleek design and decent power and slower cache and hd although u can upgrade hd

but i am very very happy with mine

i mean i used it more than my alu 1.25ghz that i sold

so go for it be warned if u are buying from the states the vat is 17.5 and there will be customs charges

also u can add usb 2 via pcima slot

ipacmm · Oct 25, 2005

I have been using my Ti 1Ghz, 1GB of ram Power Book for the past 3 years, and it does everything I want...a little slow, but I would upgade your hard drive on it.

crazzyeddie · Oct 25, 2005

ipacmm said:
I have been using my Ti 1Ghz, 1GB of ram Power Book for the past 3 years, and it does everything I want...a little slow, but I would upgade your hard drive on it.

Agreed. I use it as my primary machine... even for gaming its slow, but its definitely usable.

Kelson · Oct 25, 2005

Absolutely...

I've been using my TiBook 1Ghz for the last 3 years. It has held up very well and is in mint condition even after dragging it around the world a couple times over.

With the 1Ghz, you might be a bit frustrated with the speed if you have spent much time on a newer Mac, but if you haven't you really don't notice. In fact, my TiBook performs better than my wife's new iBook 1.33Ghz w/ 512MB, tho I have 1GB of RAM.

I will admit that I just ordered a new PB 15" today tho. Since I use this as my primary work machine, I need something that will hold me over another 2 years until Rev B or C of the Intel PBs. However, I am not getting rid of the TiBook, as it is definitely good enough that it is worth more as a backup laptop than to sell.

- Kelson

xparaparafreakx · Oct 25, 2005

TiBook as a student for 3 years and does everything well but there are times when I just want to take Lil Bros AlBook 1.5Ghz. Get new battery and remember, there isn't a USB 2.0 and the new iPods require USB 2.0.

I also plan to keep the TiBook as a backup next year in college. However I don't know what machine ill get yet.

CanadaRAM · Oct 25, 2005

$1150 - $1250 is way too much when you can get a refurb Apple 1.33 GHz 15" with 1 year warranty, combo drive, 60 Gb hard drive, Tiger and iLife for US$1,299
Link

or a 1.5 GHz Superdrive 80 Gb model for $1499
Link

Demon Hunter · Oct 26, 2005

CanadaRAM said:
$1150 - $1250 is way too much when you can get a refurb Apple 1.33 GHz 15" with 1 year warranty, combo drive, 60 Gb hard drive, Tiger and iLife for US$1,299

Yeah... that's a great notebook. 1MB L3 cache and more VRAM than an iBook (what's the resolution on that thing?). But you need a seriously lower price.

jer2eydevil88 · Oct 26, 2005

If the price were between $400 - 600usd it would be much more appealing... seems like its a bit pricey to me as is...

I would rather go with a 14" ibook for a bit more and avoid the 3 year old powerbook.

More than likely the 3 year old machine will be fine for everyday use, still I value the warranty included with new hardware much higher than the sleek design of the TI book.

rickvanr · Oct 26, 2005

I agree with CanadaRAM. The price seems a bit steep.

That being said, I have a 1GHz Ti myself, and it's awesome. The paint had little problems with the last rev. The hinges are still fine, and I open/ close my book frequently. It works great. It feels slow after being on my G5, but I think if I replaced the 4200 RPM drive with a 7200 or even 5400 RPM drive I would notice an enormously positive change in performance.

Jesus · Oct 26, 2005

That price is just what everymac.com recommends.

Jesus

California · Oct 26, 2005

Well,

I love mine. Dropping a 7200rpm hd and a newer superdrive in it tomorrow even though I have a warranty through the first of next year on it.

It is the last Apple to run OS9, which is important to me. Mine is flawless and I have the DVI TIbook Bookendz for it.

louis_sx · Oct 26, 2005

California hit on something - it's the fastest laptop that can run OS 9.

That is going to bring something of a price premium, IMO, probably more of a price premium than it's worth...unless you have an OS 9 app that you need to run, that is.

Jesus · Nov 5, 2005

No, I don't, but, I love the design so so much, and what it loses in speed it makes up for in looks. I am going to buy this as an early Xmas present and get a new iMac G5 20" for Xmas.

P.S. will a 2.1 ghz iMc run photoshop and aperture well??

Jesus

tristan · Nov 20, 2005

I'm using the same computer (TiBook 1ghz), bought in Feb 2003. I like it a lot, though I am kinda sorta planning to upgrade before Xmas.

The good:
- Beautiful design, runs software great, good speed

The bad:
- Hinge defect (replaced), power supply wire defect (replaced)
- very little battery capacity left (but no laptop battery ages well)
- superdrive is superslow (writes at 1x with most media)
- low airport range

The ugly:
- keyboard collects gunk
- easy to scratch

I don't consider it slow, except when I open gobs of windows. I have 768 megs RAM. By the way, I believe this machine maxes out at 1 gig RAM (two 512 slots). Does anybody know? I'd love to put a 1 gig module in a slot and go up to 1.5 gigs, but I don't think I can. Also, Panther was a big help for speed. (I haven't upgraded to Tiger yet.)

MattG · Nov 20, 2005

I miss my Ti

It's a great machine, albeit a little slow compared to today's standards, but great for everyday stuff. Like others have said already though, the price seems a little steep.

California · Nov 20, 2005

I miss my Ti that I just sold (referenced it in an above post).

Why? They are so DANG easy to work on. I was able to drop hard drives, superdrives, memory etc., into that TiBook no problem. I loved being able to switch out the drives so easy.

Find one with a good screen. These machine are really desktop replacements and "portable" too.

Jschultz · Nov 20, 2005

Even 1 ghz TiBooks on eBay are overpriced. I know that even a 667 DVI TiBook goes up to $700. I've seen the 1 ghz hit 1100 or so. It's rediculous.

tristan · Nov 21, 2005

I confirmed that the TiBook only supports 1 gig of RAM max. My recommendation would be to max it out ASAP.

poolin1243 · Nov 21, 2005

loved the one i used for a while...seemed more solid than the ALbooks. only problem was the damn hinge...and paint chips...hated that...but if u can live iwth it...go for it

fklehman · Nov 21, 2005

No way, mate...anecdotal evidence to the contrary aside, TiBooks have a generally crummy reputation for being easily broken. I would at least get a 1st generation Aluminum PB (1.25 gHz I think), which are a bit sturdier. If you're really looking for a cheap Apple laptop, though, you really can't do any better than a new iBook. A new iBook is pretty cheap.

rickvanr · Nov 21, 2005

fklehman said:
No way, mate...anecdotal evidence to the contrary aside, TiBooks have a generally crummy reputation for being easily broken. I would at least get a 1st generation Aluminum PB (1.25 gHz I think), which are a bit sturdier. If you're really looking for a cheap Apple laptop, though, you really can't do any better than a new iBook. A new iBook is pretty cheap.

You're thinker about the early rev Ti's. The last gen Ti's are super dependable, and mine still looks great even after some mild abuse over the past 3 years I've had it.

California · Nov 21, 2005

rickvanr said:
You're thinker about the early rev Ti's. The last gen Ti's are super dependable, and mine still looks great even after some mild abuse over the past 3 years I've had it.

No, he's obviously never owned one.

I've had almost ALL of them 400 500 667 1ghz and I do have to say, they are champs.

Paint and keyboard marks are only issues.

I usually solved them by keeping mine under clean iSkins and using a Macally Ice Pad so they really never were stressed.

Miss the 1GHZ, but the others went to good friends of mine, who are now loving them too. Wiith a gig of ram and fast hds, they are just as fast as my current top of the line iBooks. 1.42ghz 14" and 1.33ghz 12". Daystar also has a good CPU overclocking warranty on the early Ti's.

MBHockey · Nov 21, 2005

This is my machine, but i have 1 GB Ram...i love it i love it i love it

That price is definitely way too high when compared with Apple's current offerings, though.

I got in in August of 2002 and i don't plan on upgrading for at least another 2 years

Should I buy a TiBook 1Ghz

macrumors 6502

macrumors G3

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68030

macrumors member

macrumors 65816

macrumors G5

macrumors 68020

macrumors 6502

macrumors 68040

macrumors 6502

macrumors 68040

macrumors regular

macrumors 6502

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68040

macrumors 68040

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502

macrumors regular

macrumors 68040

macrumors 68040

macrumors 601

Our Staff