College setup question

Well, how often do you plan on going home? You wouldn't have to take your monitor home too, if it's just for the weekend. You wouldn't be able to take your G5 around campus and classes. So if you want the option of portability why not just get a PB and a display.

 

Get a 15" or get a 17" if you need the portability. Your not going to look retarded with a 17" notebook. Most people will be jealous because they don't have a notebook that sexy. Don't let the "what you will look like" thing affect your decision.

If screen size is important and budget permits it go with the 17" although it is not as portable as the 15" if you ask me. You also have the option of going for the 15", saving moneym and being able to put it towards an external monitor you could use in your dorm room if you felt that you really needed a bigger screen.

If you are going home on weekends or frequently then I would definately get the 17", bringing a monitor home with you that much would be tedious. If its only like once or twice a year than an external monitor could be a good solution.

 

I have a LCD that could fold down flat. Saves alot of space when transporting it to and from home. I love it.

(It's a Samsung 172T)

 

you only need one thread ..

 

I'm assuming you want apowerbook Get the 15" I just got one for college and I love it. The screen is a nice size and its portable to! I got the 1.5 w/ superdrive. because I plan on doing video editing on it so...
Just as a heads up, you should plan on ording it soon because I got the powerbook quickly but i'm still waiting for a lot other stuff to come. And the shipping date for the isight and airport express is like the 24th and i leave the 26th....

 

Ask yourself how frequently you will be going home. The difficulty with bringing files from school/work to home is you inevitably forget the correct version at one location or the other. It would be a bummer to head back to school after a long weekend, load up the disk to print out your assignment, and then find out you left the right version at home.

And always make a backup... "I forgot the file" and "the computer crashed" excuses are dismissed right away by professors.

Good luck in college.

 

To me it sounds like you want portabiliity more than anything. If you still are tinkering with a G5, ask yourself... Will you (i) need that much power? I have a PB 12" I was a grad student and it was wicked awesome just carring it around. If you are looking for a desktop replacement I believe a 17" is in order or a 15" top of the line. about the external monitor, if you have an old monitor at home or something that you could use for the time you spend there, don't worry about taking the external monitor you get. Any type of monitor will work OK. Now if you think that you'll be doing a lot of power usage go for the G5. But, I think you might not have enough of time to play videogames. I'm trying to see if I can afford a G5, but I want to do more video editing than what my PB can do.

In short, if you're going to be a power user go for the G5. If it is for school work, some editing and games, and portability is a must PB 17" would be my choice.

 

The impression i get from your post is that you want portability. Personally, i own a 15 TiBook and i find the screen size perfect for my needs.
My advice to you is if you really want a portable go to an apple store or reseller store and look at both the 15" and 17" in person. Pick them up and see how comfortable they are in terms of size and weight. Forget about leaving how you will look in class influence your decision. The most important thing is how you will feel with the laptop. If the laptop is a bit too heavy to carry all the time or takes up a bit too much room on your desk in class it will feel like crap and will degrade your user experience since it will feel awkward and annoying in use.If the pursuit of increased screen real estate impinges on when and how you can use the laptop, it ain't worth it.
Of course you could always have the best of both worlds and buy an emac and an ibook but then that could be more hassle than it's worth.

 

I had an iBook my freshman and sophomore year, and it was great to be able to bring my baby with me everywhere. But last February I sold the iBook and got my G5 with 20" Cinema. I would make the trade again.

The phrase 'Yo, girl, wanna go watch some cartoons on my cinema display?' is priceless. Never fails. =)

Plus, all your friends will just drool.

Its really not such a big deal to bring the G5 home. I always do. In fact, my display fits perfectly inside of a pillowcase, which I wrap in a blanket. With both the display and tower each in a blanket in the backseat, all is good.

 

i'd personally would go for a 15" pb then get a LCD monitor to use dual displays in your room
taking a whole desktop home is a pain, i did that some freshman and softmore years it's just too many components to lug around