Does this make sense?

[NeoMac]

I have been struggling to make up my mind regarding which notebook to purchase. I have been seriously considering purchasing a 15 inch G4 powerbook. I normally upgrade my notebooks every two years or so. I was on the apple refurb store and they currently have the following for sale.

Refurbished PowerBook G4 15-inch 1.67GHz SuperDrive
512MB DDR2 PC2-4200 SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128MB DDR)
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0+Enhanced Data Rates
Backlit keyboard
Scrolling Trackpad
Dual link DVI

Price: $1,349.00

(I will pick up additional ram)

From what I have head these power books are very well made and do not have any major issues with them. The only things I ever do on my notebooks are, surf the web, use iTunes, watch movies and basic school stuff like write a paper and that sort of thing. So I thought I would be better off buying a power book and then in two years, once apple has sorted everything out with the Intel conversion I would then purchase a mac book pro.

Is this stupid choice? Is the G4 powerbook fast enough for what I need to do with it? Do the power books run excessively hot? How do you think it will run under Leopard? Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

for the uses you listed, that PB is way overkill....

yes they are sweet, solid machines, but at this point in time, there aint no way in h*ll I'd fork out >>$1350 for a machine that is 2 generations old, especially considering that:

A) You can get a NEW, faster, better equipped, and somewhat more future-proofed MB for about the same $$, that will do everything you want to do, and then some

B) In order to run Tiger & then Leopard well, you will need at minimum of 1GB of ram, adding even more $$ to the cost of the old PB......

YOU do the math

 

[generik]

Did the OP enter a time warp and post this thread a year later than he thought he did?

Why are we even having such a discussion? A Powerbook G4 1.67 Ghz for $1349? I can get a Macbook Pro with Dual 2.0Ghz cores for $1699. Why on earth is that old PowerPC junker even remotely worth that much? It makes no sense!

 

[miles01110]

I agree with generik....just find a Macbook pro for a couple hundred dollars more, it will be worth it in the long run.

 

[dmw007]

For your stated needs the PowerBook G4 in question would work quite well for you NeoMac.


But at the listed price, I think that I would personally consider purchasing a MacBook or MacBook Pro instead.

 

[discoforce]

For that money I'd also buy a new macbook rather than the powerbook.

But if you're really trying to save money you could get a used G4 iBook for less than half the price of that 15" powerbook you're thinking about. Better airport reception too.

 

[NeoMac]

Thanks, I really want to purchase a macbook pro but I have been scared off by all the issues I keep hearing about such as, the pitting, flaking, heat, random shutdown, etc. I don't want to spend that kind of money on a machine that will have issues from day one. Maybe if more people posted the good things about the macbook pros it would help but lately it seems more and more people keep posting about the issues they are having.

 

[Foggy]

Thanks, I really want to purchase a macbook pro but I have been scared off by all the issues I keep hearing about such as, the pitting, flaking, heat, random shutdown, etc. I don't want to spend that kind of money on a machine that will have issues from day one. Maybe if more people posted the good things about the macbook pros it would help but lately it seems more and more people keep posting about the issues they are having.

Its the nature of forums - its the people that have the problems that gravitate towards them to ask for help/opinion whilst those with working machines tend to be using them rather than posting 'I have a mac and it isnt broken'

 

[andiwm2003]

Its the nature of forums - its the people that have the problems that gravitate towards them to ask for help/opinion whilst those with working machines tend to be using them rather than posting 'I have a mac and it isnt broken'

get a Macbook for almost the same price. by now most problems should be solved. it being future proof is way more important than the slim chance of having problems. all macbook owners i know have no problem whatsoever. the price for this used&outdated macs is simply too high.

 

[NeoMac]

I love the the mac books, I love the price, but the screen I feel is too small for me. I have spent a lot of time at the local apple store and feel like the 15" mac book pro screen would better suit me. Although I just checked the apple refurb store and they have white macbooks for $949 which is a great price. I'll stop by the apple store on my way home and check them out again. Thanks for the input!

 

[ziwi]

True it is easier to complain than praise -when you are at a restaurant - how often will you send food back or complain fo bad service, but if the food is great and service great never mention it - and don't say it is reflected in the tip - think of the food part...compliments to the chef?

Anyway - I know a number of folks (4) who have purchased MacBooks and are quite happy and report no issues at all. They are cheaper than the refurb G4 so this should be a no brainer. The only thing that would make me wait if I had no urgent need would be iLife07 and Leopard - if I could get both with my laptop then that realistically knocks some more logical coin off the price.