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Rev D(or is it C) PB G4, or Rev A PB G5

D

DanTekGeek

macrumors 6502
Original poster
hey all
ive squarley decided on waiting to get a powerbook. Im leaning toward getting the rumored MWSF rev of the G4, as opposed to the G5. i am thinking this because more bugs will have been ironed out, right?
what do you all think
 
since we don't know when PB G5 will come out, i wouldn't bother starting to "wait" for it. if you decide that you want a computer, you should get the next updated PB, be it G4 (as rumored) or whatever.

if you are going to "wait" for PB G5, you are basically deciding that you don't need a computer right now. i think that's more of the attitude...
 
The G4 is over. It is becoming a part of Apple's budget lineup. The next revision of Powerbooks will either have a much updated version of this chip or a G5 in it. Wait it out if you can as the next revision of Apple's PBs are likely to have more than just a CPU upgrade.

I'm not saying the G4 isn't good. Hell, for $999, I just bought an iBook with a 1.2 ghz G4 and I love it... but if you're going to spend nearly $2k or more, you want that investment to last and the chip I have in my sub $1k iBook G4... is not that much slower than the fastest G4 in a PB right now at all.

That being said, if you need a computer, go and buy one. The PB G4s are great machines. If you don't need one right away, I see no benefit in buying one now.
 
Neither, wait for the Dual Core G4's like I am 🙂 They will likely slaughter the speed bumps or a G5 PB.
 
spaceballl said:
but if you're going to spend nearly $2k or more, you want that investment to last
Click to expand...

this sentiment is a bit overrated, imo. no matter when you buy, (in an extreme case) even the day before an update, your machine will last you fine. mind you, better/cheaper stuff coming out does not make your old computer last any less.

i have a rev. A 12" PB that cost me $18k nearly two years ago. your iBook has ~50% faster chip in it and i'm sure it cost a lot less than mine. well, mine's still working fine - it's lasted even though a "mere" iBook is now much faster.

get it when you want it, period.
 
jxyama said:
i have a rev. A 12" PB that cost me $18k nearly two years ago.
Click to expand...


WOWZERS! 18 grand for a 12" PB? Hope you got a boatload of extras with it or was it the 24K Gold Edition??!! 🙂
 
im most likley going to get the next PB. my main question in this thread is, if, byt some grace of god, the PB G5 is released in january, which would be more reliable, ie, less bugs. the PB g4, or g5? this is more of a hypothetical than anything else. just trying to get a feel for the product cycle.
 
jxyama said:
this sentiment is a bit overrated, imo. no matter when you buy, (in an extreme case) even the day before an update, your machine will last you fine. mind you, better/cheaper stuff coming out does not make your old computer last any less.i have a rev. A 12" PB that cost me $18k nearly two years ago. your iBook has ~50% faster chip in it and i'm sure it cost a lot less than mine. well, mine's still working fine - it's lasted even though a "mere" iBook is now much faster.
Click to expand...
By saying it won't last, I never meant it would break. I'm sure yours is still working fine. Granted, you have a sub 1 ghz G4 machine with no L2 cache. And you paid nearly $2k. Kick. Ass.
-Kevin

Rev 1 products can always have kinks. The 12" PB got far too hot. But the rev 1 G5 iMac is pretty good. The rev 1 PowerMac had some powersupply issues. The rev 1. iBook G4 had like no issues. Obviously older models will have kinks ironed out. I tend to think the benefits of a first gen model outweight the negatives.
 
spaceballl said:
By saying it won't last, I never meant it would break. I'm sure yours is still working fine. Granted, you have a sub 1 ghz G4 machine with no L2 cache. And you paid nearly $2k. Kick. Ass.
-Kevin
Click to expand...

sorry, i never meant it's gonna physically break. my PB runs everything i want it to just fine - that's what i meant by "last."

yes, my machine is a "sub 1 GHz G4 with a smaller (not none) L2 cache that cost $2k." guess what? it was the best 12" Mac laptop back then. you make it sound like i had any choice to get better stuff. compare that to iBook, which by definition, is "outdated" the moment you buy it since it's a consumer machine - it cannot be housing the best there is at that moment...

no matter what you buy, a year or two and you'll be amazed how much you paid for what you got.
 
DanTekGeek said:
im most likley going to get the next PB. my main question in this thread is, if, byt some grace of god, the PB G5 is released in january, which would be more reliable, ie, less bugs. the PB g4, or g5? this is more of a hypothetical than anything else. just trying to get a feel for the product cycle.
Click to expand...

yes, it would be a grace of god. so let's drop it and wait, shall we? because this topic has been beaten to death and it's highly unlikely that it will happen.
 
G5 PBs next Tuesday??? 😀

Just remember, there will be a lot of pent up demand for new PBs, so if you do wait it out, be prepared to wait a couple months past the announcement date as well. I can almost guarantee that no one will be in possession (besides a few Apple employees) of any dual core or G5 PB (Yeah RIGHT!) for weeks if not months after MWSF.
 
thats a good point. i didnt even think of that. dosent really matter in any case though, because i wont be able to afford it until mid january.
 
RELIABILITY is also something to consider. if you're in a business where you cannot afford a single hiccup, you will not buy revA products, not ever. you might not be in such a business, however, but for some people, the last revision of a G4 powerbook offers more value than the first revision of a G5 powerbook - even though the newer one might be faster, the older one is well known for what it is and likely offers no surprises.

this is something that some people like me will value. i often do live recordings and FOH mixing with protools and have exactly one shot to do everything right. i just cannot afford a hiccup, and have used to consider a computer faulty if it needs to be rebooted every month.

however, i'm probably one of the most keen people waiting for the revB G5's as there can never be enough cpu power 😀 😀 😀 😀
 
mactastic said:
Just remember, there will be a lot of pent up demand for new PBs, so if you do wait it out, be prepared to wait a couple months past the announcement date as well. I can almost guarantee that no one will be in possession (besides a few Apple employees) of any dual core or G5 PB (Yeah RIGHT!) for weeks if not months after MWSF.
Click to expand...

I would assume we might be looking at a different video card, perhaps new screens (this would be awesome) and who knows what else.

Do you think this theoretical new PB will take so long to ship if we only see a small speed bump and some other minor and/or major changes?
 
I apologize if this is repetetive or inaccurate, as I have not kept abreast of all the tech threads/developments, but I assume that if a new PB revision is released or announced in January '05, it will probably be merely a speed-bumped G4 with current architecture and some added bells-and-whistles.

I have heard that the dual-core G4s would not be ready by then, with the G5 being a more likely, but still somewhat improbable option. Perhaps I am incorrect.

So Dan, if I am correct, then you would indeed be getting a more stable and polished machine with the next revision, being the umpteenth of the same basic design (iirc).

If the PB goes G5 or dual-core G4, both will be new designs and open to the potential of rev. A problems.

Just my opinion. Someone more knowledgeable in said field please feel free to correct or elaborate, if needed.
 
Just in the unlikely circumstances that there is a G5 PB soon, think carefully about buying any Rev A.

Read this thread
My iMac G5: Unaccaptable!

Apple is not doing well at the moment with Rev A's.

Do you really want to risk it?
 
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