help, 17 in. pb or dual 1.8 g5 w/studio display

[Cfg5]

I posted a thread about 3 weeks ago on whether i should buy a 1.25 ghz pb or a 1.6 g5. I was gonna buy it these week, but now have a larger budget. I am now deciding between a 17 inch pb or a dual 1.8 g5 with a studio display. Im going to need this computer for the next 2 1/2 years and basically want to know if the 17 inch pb will last me that long.

[Cfg5]

i mean "this week"

[QCassidy352]

the dual G5 will certainly last you that long. With the powerbook, I think it depends on what you're doing with it.

[rlhubley]

Well, personally I think teh 17" PB is too big for daily transport, which makes me think portability is not a huge priority for you. Therefore, I say to buy the beast. Get that beautigul G5 and brag to everyone about it.

[Gymnut]

With the G4 in that PB, it'll last for the next 2 years depending on what you plan on using it for. A better investment would be the Dual 1.8 G5 for obvious reasons. The G4 is on its last leg and hopefully will eventually be phased out. If your needs demand portability then by all means purchase the PB. If we were to constantly keep putting off our purchases for something better, we'd never get anywhere.

[thumper]

i was thinkin the same thing in october. and then got the 17" pb.

i love this thing. AND
i hate all these people who say its too big.
they most likly have never even seen one inperson.

i'm a sound engineer and take this thing almost everywhere i go and i have never had a problem.
people have even said its too big to take on the plane which is TOTAL BS. i had no probs using this on the plane. and when i was at the airport i got to try out weirless internet for the first time. which was damn cool.

if you want a G5 then get the best. dont go for the lowest one.

but if you really dont need all that speed, then get the 17''pb, 1.33 is fast enough for me. it runs all my audio apps GREAT and all my games run super fast too.

[rlhubley]

I agree, the 17" is plenty portable. But, still think that if portability is not a priority, get the G5.

[FlamDrag]

As an owner of a 17" PB, I attest that it is not too big to carry around every day. Is it bigger than a 12"? Yes, but it's honestly not much bigger than the 15.

I love my Powerbook and don't regret purchasing it for a moment. It is a wonderful, wonderful machine. Until I owned a notebook computer, I had no idea how useful it is to own a computer that can go with you anywhere. Forget about taking out of the house, to have it on the couch or anywhere you'd like it to be is quite handy. I never thought that I'd want another immobile machine.

However, if I were buying today, I'd get the Dual 1.8 G5. In my opinion, you cannot ignore the major power difference. Until the powerbooks get significantly faster, I can't recommend one to someone who doesn't feel that they need the mobility of a notebook.

The main drawback, in my experience, to having a portable machine is that you begin to try to take it everywhere. I end up with my powerbook on short trips and I haven't used it once. Yet, I take it anyway.

In short, you won't go wrong either way, but my advice is to buy the PowerMac.

[legion]

Dual 1.8 all the way.

The 17"PB is overpriced and underperforms at the moment. At least the Dual 1.8 will give you performance (and the difference from it to the Dual 2 is minimal) The only thing the 17" has going for it is looks. This call is a no brainer for the Dual 1.8 + StudioDisplay; you'll actually see some real performance benefits and you'll be excited about the whole OS X platform all over again (vs the ho hum performance of the 17")

[crazzyeddie]

Whatever you do, do yourself a favor and wait for MWSF. There will be updated PowerMacs and some people are claiming price drops for PowerBooks. You will be shooting yourself in the foot if you buy before MacWorld.

However, for 2 1/2 years of use, i have to say the Powermac is the only way to go because it is so upgradable. Hard drives, tons of RAM, graphics cards, and possibly processors in the future. But again, wait until January to find out what happens at Mac World.

[manitoubalck]

Twin G5, but with a CRT or 3rd party monitor. Spend any left over cach on a better Graphics card or More RAM.

[Cfg5]

thanks for the info - keep it coming!

[grafikat]

I just got the dual and 20" studio....couldn't be happier!

[bb0ys]

The dual g5 will last MUCH longer. If portability isn't required, buy the G5 without thinking twice. I've used single 1.8's and dual 2.0s. They SCREAM. They're upgradable and the PB isnt. Give it a few gigs of ram, 500gigs of HD space, the 9600 vid card (9800 if u got an extra $300, but make it a "last option"), and get a MONSTER LCD. Doesn't have to be made my apple, just make sure its contrast ratio is high (400:1 is good) and its got a fast pixel response time (under 20ms is nice). a 20" or better i would say.

[scat999999]

If you do, case closed. If you think you MIGHT want to take it somewhere sometime, I'd still opt for the desktop. Faster, upgradable, more rugged and a larger screen.




Originally posted by Cfg5
I posted a thread about 3 weeks ago on whether i should buy a 1.25 ghz pb or a 1.6 g5. I was gonna buy it these week, but now have a larger budget. I am now deciding between a 17 inch pb or a dual 1.8 g5 with a studio display. Im going to need this computer for the next 2 1/2 years and basically want to know if the 17 inch pb will last me that long.