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Powerbook G4 or new Macbook?

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stuff99

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 11, 2007
394
0
Hi Everyone,

I was just looking for an opinion.

My work is selling off a 12" Powerbook G4 1.33ghz with i think 1.02 gigs of ram.

Price range should be market price which is around $500-700 Canadian.

Should I buy this or just save a few hundred more to get a new macbook instead which is undoubtly faster...although I do like the 'feel' of the aluminum casing.

I primarily use the powerbook for some basic photoshop, email, web surfing and playing videos and music.

What do you guys think?

Is it worth it to spend that much money on an old laptop or should I just buck up and get a new macbook?
 
Manzana

Manzana

macrumors 6502a
Jul 19, 2004
612
13
Orange County, CA
if you can get it for $5oo canadian you definitely should buy it, upgrade to leopard and use it for a couple of years. Also if you buy it and use it for a little bit you could resell it and not lose too much money in the process.
 
lazyboy922

lazyboy922

macrumors 6502
Dec 9, 2003
353
0
Las Vegas, NV
I can speak from experience. I have owned the latest revision of every size powerbook. I am a graphic designer and use photoshop / indesign / and illustrator on a regular basis.

My MacBook is sooo much speedier than the powerbook. I do miss the 17" screen size of my powerbook, but I have an 20" external hooked up and it's fine. I love my MacBook. I bought a refurb and installed 3gb of RAM in it.

Hope this helps...
 
superleccy

superleccy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 31, 2004
997
187
That there big London
The MacBook.

It's not just the speed difference (which is substantial).

The MacBook has a camera, a user-upgradable hard drive, Leopard pre-installed, the latest iLife, more screen real-estate... and it's brand new so you get the 1 year warranty.

Easy choice.

SL
 
D

dacreativeguy

macrumors 68020
Jan 27, 2007
2,032
223
I just replaced a 12" Powerbook with a MacBook Pro, but also bought my mom a MacBook and set it up for her. The MacBook is infinitely better than the 12" PB. Movies converted 5x faster on the MacBook. It has a camera, it has front row, it takes more memory, it runs Windows, etc.. I would definitely add a few hundred bucks and get the MacBook. Not sure why the guy who bought my PB didn't do the same, especially since he planned on buying more ram to max it out, but I was happy to take his money. :)
 
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TheStu

macrumors 65816
Aug 20, 2006
1,243
0
Carlisle, PA
dacreativeguy said:
I just replaced a 12" Powerbook with a MacBook Pro, but also bought my mom a MacBook and set it up for her. The MacBook is infinitely better than the 12" PB. Movies converted 5x faster on the MacBook. It has a camera, it has front row, it takes more memory, it runs Windows, etc.. I would definitely add a few hundred bucks and get the MacBook. Not sure why the guy who bought my PB didn't do the same, especially since he planned on buying more ram to max it out, but I was happy to take his money. :)
Click to expand...

Just to clarify for the OP, i assume that you mean that it can hold more RAM, cuz the way it sounds it seems like you are saying that it would consume more RAM (noticeable amounts more) than the PowerBook when doing the same things.

Sorry to nazi on you.
 
disconap

disconap

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2005
1,810
3
Portland, OR
Simple answer: if you don't need the power of a MacBook (i.e., if you're going to use the machine for watching movies, email, internet, and other simple tasks) and you don't have the money to spare, a G4 Powerbook will work just fine. If you want to do more advanced tasks (video conversion, CS1/2/3, etc.) and want to be able to run in Windows, then go with the MacBook. The Powerbook will work for you for years if you don't need the extra power and intel compatibility (I still use a G4 ibook for all my mobile needs and it flies, but the most heavy task it runs is Photoshop 7)...
 
S

stuff99

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 11, 2007
394
0
Well I just got an update that the macbook may come cheaper or (fingers crossed) come free...so if its less than $500ish or free I'll be happy with the powerbook (I have the new 2.4 iMac at home already..)

Im just wondering how well the Powerbook G4 1.33 Ghz with 1.25 gigs of ram can run leopard...
 
A

ale500

macrumors regular
Jul 9, 2007
229
7
Last rev was a 1.5 GHz G4. That's an Apr 2004 Machine... so 3 years 6 months old. I'd would not get it, maybe a refurb MB will be a better deal. (I do not really think being able to "run" winblows in a Mac is any advantage...):D
 
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Gurutech

macrumors 6502
Jan 22, 2006
268
2
Yes, I agree that G4 powerbooks has some value to it, but it no longer is justifiable for purchase.
if you happened to have G4 powerbooks, you may still enjoy it.
But don't buy one now.

Macbooks are much much much much better now. All the important pro/consumer programs are universal binary. PPC is history.
 
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