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PB G4 as desktop

J

jazzman45

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 11, 2003
67
0
lawrence, ks
I used to have a 500mhz iBook which i could hook up my monitor, kb, and mouse to, then close 'er up and voila, a desktop.

Do the powerbooks work in the same way?

Also, what speed of iMac do you think a 12" PB with 640mb ram would match up to?
 
Re: PB G4 as desktop

Originally posted by jazzman45
I used to have a 500mhz iBook which i could hook up my monitor, kb, and mouse to, then close 'er up and voila, a desktop.

Do the powerbooks work in the same way?

Also, what speed of iMac do you think a 12" PB with 640mb ram would match up to?
Click to expand...

Yes the Powerbooks work the same way, though might need to make the Powerbook a slight bit ajar, since sometimes it likes to fall asleep if it is completely closed.

12" Powerbook 867 with 640 MB of RAM matches up even nicely to the 1 Ghz iMac only because of the Level 2 cache which the iMac doesn't have.
 
one more question, if anyone actually reads this thread.

Have there been any modifications to make the 12" PB a little cooler, or is it still HOT?
 
Originally posted by jazzman45
one more question, if anyone actually reads this thread.

Have there been any modifications to make the 12" PB a little cooler, or is it still HOT?
Click to expand...

There have been no revisions to the 12" PB since it was released, heat-related or otherwise. However, the aluminium should conduct heat better, giving you a slightly cooler, more uniform warmth. This is theoretical, as i have not had one on my lap yet...

pnw
 
Keep in mind that a powerbook unlike a ibook can span, not just mirror. So you could hook up a 2nd display and use it along with the built in one as dual diplays. And i'm pretty sure you can make the external one the primary display.
 
i don't see why it wouldn't work. i would love to have a dual moniter display like that. but first i need a powerbook (annyone wanna buy me one?:p) and a moniter (anyone wanna buy me one:p)
 
Originally posted by vniow
http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html
Click to expand...

Note the writer of the above website can't even spell Desktop on the subject line of his page. At least he says he can't be held accountable for any damage done by his utility. Any damage you cause by it will basically void your iBook's warranty. So unless you have whatever dollar amount you buy the iBook at as throw away, I strongly recommend you hold off on the procedure until after your warranty expires. Unbeknownst to some people, you can extend the warranty on your iBook to three years, and you have 1 year of hardware support free in which to do the extension of the warranty in. After that one year, you can't extend the warranty any more. Only the software is 90 day support free. Thus if you think you may eventually run into problems with the power management unit, battery, keyboard, or any part except the display, buying AppleCare is definitely worth it. If you want extended desktop and want to keep it under warranty get the 15" or 17" Powerbooks. I do not believe the 12" has the capability.
 
Originally posted by gopher
Note the writer of the above website can't even spell Desktop on the subject line of his page.
Click to expand...

Geez, English isn't this guy's first language, give him a break.


If you want extended desktop and want to keep it under warranty get the 15" or 17" Powerbooks. I do not believe the 12" has the capability.
Click to expand...

The iBook (starting with the Radeon chips) do have this capability, its just disabled in firmware, it does work if you do it right, check www.xlr8yourmac.com for more info.
 
I've done the hack on my ibook, all you need to undo it is reset the pram so you really can't void your warranty doing it unless you don't enter the correct values.
people get all uptight about the hack but its no big deal, it shouldn't be a selling point on the powerbooks but apple makes it one like when cars can top out at a certain speed but the computer chip limits its for safety purposes.
 
Re: Re: PB G4 as desktop

Originally posted by gopher
12" Powerbook 867 with 640 MB of RAM matches up even nicely to the 1 Ghz iMac only because of the Level 2 cache which the iMac doesn't have.
Click to expand...

I would have to disagree with this statement. I think performance wise the iMac 1Ghz would clearly be faster then the 12" Powerbook. They both have the same L2 cache, 256K. The iMac has more Mhz, not to mention the fact that I am pretty sure the iMac has a faster HD. They both lack L3 cache like the pro models have. Also the iMac can accept more RAM then the limited 640MB of the 12" Powerbook. Performance wise I just don't see the match up IMHO.
 
Re: Re: Re: PB G4 as desktop

Originally posted by Abercrombieboy
I would have to disagree with this statement. I think performance wise the iMac 1Ghz would clearly be faster then the 12" Powerbook. They both have the same L2 cache, 256K. The iMac has more Mhz, not to mention the fact that I am pretty sure the iMac has a faster HD. They both lack L3 cache like the pro models have. Also the iMac can accept more RAM then the limited 640MB of the 12" Powerbook. Performance wise I just don't see the match up IMHO.
Click to expand...

I don't see the L2 cache mentioned on Apple's spec page for the 1 Ghz Flat Panel iMac.
 
I just wanted to say thanks to everybody who has replied to my boring posts lately.

My 12" PB will be here July 29!!! ...and my iPod, and ext DVD-RW.

Hopefully it'll perform a bit better than my last apple...iBook 500mhz <=- slow as my grandpa having his way with a turtle!
 
Originally posted by hugemullens
Keep in mind that a powerbook unlike a ibook can span, not just mirror. So you could hook up a 2nd display and use it along with the built in one as dual diplays. And i'm pretty sure you can make the external one the primary display.
Click to expand...
That's correct. I've done away with my tower for now and hook up my Powerbook to a Sony 21" when I get to the office, at which time the Sony becomes the primary monitor.

Not only does it work well, the CRT color is also more accurate.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: PB G4 as desktop

Originally posted by gopher
I don't see the L2 cache mentioned on Apple's spec page for the 1 Ghz Flat Panel iMac.
Click to expand...

abercrombieboy is correct.

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
Technical Specifications
Processor and memory
800MHz or 1GHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine

256K on-chip level 2 cache at full processor speed
Click to expand...

the 12" PB will NOT match the 1 Ghz imac in performance because of the processor difference, the superior video card on the imac, and a 7200 rpm HD on the imac and a 4200 rpm HD on the powerbook.
see here for detailed benchmarks:
http://macspeedzone.com/html/hardware/machine/comparison/all/index.html
the imac wins out over the powerbook on nearly every test, often by rather large amounts.
 
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