New iBook vs Compaq

[Patmian212]

OK well let me start by saying im a life long pc user but you know what im just sick of these stupid pcs crashing on me all the time and my brother being a mac lover and his best friend working for apple, convinced me to by a mac.
Im on a pretty tight budget and i can only afford a 14" ibook. I want to know if the ibook can replace my pc.

My PC

Compaq 1.8 ghz
60 gb hard-drive
256 mb of RAM
nVidia Geforce 2 mx 400 32mb video card
24x cd drive

ibook I want

1.33 ghz
60gb hard-drive(might upgrade to 80)
256mb of ram(ill upgrade to 512)
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
Combo Drive(dont know speed)
Airport Extreme

I basically use my pc for Web Browsing, Very Light Photoshop work, Very light bryce 5 work, word processing, itunes, watch dvd´s and some games like warcraft3, chanmpionship manager and some gta vice city...i want to know if the ibook is powerfull enough to replace my pc.

[brap]

...I basically use my pc for Web Browsing, Very Light Photoshop work, Very light bryce 5 work, word processing, itunes, watch dvd´s and some games like warcraft3, chanmpionship manager and some gta vice city...i want to know if the ibook is powerfull enough to replace my pc.
GTA Vice City won't run. At all. Ever. Not even in Virtual PC 12. Everything else is good to go.

Of note, the 14" iBook has same screen rez as the 12", so if portability is important, you're just as well getting the smaller one.

[Patmian212]

Gta vice city runs fine on my pc and it has a 32 mb video card isnt the ati mobility radeon 9200 better then my nvidia geforce 2 mx 400?

[liketom]

it just will not run under virtual pc i think thats what he means , go for the 14" it is a good buy and i am sure you will be more then happy with it.

get a 14" iBook then .... want a PowerBook lol

tom

[Patmian212]

This might be a stupid question but cant i buy a mac version fo gta vice city

[zelmo]

The iBook (12" or 14") will be great for all but games, specifically any of the games you'd want to run via Virtual PC software because they aren't released on the Mac platform.
Get the 12" iBook, and buy yourself an Xbox or PS2 for gaming. A console is cheaper than VPC, anyway.

[zelmo]

This might be a stupid question but cant i buy a mac version fo gta vice city

not that I'm aware of.

[brap]

Gta vice city runs fine on my pc and it has a 32 mb video card isnt the ati mobility radeon 9200 better then my nvidia geforce 2 mx 400?
Yes, it is - but GTA Vice City isn't out for Macintosh. The programs you use on your PC won't run say, if you just pop the PC CD in your Apple CD-ROM drive. They're fundamentally different, in the same way Halo for X-Box won't run on a PS2.
Warcraft and, I believe, Champ manager are out for Macintosh, and I know for a fact Warcfrat runs on an iBook very well indeed.

[liketom]

i would sure love to play GTA on my Apple but then again i like and have it on my PS2

[zelmo]

i would sure love to play GTA on my Apple but then again i like and have it on my PS2

I know many feel as you do about the gaming situation (or distinct lack thereof) on the Mac. Personally, I have always preferred consoles to PC gaming, so it does not bother me even a little. Probably missing out on some cool games on the PC side, but my PS2, Cube, and Advance SP are fine for now (he says as he eyes the Xbox display and notes the release date of the Nintendo DS...).

[Patmian212]

Thx for the advice...Keep the posts coming...

[Diatribe]

There isn't really much more to say. An iBook will suit you fine and they are really nice. They are not dual 2.5Ghz G5s but they are more than capable to do everything you stated. I had a 800Mhz iBook not too long ago and I thought it was awesome but I needed a Superdrive so I got a 12" PB.
If you don't need a SD, etc. get the iBook it's an awesome machine.

Edit: If you decide to get the iBook, definitely get it with the Bluetooth. You might not think you'll need it, but a lot of people are unhappy afterwards when they can and figure out they have to use a dongle then.

[wPod]

go for the iBook you will love it and soon wonder what took you so long to miss. the only thing you wont be able to do is play some games (like GTA vice city) that arent released for the mac. (warcraft three is a lot of fun on the mac!!! and i used to play it on my old iBook G3 and now on my PB G4 867 so a 1.33 G4 will be great!!) i ended up getting a PS2 so i could play some games that werent and will probably never be on the mac. unless you are a hard core gamer you will enjoy the games that are availble for mac. i would consider the 12" iBook because you get esentially the same thing in a smaller more portable package (plus slightly more affordable) but thats just my opinion, if you want a larger screen go for it, it will be easier to read! also. . . make sure you get an airport card in it. . . er i guess it comes with the new iBooks so never mind!

[plinden]

OK well let me start by saying im a life long pc user but you know what im just sick of these stupid pcs crashing on me all the time and my brother being a mac lover and his best friend working for apple, convinced me to by a mac.

As I PC user myself, I say go for the iBook. The iBook will easily match that Compaq, and to get a PC laptop that's as portable, you're going to have to spend more.

I was all set to get myself a PowerBook last April, and had even persuaded my wife it was a good idea, but then my employer had to go and buy a new IBM Thinkpad T40p for me. It cost them $3000 in total. They could have bought a PB for less than that, and got a 15" screen too, but the IT dept is Windoze/PC/Intel only. Still, it's a pretty good machine, higher quality than the cheap Dells and Compaqs you see, and hasn't crashed in six months ... well, what I'm trying to say is, for an equivalent price, Macs are higher quality. You're less likely to regret it (although there's always the chance you'll get a lemon)

[CaptainCaveMann]

As I PC user myself, I say go for the iBook. The iBook will easily match that Compaq, and to get a PC laptop that's as portable, you're going to have to spend more.

I was all set to get myself a PowerBook last April, and had even persuaded my wife it was a good idea, but then my employer had to go and buy a new IBM Thinkpad T40p for me. It cost them $3000 in total. They could have bought a PB for less than that, and got a 15" screen too, but the IT dept is Windoze/PC/Intel only. Still, it's a pretty good machine, higher quality than the cheap Dells and Compaqs you see, and hasn't crashed in six months ... well, what I'm trying to say is, for an equivalent price, Macs are higher quality. You're less likely to regret it (although there's always the chance you'll get a lemon)I love those ibm thinkpads but jeez man who can afford that!

[lasuther]

Go with a 12"iBook with bluetooth. You'll be very happy.

[stevehaslip]

if i were you i'd go for the slightly slower (1.2ghz) 12" iBook, you'll save yourself some cash and you'll have a much more portable computer. But try both out in a shop and see what suits you best. If you ask me you are paying more for no reason but its up to you.

Also don't get your ram straight from apple, its too pricey. Try crucial (http://www.crucial.com) or somewhere similar.

You could buy a ps2 or an iPod with the cash you'll save! ;)

[Patmian212]

Thx For the advice....! more question will i notice the diffrence from 1.2ghz and 1.33ghz?

[chanoc]

I played "Medal of Honor" on a 14" G3 800MHz ibook, but only in the lowest resolutions -- it worked!

Yeap, a console is the only way to go for gaming, IMHO.

[Patmian212]

I played "Medal of Honor" on a 14" G3 800MHz ibook, but only in the lowest resolutions -- it worked!

Yeap, a console is the only way to go for gaming, IMHO.


Yet another stupid question from a computer noobie.... is the graphics card on the g3 ibook the same one as the one in the g4?

[brap]

Yet another stupid question from a computer noobie.... is the graphics card on the g3 ibook the same one as the one in the g4?
No. The last G3 iBooks had a mobile Radeon 7500. All G4 iBooks have been endowed with mobile 9200s, which are vastly superior.

All kinds of useful things come from here (http://everymac.com/systems/by_casetype/portable.html)...

[Jalexster]

Would you belive the graphics chip in the top-of-the-line iBook is better than the one in the bottom-of-the-line PowerBook? I couldn't belive it either. It dosen't make sense!

[brap]

Would you belive the graphics chip in the top-of-the-line iBook is better than the one in the bottom-of-the-line PowerBook? I couldn't belive it either. It dosen't make sense!
Ah, but the 5200 GPU has DX9/OGL2 shader extensions grafted onto their Geforce2 heritage. The radeon 9200 is an 8500-based card with some antialiasing stuff (I forget - smartshader or some such nonsense), and is thus not Tiger/core video compatible.

- if I remember correctly. I've not bought a video card since my Geforce4 Ti :)

[blackfox]

Would you belive the graphics chip in the top-of-the-line iBook is better than the one in the bottom-of-the-line PowerBook? I couldn't belive it either. It dosen't make sense!
Explain. It is my understanding that the iBook line all carry the 9200 w/32MB vram, while the lower-end PB's carry the 5200 w/ 64MB vram.

Am I missing something? Are you saying the 9200 is a superior chip to the 5200? I am not a GPU afficionado, just wondering...

To the original poster, I might suggest considering a refurbished 12" PB from Apple. With a recent look, there was a 12" 1.33 ghz with a 60G HD, AE, combo, 256 ram, and a 5200 GPU w/ 64 MB vram, for $1349.00. I believe that is only $50 more than you were planning to spend on the 14" iBook. The machines come with warranty etc.

Keep an eye out...good luck.

[Patmian212]

Thx for the advice... Coming from a pc users im very glad to be joining the mac community...the help you guys have been giving me is very helpfull indeed. THX ALOT :)


I cant wait for my new mac and when i get it the first thing im gonna do is donte my pc to charity....
I heard there arent many virus´s for mac is that true? if it is then thats amazing...today during a virus scan(i do one every couple of months) i found 4 virus´s :( :mad:

[Abstract]

We don't really get viruses. Haven't had the need for a virus checker for over a year, although I have Virex 7.5 installed. Don't know why.

Anyway, games.......pretty crap on the Mac. Some games run decent on a Mac, but you don't buy a Mac to game, unfortunately.

Oh, and have a total of 768 MB of RAM on your iBook, and don't get your RAM from Apple. When I say this, I mean don't upgrade the RAM through the Apple iBook purchase page. Get it elsewhere......OWC, Newegg, or any other online place that sells decent RAM.

Get the 14" iBook if you have problems reading small text. I have a 12" PB and think it's great, and I really don't think the 12" screen makes it difficult to read text (most people have no problems with the 12" screen), but I don't have horrid eyesight. Anyway, the only benefit of the 14" is the physical size of the screen. Resolution is the same.