did i make a bad purchase? powerbook refurb

[andy74]

hey gang,
i finally jumped into macland, purchased a refurb powerbook off the apple deal page. here's what i got: 12 inch powerbook, 867 G4, 40gig HD, combo. purchase price is $999.

my question is was this an ok purchase? any problems with this particular model? i don't think this machine came with airport but i'm not sure about bluetooth. is it a slot loading cd drive? my main use will be for writing, internet and so forth, and maybe garage band down the road for a little noodling. i was looking at a new ibook with upgraded HD and airport and so forth. it was going to come in around $1200. however, i am a cheap man.

any thoughts on this purchase would be appreciated. i used one-click so i still have like 90 minutes to cancel the purchase if i bought a problem child. thanks for any input.

andy

 

[jeremy.king]

I don't think its a bad investment. It comes with the same warranty as new ones right?

Also, you won't know the condition of the machines until you get it, but for the most part these machines are good as new.

 

[Flowbee]

Sounds like a perfectly fine machine for what you're planning to use it for. Just make sure to pick up some extra RAM from Crucial.com, and you'll be good to go.

 

[jxyama]

hey gang,
i finally jumped into macland, purchased a refurb powerbook off the apple deal page. here's what i got: 12 inch powerbook, 867 G4, 40gig HD, combo. purchase price is $999.

my question is was this an ok purchase? any problems with this particular model? i don't think this machine came with airport but i'm not sure about bluetooth. is it a slot loading cd drive? my main use will be for writing, internet and so forth, and maybe garage band down the road for a little noodling. i was looking at a new ibook with upgraded HD and airport and so forth. it was going to come in around $1200. however, i am a cheap man.

any thoughts on this purchase would be appreciated. i used one-click so i still have like 90 minutes to cancel the purchase if i bought a problem child. thanks for any input.

andy

i paid $1700 for the exact same machine back when it came out, jan. 2003, so i think $999 sounds good.

you will need an airport extreme card, it's not included. combo drive is slot loading. BT is included. garagaband runs fine.

it may run a bit hot. this is the rev. A which has had some issues with heat in the left palm rest and bottom casing. i haven't had much problems, personally, but i know the problem exists. i don't think it's something to make your machine unsable - but just be aware.

for $999, i think it's a great purchase... it's sleek. and it will handle your needs just fine.

btw, get a 512 MB RAM ASAP. it will make your machine a lot more pleasant to use.

 

[mikeyredk]

its a nice machine and all but i would rather have a 1 ghz ibook then that, its faster and will last much longer then the powerbook. this is true only because its newer

 

[keysersoze]

its a nice machine and all but i would rather have a 1 ghz ibook then that, its faster and will last much longer then the powerbook. this is true only because its newer

I don't think you will be disappointed. Like others, I recommend more RAM. You can find self-install instuctions at Apple.com. Go to the 'Support' tab. Cross check Crucial memory prices with Other World Computing:

www.crucial.com (crucial)
www.macsales.com (owc)

My OWC memory has been cheap and they have great customer service.

 

[yoda13]

You will love this computer. I absolutely love mine. It does run a little hot on the bottom, but it is really no big deal. But I agree, get RAM quickly, and I always reccomend AppleCare on a portable, but you have year to decide on that. All in all, I recommend it highly, and it is much less than I paid for mine

 

[andy74]

thanks folks

thanks to all for the reassurance. i feel pretty good about the purchase now. all that's left is to wait until it comes. woo-hoo.