Edit: Sorry, I misspelled compatibility in the title!
Alright, here's the deal: I'm currently rocking the 1.33ghz G4 iBook. It's a great machine - all I really do is word processing, internet browsing, and some recreational music listening/cd burning with iTunes. It suits my purposes just fine, and I love how portable it is. It fits in the smallest bag and I can whip it out anytime anywhere without making a scene (I am, of course, referring to the computer). So I like the size, but at the same time, I find myself longing for a larger screen while I'm working at home. I would also like it to be just a touch faster. But I don't really want to sacrifice portability.
I know nothing about hardware and compatability, really. I use an Apple because it's easy and reliable. I was thinking about upgrading to a 15" Macbook Pro, which is a sweet machine, but I'm not sure that's really what I need, and it wouldn't be as portable. I was also thinking about buying a 20" iMac for my home office but don't really need two machines, just would like a bit more out of one.
So I was thinking about possibly using an external display. I have in mind a twenty-inch. But I'm not sure how well this would work. I have a few questions, if someone would be so kind as to offer me some assistance.
1) For the speed issue, I was thinking of sticking an extra 512mb of ram in the machine. Would this speed things up a bit (loading programs, mainly)?
2) I don't even know if graphics cards have anything to do with external displays, but is my computer even capable of running such a setup smoothly and efficiently? Would the ram help with this? Or would a different machine be better qualified? What about the possibility of upgrading my video card? If so, is it even worth it, or just go for the Macbook Pro?
3) I know the iBook is equipped for mirroring, which is just fine, I'm not really interested in using multiple displays. What I'm wondering is if there is someway to have the external display hooked up, use a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and have the iBook closed with the display off? Is there some sort of application that will allow me to do this? Use the machine without the monitor?
4) Twenty-inch Apple Cinema Displays are available refurbished from Apple for $599.99. Is this a good deal? I've seen other twenty-inch LCDs for a few hundred dollars less. Is there any advantage (aside from aesthetics, which I am not discounting) to using the ACD instead of a competitor's display? Should all displays be compatible?
5) What is the best buy out there on ram, Bluetooth mouse, and keyboard?
Thanks a lot! If there is anything I neglected to ask that I should know, let me know!
Thanks again.
Alright, here's the deal: I'm currently rocking the 1.33ghz G4 iBook. It's a great machine - all I really do is word processing, internet browsing, and some recreational music listening/cd burning with iTunes. It suits my purposes just fine, and I love how portable it is. It fits in the smallest bag and I can whip it out anytime anywhere without making a scene (I am, of course, referring to the computer). So I like the size, but at the same time, I find myself longing for a larger screen while I'm working at home. I would also like it to be just a touch faster. But I don't really want to sacrifice portability.
I know nothing about hardware and compatability, really. I use an Apple because it's easy and reliable. I was thinking about upgrading to a 15" Macbook Pro, which is a sweet machine, but I'm not sure that's really what I need, and it wouldn't be as portable. I was also thinking about buying a 20" iMac for my home office but don't really need two machines, just would like a bit more out of one.
So I was thinking about possibly using an external display. I have in mind a twenty-inch. But I'm not sure how well this would work. I have a few questions, if someone would be so kind as to offer me some assistance.
1) For the speed issue, I was thinking of sticking an extra 512mb of ram in the machine. Would this speed things up a bit (loading programs, mainly)?
2) I don't even know if graphics cards have anything to do with external displays, but is my computer even capable of running such a setup smoothly and efficiently? Would the ram help with this? Or would a different machine be better qualified? What about the possibility of upgrading my video card? If so, is it even worth it, or just go for the Macbook Pro?
3) I know the iBook is equipped for mirroring, which is just fine, I'm not really interested in using multiple displays. What I'm wondering is if there is someway to have the external display hooked up, use a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, and have the iBook closed with the display off? Is there some sort of application that will allow me to do this? Use the machine without the monitor?
4) Twenty-inch Apple Cinema Displays are available refurbished from Apple for $599.99. Is this a good deal? I've seen other twenty-inch LCDs for a few hundred dollars less. Is there any advantage (aside from aesthetics, which I am not discounting) to using the ACD instead of a competitor's display? Should all displays be compatible?
5) What is the best buy out there on ram, Bluetooth mouse, and keyboard?
Thanks a lot! If there is anything I neglected to ask that I should know, let me know!
Thanks again.