Powerbook G4 12 Inch ?

I do a bit of PHP dev atm, so i'm running MySQL with Apache/PHP doing some pretty heavy stuff in mySQL with Dreamweaver as well as a few other apps i'm working with (small stuff, chimera, proetus, stickies), no slwodowns, no problems. At home i work with a 17" sony E220, flawless. They sure can heat up, though it's never unbearable, never had a crash yet though.

For my purposes (developer), i find it perfect, it's tiny, easy to move around with, you can work on the train, on the tram, anywhere (although i can't see you doing ps work in the back of a taxi).

i use a lot of adobe apps on my powerboook. photoshop, illustrator, golive, indesign,acrobat, so on and so on. its very snappy and i love it. the only i say to people about the heat is that its not a problem and your a wuss and cant take a little warmth where the left palm is. keyboard is the best feeling keyboard by far than any of the other apple laptops. the speakers dont seem as loud as the could be, but thats because they are inside the computer. all the ports are nicely on the side, only annoying thing is where the lockdown is, but thats only a problem if you lock it down. if you have any more questions let us know, many of us have this computer.

iJon

Re: Powerbook G4 12 Inch ?

-alkil47

Well, I'll do what I can to help! Forgive me for dissecting your points below, but I think it the best way.


1. With only 640 max ram and no L3 cache can they run macromedia MX Studio applications and basic Adobe aplications like photoshop and illustrator at a decent level?

I use Final Cut on the thing, myself, and I'm a member of ChiFCPug (Chicago Final Cut Pro User's Group), and I got a lot of attention last meeting (first with the 12PB).

Oh, and about the 640mb. That's not entirely true. The actual max RAM the Mobo is designed for is 1gb. The only reason why the 12pb only gets to 640mb is that the RAM chips to get to 1gb aren't sold yet. Yet.


2. Do they work well with monitors such as a 19 inch sony CRT?

I had mine driving a 32" Sony Trinitron Television last night.

Yeah, ok, so that's just a big 640x480, so that measurement's not much use.

Yeah, you'll drive the CRT just fine.


3. I have heard they heat up alot what's the truth about this do they crash or are they pretty stable?

It does get quite warm, and I max the thing out with Electric Image renderings and Final Cut. I'd say it warms to about 115 degress Fahrenheit. The average pain threshold for a human is about 130 degrees.

The 12PB is toasty, but really not that bad. I think what you've heard are the results of surprise. Remember Aluminum is a terrific thermal conductor as well as electrical (read: static electricity)


4. Are they value for money and what other great features do they have to offer for a graphic designer?

Damn fine value - Holy smokes!


Coming from using a B/W G3 400 mini tower for four years .Thanks to anyone in advance.

Well then, you're in for a shock - a pleasant one.

One, peice of ownership advice. When you wish to grab-and-carry the 12pb, do so by the hinge, not by the latch as grabbing by that latch will eventually warp the screen.