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15" PB dilemma

N

Nobs

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 2, 2003
50
0
Ohio
hello. I'm new here. :) And here is my dilemma...

I'm in the market for a PB...and I see the prices on the 15" just came down to more of my price range. I'm considering getting the reduced 15" PB, but I'm not sure if that's a good move, considering that the new 15" should be out in just a few weeks.

I'm most concerned about the wireless option for the PB...if I get an Airport Card (not extreme) will I be able to upgrade to Extreme later? Or am I totally effed?

And do you think when the new Pb's will come out that they will be priced where the old 15" Pb's were?

I don't know what I want to do. Please help. :(
 
Re: 15" PB dilemma

Originally posted by Nobs
hello. I'm new here. :) And here is my dilemma...

I'm in the market for a PB...and I see the prices on the 15" just came down to more of my price range. I'm considering getting the reduced 15" PB, but I'm not sure if that's a good move, considering that the new 15" should be out in just a few weeks.

I'm most concerned about the wireless option for the PB...if I get an Airport Card (not extreme) will I be able to upgrade to Extreme later? Or am I totally effed?

And do you think when the new Pb's will come out that they will be priced where the old 15" Pb's were?

I don't know what I want to do. Please help. :(
Click to expand...

The 15" TiBook does not support Airport Extreme. You can still use an Extreme Base Station but not an Extreme card so it will give you no gain. I'd bet my left nut (well, maybe not) that the new 15" will indeed be priced right where the TiBooks left off. Apple's way for a long time has been to increase the specs and leave the price where it is, or even lower it. I'd hold out until the 23rd, especially if you are concerned about Airport Extreme. If you can wait 3 weeks then I think it would be silly not to at this point.
 
Re: 15" PB dilemma

Originally posted by Nobs
hello. I'm new here. :) And here is my dilemma...
Click to expand...

Welcome on the boards
I'm in the market for a PB...and I see the prices on the 15" just came down to more of my price range. I'm considering getting the reduced 15" PB, but I'm not sure if that's a good move, considering that the new 15" should be out in just a few weeks.
Click to expand...
true
I'm most concerned about the wireless option for the PB...if I get an Airport Card (not extreme) will I be able to upgrade to Extreme later? Or am I totally effed?
Click to expand...
You will not be able to upgrade to AE later on.
And do you think when the new Pb's will come out that they will be priced where the old 15" Pb's were?
Click to expand...
Really, i don t think anybody knows that, but personnaly i hope they will be in the same price range.
I don't know what I want to do. Please help. :(
Click to expand...
Well, the advantage of ddr/sd ram in the powerbooks is quite little due to the little fsb of the procesors. the ram should really not influence the idea of what to do. If you need Airport Extreme, than wait, if not, i d go for it. rresp wait for the new one to come out, and than get the "older" one for a lower price.

I hope that helps you.
 
you should definitely wait to see what the new PB's will bring. if they get DDR, then i guess that alone will be worth it. and if they get the ATI 9800... then damn, that's really worth the wait.

you could always get a TiBook when the new ones come out, they'll be cheaper then anyway. then again, there may not be any TiBooks left, after all they are the last of the Titanium's...


[edit] i remember the rumors of the 15" being delayed due to Apple waiting for ATI to have the 9800 ready, and i even remember a link to the page that talked about the 9800 mobile. but my brother said that they had to go back to the drawing board with it and i thought, WTF??!! i didn't beleive it, but i just did a quick search and came up with nothing, and even on the ATI site i can't find anything about the 9800 mobile. what gives?? is the 9800 mobile gone back to development? perhaps the new 15"s will have the ATI 9600?? [/edit]
 
Originally posted by cb911
you should definitely wait to see what the new PB's will bring. if they get DDR, then i guess that alone will be worth it. and if they get the ATI 9800... then damn, that's really worth the wait.
Click to expand...

Well ddr can t make a big speed bump, due to the "slow" fsb of the cpu...
Ati9800 ? well that would be great but it seems that Apple is running now on the Nvidia road, :(


you could always get a TiBook when the new ones come out, they'll be cheaper then anyway. then again, there may not be any TiBooks left, after all they are the last of the Titanium's...
Click to expand...

true

[edit] i remember the rumors of the 15" being delayed due to Apple waiting for ATI to have the 9800 ready, and i even remember a link to the page that talked about the 9800 mobile. but my brother said that they had to go back to the drawing board with it and i thought, WTF??!! i didn't beleive it, but i just did a quick search and came up with nothing, and even on the ATI site i can't find anything about the 9800 mobile. what gives?? is the 9800 mobile gone back to development? perhaps the new 15"s will have the ATI 9600?? [/edit]
Click to expand...


[Edit]
Hm.. where is BrisVegas located? QLD?
[/edit]
 
Originally posted by maradong

[Edit]
Hm.. where is BrisVegas located? QLD?
[/edit]
Click to expand...

he he. :D well i like to call it BrisVegas, sort of a joke. you may know it better as Brisbane, in wonderful sunny Queensland! :)


so i guess that the DDR won't make much of a difference, but depending on how much of a nutter you are for the lastest and greatest... :rolleyes:


as for nVIDIA... no, no, no!!! :mad: Apple can't go to nVIDIA!! ATI is kick-ass!! i really hope that Apple stays with ATI for the 15", but i don't know what the chances of this really are.
 
Originally posted by cb911
he he. :D well i like to call it BrisVegas, sort of a joke. you may know it better as Brisbane, in wonderful sunny Queensland! :)


so i guess that the DDR won't make much of a difference, but depending on how much of a nutter you are for the lastest and greatest... :rolleyes:


as for nVIDIA... no, no, no!!! :mad: Apple can't go to nVIDIA!! ATI is kick-ass!! i really hope that Apple stays with ATI for the 15", but i don't know what the chances of this really are.
Click to expand...
i hope they will keep ati as well. as the aa engine on the ati cards is much better than the one used by nvidia

:D brisbane. nice city. do you live in brisbane itself, or a little outside, lets say direction towoomba, or more to the south, direction sunshine coast or elswhere ?
 
Originally posted by cb911
he he. :D well i like to call it BrisVegas, sort of a joke. you may know it better as Brisbane, in wonderful sunny Queensland! :)
Click to expand...

Ah yes, every country's got a Vegas somewhere :) Over here in NZ we've got Rotorua ("two lakes") = RotoVegas. And while I'm at it, Te Teko (no idea what this one means!) = Texas.

Now just let me "pull a tazo".... get back on topic people! :D
 
Thanks for the replies, guys. :)

I guess I am in the proverbial camp of Impatience and I really want to get one now. The price on the 15" is closer to where I'd like it to be and I'm afraid if I wait TOO long, I'll miss out on this sweet deal and be forced to buy at a higher cost, even though I will be getting a better machine.

I'm still trying to do decide if I absolutley NEED AE or if I can live my life relatively unfazed for the next few years with simple Airport. I mean, I've got a G4 867 DP...the 15" will be pretty close in specs...I guess I'm a little confused as to what the best course of action would be.

But like the rest of you, I am dying to see what the new PB's will bring! :D
 
Hey, here's another question...

Based on Apple's past, do you think the new 15" PB's will be priced comparably to what they are at now, or will the new aluminum PB's be placed at a higher price point?

I'd hate to buy the 867 15" and then see in a few weeks I could have spent the same amount of money for a better computer. Do these prices generally go up with an upgrade? Or does Apple keep them the same?
 
God, I hope so. I wonder if I bought a 15" PB now and the new one came out in a few days, I'd be able to return the merchandise for the newer model.

*hopes and wishes*
 
Well, I couldn't wait any longer. I bought the old skool PB 15" for $1940. It was more of a cost issue for me than a technology issue. I'm trying not to get sucked into the whole "cutting edge" technology thing where I need the latest and the greatest, but seriously, at that price...I don't know how I could pass it up. I was really afraid of seeing the new PB's and then upping my price threshold to get the new model, when I am scrimping to get this model. :(

So anyway, maybe I'll be a fool come WWDC. But until then I can't wait until my new PB arrives. :D
 
Originally posted by Nobs
Well, I couldn't wait any longer. I bought the old skool PB 15" for $1940. It was more of a cost issue for me than a technology issue. I'm trying not to get sucked into the whole "cutting edge" technology thing where I need the latest and the greatest, but seriously, at that price...I don't know how I could pass it up. I was really afraid of seeing the new PB's and then upping my price threshold to get the new model, when I am scrimping to get this model. :(

So anyway, maybe I'll be a fool come WWDC. But until then I can't wait until my new PB arrives. :D
Click to expand...

Well, you bought a Mac, you bought right.
MR Buyers Guide will help if you have any doubts.
 
Congratulations!
you can play those old mac games with this laptop because it can boot to OS9! The new ones won't.

playing Carmageddon II... or marathon!
 
Anyone who said that you can't add Airport Extreme later is wrong. The PowerBook 15" has a PCMICA slot, which means you can add a 802.11g card anytime you want to! You can find those at Best Buy or just about any place else.

And no, the DDR RAM does not add that much. Simply compare the 17" to the 15". They have the same processor, but the only tests they score higher on is the strict memory test, which doesnt mean much if the info cant get to the processor.
 
Originally posted by Wardofsky
Well, you bought a Mac, you bought right.
Click to expand...

This is my second Mac in under a year...i love them .:D

Also, thanks for the info on the PCMIA slot...that is really good to know!
 
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