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12" PBook purchase dilema (NOT Mactel-related!)

V

vawolf

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 3, 2004
38
0
Hello,

I'm not having the qualms so many seem to have about buying a PPC Mac after the Intel annoucement--I want a 12" PBook now! But I want it with Tiger preinstalled, AND I want to take advantage of the free memory upgrade some vendors offer. But none of the vendors I've looked at seem to have the 12" PBook with Tiger in stock--they all come with Panther!

So, how long would you guess it'll take these vendors to get PBooks with Tiger preinstalled? I want my free upgrade AND Tiger all at once :D
 
vawolf said:
Hello,

I'm not having the qualms so many seem to have about buying a PPC Mac after the Intel annoucement--I want a 12" PBook now! But I want it with Tiger preinstalled, AND I want to take advantage of the free memory upgrade some vendors offer. But none of the vendors I've looked at seem to have the 12" PBook with Tiger in stock--they all come with Panther!

So, how long would you guess it'll take these vendors to get PBooks with Tiger preinstalled? I want my free upgrade AND Tiger all at once :D
Click to expand...



You can't. the reason those vendors are giving ram upgrades is because they want you to buy it from them when they still dont hav tiger. That is their incentive for making you buy an old OS. I say, buy it from apple. Think of it as you never even saw the other deal. Or buy it from the store that will cost the least in the long run...Will it cost more to upgrade the ram or upgrade to tiger?
 
most of the time when i see those "free memory upgrades' there is always a install fee of 40 bucks or so that is there in little font somewhere on the page. I dont know if that is the case, but most of the time it is.
 
vawolf said:
Hello,

I'm not having the qualms so many seem to have about buying a PPC Mac after the Intel annoucement--I want a 12" PBook now! But I want it with Tiger preinstalled, AND I want to take advantage of the free memory upgrade some vendors offer. But none of the vendors I've looked at seem to have the 12" PBook with Tiger in stock--they all come with Panther!

So, how long would you guess it'll take these vendors to get PBooks with Tiger preinstalled? I want my free upgrade AND Tiger all at once :D
Click to expand...

Well, if they don't come with Tiger, you can always get it directly from Apple for $10 shipped. (Link to offer). Offer ends July 22nd. Order must be postmarked or faxed by July 9th.

EDIT>>> Nevermind. You said you wanted Tiger "pre-installed." But still, it isn't that difficult to do an archive/install. Same result in the end.
 
xli_ne said:
most of the time when i see those "free memory upgrades' there is always a install fee of 40 bucks or so that is there in little font somewhere on the page. I dont know if that is the case, but most of the time it is.
Click to expand...

True. And for $40, you can just buy a 512MB stick yourself and pop it in in about 5 minutes.
 
PowerBooks are very, very sexy, I owned a 15 inch before trading for the 12 inch. THey both are truely works of art. :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
You are better off buying the PB from Apple. The systems come with 512mb which is good for most task. If you need more ram then you can get the system BTO with 768 MB of ram. That only adds $75 to the purchase. That is cheaper then buying Tiger or buying a 512 mb from a store and installing it yourself.
 
sw1tcher said:
True. And for $40, you can just buy a 512MB stick yourself and pop it in in about 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this sounds like a plan (so does getting the Apple BTO, BTW). Got any leads for sites that offer that price? I haven't seen it where I've looked so far.

Thanks, everyone..great advice :D
 
Try Macmall

There is one vendor out there that does carry the free upgrades and Tiger: Macmall. I was looking for a PB there recently, and came across their bundle of stuff, which was really tempting. The only reason I didn't buy was the fact that I don't need it right away and am anxiously awaiting those new Intel PB's.

I would recommend checking it out, as it seemed to be a better deal than compared with the other vendors. Just my two cents.
 
TDM21 said:
The systems come with 512mb which is good for most task. If you need more ram then you can get the system BTO with 768 MB of ram. That only adds $75 to the purchase.
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't think that $75 for 256mb of ram is a good deal at all.
 
Gatorman said:
There is one vendor out there that does carry the free upgrades and Tiger: Macmall. I was looking for a PB there recently, and came across their bundle of stuff, which was really tempting. The only reason I didn't buy was the fact that I don't need it right away and am anxiously awaiting those new Intel PB's.

I would recommend checking it out, as it seemed to be a better deal than compared with the other vendors. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

You can't be anxiously waiting for Intel PB now. They are over a year away.

I am waiting till the next PowerPC revision (late summer/early fall) to finally make the switch.
 
kant said:
Personally, I don't think that $75 for 256mb of ram is a good deal at all.
Click to expand...

You have to realize there is only one ram slot is replaceable in the 12" PB. There is a 256mb stick soldered onto the board. When Apple upgraded the PBs to 512mb of ram they just threw a 256mb stick in that open slot. So if you wanted to upgrade to 768mb of ram or 1.25mb you what to remove that 256mb stick. To get 768mb of ram in your system you have to pay about $100+ for the ram, probably shipping and install it yourself. Then you have 256mb stick just laying around. Or you can pay $75 upfront and upgrade to 768mb. That is why I suggest people upgrade to 768mb of ram with the 12" PB
 
TDM21 said:
You have to realize there is only one ram slot is replaceable in the 12" PB. There is a 256mb stick soldered onto the board. When Apple upgraded the PBs to 512mb of ram they just threw a 256mb stick in that open slot. So if you wanted to upgrade to 768mb of ram or 1.25mb you what to remove that 256mb stick. To get 768mb of ram in your system you have to pay about $100+ for the ram, probably shipping and install it yourself. Then you have 256mb stick just laying around. Or you can pay $75 upfront and upgrade to 768mb. That is why I suggest people upgrade to 768mb of ram with the 12" PB
Click to expand...
or a 1 gig

$117 kingston stick from newegg and highly rated.

If you want the link I'll have to go dig it up, but it's there.

I'm at work, give me a break :)
 
bodeh6 said:
You can't be anxiously waiting for Intel PB now. They are over a year away.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am. :D I have a lot of patients and after some thought, I really don't need a PB until that time, anyway.
 
TDM21 said:
To get 768mb of ram in your system you have to pay about $100+ for the ram, probably shipping and install it yourself. Then you have 256mb stick just laying around. Or you can pay $75 upfront and upgrade to 768mb. That is why I suggest people upgrade to 768mb of ram with the 12" PB
Click to expand...

$100 for 512MB of RAM? See my links above.

As for the 256MB stick, it can be eBayed for $20-$30 or so to someone with a 15" PB, for example, who wants to up their RAM to 768MB. So no loss there.

Unless you have no clue as to how to upgrade the RAM in your PB, buying the memory yourself and installing it will always be cheaper.
 
tuartboy said:
or a 1 gig

$117 kingston stick from newegg and highly rated.

If you want the link I'll have to go dig it up, but it's there.

I'm at work, give me a break :)
Click to expand...

You mean this one?
 
sw1tcher said:
You mean this one?
Click to expand...


Damn. Don't suppose they have one that cheap for an ibook g4/800? I've had it since last august, but just started using it last week as my primary computer. It could really use the extra 512mb.
 
Thanks!

Thanks again for all the great advice. I'm typing this post on my new 12" PBook 1.5G w/SuperDrive, 512MB RAM--and it runs so well I can't imagine adding that extra gig anytime soon (though I probably will eventually!) I'll make sure to keep this post handy for tips on where to buy that RAM when the time comes. Gracias! :D
 
sw1tcher said:
You mean this one?
Click to expand...
yup, that one exactly

down to $112 now

had my eyes on that stick since it was $140

looks like I am going to have to throw another bill on next months credit card :)
 
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