I'm not using the power that I have with my iBook :(

eh?... Ok... Start folding?

slooksterPSV said:

I have so much power with my new iBook, but I feel like I'm wasting it, cause the main things I do are listen to music and post on this website. Now I do use Photoshop (30 day trial) a lot right now, so that's a plus, but I feel like I could do more. I opened up all the apps in my dock - lets see... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19... in about 5 min. I opened them all at once so my dock was bouncing.

I need something to push my iBook to the limits otherwise I feel like I'm wasting its potential. Do you guys feel this way with new computers?

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Folding!

folding@home is a way to use CPU cycles.

heck, I use my 15" PowerBook for Adium, email, and Safari!

..then again I didn't pay for a music studio...
*giggles to self* hehe.

Hmm... start to encode video.
Lots of video.
for no reason.
then you'll be using it!

I know what you mean I feel like I am not using my 15" PB to its full potential. If you like Photoshop but dont want to pay the full price there is a program called GIMP that is very similar to Photoshop but it is free. There is also a hack for GIMP called GIMPshop which makes it even more like photoshop.

heh, between 50-80% of the CPU power of my G5 (single 1.8) is usually idle. So yeah, I'm "wasting" it... but I just figure it will last me that much longer.

edit: oh, btw, this is why I think it's silly how much people complain about macs needing faster processors. sure, there are people who need ever Mhz they can get (a professional photographer friend of mine often has both processors on his dual 2.5 G5 maxed out), but for a lot of us, we've already got more than enough.

Just because your processor idles doesn't mean you're wasting it, lol.

Are you "wasting" your car because you don't go 120mph?

A new computer should always be that way. Enjoy it because in a few years, it won't seem fast at all.

Buy a game. Games solve everything.

I sorta feel like that too. My powerbook always amazes me with its power (most recently; the Doom 3 demo running better than on my Windows laptop which, on paper, has double the speed and a miles better graphics card), i do reach the limits sometimes but very rarely. even encoding into H.264 isn't that bad! I can encode, use iTunes and photoshop and have no slowdown?

oh god how does OSX do that?! talk about a realisation moment.

I cant fold. i've tried it twice and nothing was happening. i'm also a crusader in this house for limiting download speeds (slowing the network down) so i'd be a hypocrite if i start draining the connection.
I am surprised though, i mean the iBook hasn't got *that* much power has it? although right now i do wish i went for an iBook rather than powerbook. ho hum!

what about messing around with a learning edition of some 3d software? maya has personal learning edition, lightwave used to have discovery edition but not sure if it still does, etc. although i'd recommend spanning to an external monitor if you have one (lightwave at least is painful on 1024x768 and i assume others are too)

Also for Folding! But it doesn't drian your internet connection, only uses it when it needs to download (about 100Kb) a new WorkUnit, or upload a finished one (at the most 2 MB). So that would hardly take a minute. Also, if you have any folding questions, that nothing happens or something, post them in the distributed computing section. We all have a lot of experience with folding and sometimes it looks that way that nothing is happening. We always are ready to help!

raggedjimmi said:

I sorta feel like that too. My powerbook always amazes me with its power (most recently; the Doom 3 demo running better than on my Windows laptop which, on paper, has double the speed and a miles better graphics card), i do reach the limits sometimes but very rarely.

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Huh? I have a 1.67/2GB/9700 128 and it gets owned when there are 3+ monsters on the screen.

You could take some comfort in the fact that your iBook is one of the slowest computers that Apple currently sells (it's only 80 Mhz faster than the lowest mac mini). If it really bugs you, you could sell it and get a used iBook G3.

You had 19!! apps open at once with 512MB?!!!! How in the........ I have 768MB and dont usally open more than 5 at once. Did you just open stuff and not have any windows open in it, cause OS X allocates RAM based on the need for each app, so if you're not doing anything in that app then I guess you could open 19 apps at once.... with only 512MB of RAM......

Oh, ya... umm you're not wasting anything, but games are probably the best solution to your "problem." You don't have to learn how to use any new software and it won't make you feel inclined to spend tons of $$ on a video/still camera.......

I downloaded the version of Maya that was reccomended and I am watching some of the training videos. Hopefully I can learn this pretty well and start to make some cool things.

if you are in college you can get some serious discounts on macromedia and adobe products

Are you running in Window Mode? I guess that would explain some things.

Kirk: Scotty, I need phasers now!
Scotty: Okay.
Kirk: What? No "I need more power!"?
Scotty: Nope.
Kirk: No "I cannot break the laws of physics!"?
Scotty: Nope. Hey, I said we had phasers and we do. So use 'em already.
Kirk: (sigh) No respect for drama....

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slooksterPSV said:

I have so much power with my new iBook, but I feel like I'm wasting it, cause the main things I do are listen to music and post on this website. Now I do use Photoshop (30 day trial) a lot right now, so that's a plus, but I feel like I could do more. I opened up all the apps in my dock - lets see... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19... in about 5 min. I opened them all at once so my dock was bouncing.

I need something to push my iBook to the limits otherwise I feel like I'm wasting its potential. Do you guys feel this way with new computers?

Now now, don't get me wrong. I love this computer cause of its speed... computer? no no no I love this Macintosh, cause of its speed, response time, uptime... I'm going to restart and time it.

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You wanna use your iBook's power? Load up iPhoto w/ 20,000 photos... just try it and get back to us.