17" Powerbook buying advice (please be critical)

illegaloperatio · Oct 2, 2006

Hi all, I bought a plain Macbook white, but I did not realize how small it was so I have an offer to swap it out to a member of this forum for a 17" Powerbook, plus he is throwing in a PSP with a game. He states the Powerbook is in excellent condition as well as the PSP. I have never owned a non intel Mac so I really dont know what I am getting into here. But what scares me the most, is there is no Apple Care nor will there ever be. So did these things ever have any problems that stick out in paticular? What is the worst that could happen, the Mainboard fry and cost a few hundred? Or the display?

here is the complete specs

17" Widescreen Display
1GHz PPC G4 processor
Superdrive
1GB RAM
60GB HDD
Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.8
Backlit keyboard
Good battery - 335 cycles
Airport Extreme, and Bluetooth

Anyone who knows anything about these please chime in, and get tough with me if need be. I am going into this blindly!

gauchogolfer · Oct 2, 2006

What do you plan on doing with your notebook? If you aren't using any non-Universal apps, you'll probably find the 1GHz G4 to be quite a bit slower than your Macbook. If you really need the screen real estate, I guess it's an ok offer, but I think you'll be taking quite a performance hit. Not to mention the lack of AppleCare, smaller HD, older battery, etc. Is the PSP really worth it to you?

Maybe if it's really a problem you could buy a cheap external monitor and keep the Macbook.

illegaloperatio · Oct 2, 2006

The hard drives are both the same size, I really dont do much app crunching mostly just iTunes, surfing and checking email but I will admit this lack of Apple Care has me petrified. But I love the 17" screens

Edit: The PSP I will try and trade in at a local game store for a DS, I have been wanting one of them for awhile now.

gauchogolfer · Oct 2, 2006

How long are you planning on keeping this computer? The Macbook will obviously be much more 'future-proof' with the newer processor technology. If you're not doing a lot of graphics work, you may find that the 17" screen, while pretty, is overkill. Are you going to be carrying this around much? The 17" loses quite a bit in the way of portability as well.

I would vote for the Macbook, although chances are good that if the Powerbook has made it this far in good shape, it probably will last a while still.

pianoman · Oct 2, 2006

i'd stick with the MB or get a MBP - PowerBooks are going to fade quickly and they are much slower than the Intel Macs.

illegaloperatio · Oct 2, 2006

Problem is I once owned a 17" Macbook Pro briefly, and this spoiled the snot out of me with the nice aluminum case and the sleekness, but I could not really afford the payment so I sold it. However after owning that and holding this Macbook things are just not the same, so I was hoping to fill that void with a Powerbook since they are similar.

I plan to keep it for a long time. thank you very much gauchogolfer for your honest unbiased opinion this gives me food for thought

Edit: thanks also Pianoman I did not realize they are that much slower they must be real bad then? I didnt think 1 GHz would be that slow

ChickenSwartz · Oct 2, 2006

I would be weary of this. If you take a look at ebay, it apears to me that you could sell a 17in. 1.0GHz G4 PowerBook for more than the cost of an MacBook, unless you are offering this with extra RAM or something. That leads me to believe that something maybe wrong, something might not be up to par as to not be able to sell it on ebay or something like that. If you think you are upgrading to the G4 then this person is downgrading to the MacBook, why?

I would say do not trade. Save up some $$ and get a nice 20+ inch LCD for when you are at home and enjoy the super portability while you aren't.

If you do decide to trade, don't just trade. Agree on some price and pay each other for the items on PayPal or something, this way you have some level of protection incase you are getting ripped off.

Edit: Maybe a better option would be to save up, and then sell the MacBook and get a MBP.

capone2 · Oct 2, 2006

not worth it

illegaloperatio said:
Problem is I once owned a 17" Macbook Pro briefly, and this spoiled the snot out of me with the nice aluminum case and the sleekness, but I could not really afford the payment so I sold it. However after owning that and holding this Macbook things are just not the same, so I was hoping to fill that void with a Powerbook since they are similar.

I plan to keep it for a long time. thank you very much gauchogolfer for your honest unbiased opinion this gives me food for thought

Edit: thanks also Pianoman I did not realize they are that much slower they must be real bad then? I didnt think 1 GHz would be that slow

i have had a PB 17 1.5ghz and now i have the MBP 17 it is a great computer but its not worth the performance of the yonah! 1GZ G4 is sloooooooow.

Sun Baked · Oct 2, 2006

Cheap LCD, keyboard, and a mouse ... going backwards in architecture usually isn't a good idea longterm.

However, if you plan on getting a new computer soon -- it really won't matter much.

But Apple owner do tend to own machines long enough that they do run into -- this software/hardware no longer works with my Mac syndrome.

generik · Oct 2, 2006

I wouldn't switch, if you need a big computer just get an iMac or something, if you need a big computer on the move perhaps you should reassess your workflow

pianoman · Oct 2, 2006

illegaloperatio said:
I didnt think 1 GHz would be that slow

1GHz might not seem slow but it's a 1GHz PPC compared to an Intel Mac. my friend's final revision 1.67GHz PowerBook feels sluggish next to my 2GHz MBP.

(final revision meaning he bought it right before the Intel Macs were released.)

illegaloperatio · Oct 2, 2006

Lots of great advice here.

BTW he would be sending me the PB first, this was my terms. But I did indeed go by what these were selling for on Ebay which averages around $1100 - $1200 and the PSP new are $250. But I now am concerned with them being slow!

w8ing4intelmacs · Oct 2, 2006

illegaloperatio said:
Lots of great advice here.

BTW he would be sending me the PB first, this was my terms. But I did indeed go by what these were selling for on Ebay which averages around $1100 - $1200 and the PSP new are $250. But I now am concerned with them being slow!

He's ripping you off. Just because people are dumb enough to pay $1100-$1200 doesn't mean it's worth that much. The machine must be at least three years old. What OS discs came with this machine? Jaguar? Cheetah? OS9? (heavy sarcasm) C'mon. Why would you trade three-month old technology for three-year old technology?

If you can back out, you should. You're going to really regret this trade.

daneoni · Oct 2, 2006

Totally not worth it dude. 1GHz??? He's dumping an antique system on you and throwing in a cheap PSP just to sugar coat the broccoli. Keep your machine or better yet. Sell it and make real money which you can use to buy a 1.67GHz last rev PowerBook from the refurb store.

That you're even considering this is mind boggling

ChickenSwartz · Oct 2, 2006

If I were you I would

A. Save up, buy nice big LCD

B. Save up, sell MB and buy 17''MBP

You will be happier in a year (if not sooner).

Ask for PSP for Christmas or Hanukkah or etc....

fivetoadsloth · Oct 2, 2006

id say not worth it unless you need the power pc. most of those ebay systems are going to people who still run things like photoshop that arnt UB's. Though the big screen is nice i find it overkill, and it will be aLOT slower. i went from a 1.42 ghz g4 to a mac book 1 gig ram and i cant stand the g4 anymore. I use my macbook with a 17" lcd and it really make everything nice and big. id say keep it and get yourself a cheap lcd and a mini dvi to vga, since most cheap displays are vga, but if you get a dvi, get a dvi adapter.

generik · Oct 2, 2006

When the UB versions of CS3 are out I'd say this thing would be barely worth $500.. while your MB would probably still go for $700 or so then!

illegaloperatio · Oct 3, 2006

Yea this deal fell through and I am glad. Not only because of the great opinions here, but I also caught the dude/dudess double dealing the units in the Marketplace. I hate dealing with 2 faced people.

I have learned alot about Powerbooks today and you guys all helped me out tremendously from getting ripped off (which I was suspicious of anyway).

Thanks a million!!

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17" Powerbook buying advice (please be critical)

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