Can an iBook handle my needs?

[KevRC4130]

Let me just say that I posted this at the Macworld forums, and I am posting here to get more oppinions (Macworld is being very slow today....)

I am looking for a Mac laptop. I am trying to convince myself that I dont need a Powerbook, but I am not sure. Can an iBook handle light video editing? I am talking about making videos that are under 10 minutes (most probably under 5), and for personal use. The videos wont be for work, just for fun. Same goes for Photoshop. I will be using it for personal use, not for any kind of job, I dont think. People say that for editing photos and videos, the Powerbook would be a better choice, but I have a feeling that my editing is simple enough for an iBook.

Just as a side note, I may have found a really good deal on an iBook, but it only has a 30gb harddrive. Is this enough for some edited videos? I want them to be full, or almost full quality, but like I said before, they will be short and unprofessional. Is the harddrive upgradeable later? Or maybe I could get an external harddrive? How about an external DVD burner? Or maybe an aftermarket internal Superdrive, hopefully slot loading?

Thanks!

 

[OziMac]

Let me just say that I posted this at the Macworld forums, and I am posting here to get more oppinions (Macworld is being very slow today....)

I am looking for a Mac laptop. I am trying to convince myself that I dont need a Powerbook, but I am not sure. Can an iBook handle light video editing? I am talking about making videos that are under 10 minutes (most probably under 5), and for personal use. The videos wont be for work, just for fun. Same goes for Photoshop. I will be using it for personal use, not for any kind of job, I dont think. People say that for editing photos and videos, the Powerbook would be a better choice, but I have a feeling that my editing is simple enough for an iBook.

Just as a side note, I may have found a really good deal on an iBook, but it only has a 30gb harddrive. Is this enough for some edited videos? I want them to be full, or almost full quality, but like I said before, they will be short and unprofessional. Is the harddrive upgradeable later? Or maybe I could get an external harddrive? How about an external DVD burner? Or maybe an aftermarket internal Superdrive, hopefully slot loading?

Thanks!

YES! The current iBook is essentially the Rev B Powerbook. And that handled video editing very well. Of course the iBook can handle what you're after and for a good deal, go for it! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[codycartoon]

get a PowerBook G4 867MHz/256MB/40GB/Combo/E/Aluminum/12"TFT - Refurbished for $999.

-cody

 

[musicpyrite]

If your worried about the 30GB, you have a right to be.
When I got my iMac it had an 80GB drive, I though that was massive, now I only have 7.6GB free. (I've had my computer about 7 months)

Knowing your a student you want to have room for all your 'stuff.' I would recommend upgrading the HD. Of course you shouldn't do this yourself, unless you know what your doing.

ahh, what do I know... You'll love the iBook.

 

[tekno_geek911]

get a PowerBook G4 867MHz/256MB/40GB/Combo/E/Aluminum/12"TFT - Refurbished for $999.

-cody

I would take the Rev B iBook G4 over the Rev A 12" PB anyday...The PB has a terrible video card,a smaller L2 cache and it runs allot hotter.

 

[jsw]

I would recommend upgrading the HD. Of course you shouldn't do this yourself, unless you know what your doing.

Good advice... but if you do know what you're doing, or know someone who does, you can get a real speed-up by using a 7200 RPM drive.

Not that you're going to. But various sites can show you how, at least on a PB. I'd assume it'd work on an iBook, but i'm not sure.

 

[KevRC4130]

Thanks for the help so far guys. How would the computer be, without upgrades? Is the harddrive way too small? I could always just get an external one, but that would be a pain...

 

[jsw]

30 GB is pretty small if you're going to be doing video. You could manage with it, especially if you're not using a lot of 14GB/hour DV video. The iBook should be able to handle your usage, no problem; I'm just a little concerned about the disk size. FWIW, I have a 1999 G3 Lombard PB with a 6GB drive that runs Panther and has a gig or so to spare (but it is VERY sparsely populated). So you'd have some room, even with the 30GB. And an external drive really isn't too god-awful.

But I'd look into ways to upgrade that drive. A 60+ GB 5400 or 7200 RPM hard disk will make your iBook much faster for a lot of things.

Bottom line: you can get by with the 30GB. It'll be tight after a while, but not unusable. And there are upgrade paths.

 

[OziMac]

Very rough guide, but generall 1 hour of DV stream is roughly 7-10GB of hard drive space. [EDIT] Or as noted above - 14GB; like I said, I can't remember

Out of the box, you will probably only have 25GB to play with for starters (due to system software).

If you are only doing a few 10 minute videos, you will be fine. However, if you want to do longer stuff, either upgrading the hard drive or getting an external firewire hard drive would be the way to go. I'm inclined to the latter, mainly because it will probably be cheaper, will mean you can get a cheaper/larger 7200rpm drive, and can more easily and cheaply be upgraded again in the future. AND you don't void your warranty.

However, if you're handy with tools and don't mind voiding your warranty, several sites have some tips on how to take apart the iBook G4, for example:

http://www.macbidouille.com/article.php?id=150
(obviously run it through babelfish to translate)

The usual disclaimers apply to doing things yourself though. Be careful and well prepared.

 

[gwangung]

Yeah, the space issue might kill you...you not only have to have it to store your imported video, but you need swap space so you can work with it after you import it.

On the other hand, you may be better off getting a Firewire external and import your video to that and have the space you need....and it's a lot less messy than replacing your ibook hard drive...

 

[iShater]

I use my G3 800Mhz iBook for light video editing, some vacation videos, messing around, etc.

You eventually need a larger drive to save your project, but more importantly you need a nice fast drive for the editing, the scratch disk. Get an external FW drive (7200RPM, 8MB Cache, etc) for that.

As for as the system being able to handle it, it will be, heck if mine is usable, yours will definitely be.

Make sure to max the RAM, I just ran out of space on the 30GB internal drive, but not because of iMovie stuff, more of iPhoto, iTunes, and Garageband and other junk!

Enjoy!