Drawbacks of buying a Titanium 15" PB?

[galveston]

I have budgeted about 2K to purchase a powerbook. Now that the new 15" Al models are out, I am closing in on the 1 GHZ combo drive. But before I make the purchase, I was wondering if perhaps the Titanium 1GHZ superdrive for the same price might be the better option. I've read the specs for each, but I really don't know how they will effect the machines' performance. I am a photographer and will be using it mainly with Photoshop and panorama stitching software. What are the major drawbacks for getting the older 1GHZ machine? Are there advantages to the older model, such as the 1MB L3 cache, or are they negated by other features introduced in the Al book?

Thank you very much.

-AP

 

[Alte22a]

I think that the new Alu Books are a better choice. I can't say much about Alu books in terms of real world working conditions. I currently own a Ti 1Ghz PB but have friends who use the 17" and 12". Actually one of my friend owns a 17" and uses it on location to down directly from camera. The Alubooks feels alot rigid compared to my Ti. If I as making a purchase choice today it will be 15" Alubook but with a superdrive. Its much better to back off data to DVD that CDs plus Firewire 800, USB2 and DDR RAM. Hopes my 2cents help.

 

[riwanami]

I think you'll get more for your money by sticking with the Al model. From what I've read so far, the lack of a Level 3 cache is cured by the doubled Level 2 cache. Unless you do a lot of rendering on Final Cut Pro or any professional level audio editing, I don't think you'll have any problems with the lack of a Level 3 cache if your main software is Photoshop. (I heard from FCP and SoundTrack users that even without the Level 3 cache, the newer Al models are faster)

Also, the Titanium models are prone to paint chipping (not just scratches). If you look at any Titanium unit that's over one year old, it's almost impossible to find one without any noticable chipping. Don't get me wrong. The Ti notebooks are awesome notebooks, this was one of the major problems with this model.

Finally the WiFi antenna has been weak on the Ti models (The Al models are still not extremely strong from what I've read in the forums)

I think with the intro of FireWire 800 and USB 2.0, hooking up new digital cameras and hard drives will be much easier and faster on the Al models. I would also invest the extra $200 on the Superdrive because that's something that's going to be very difficult to upgrade later without voiding your warranty. I hope this helps.

 

[e-coli]

Originally posted by riwanami
If you look at any Titanium unit that's over one year old, it's almost impossible to find one without any noticable chipping.

Mine is 2 yrs old...no chipping.

Go for the ALBook. FW800 and better AirPort reception.

 

[Ramsos]

My tibook 400 is chipping (2 1/2 years old)
My tibook 800 has extreme chipping (15 months old)

I would get the Albook if I were you.

 

[beefcake]

Performance wise, you shouldn't really find much of a difference, and the airport reception isn't much better on the AluBook. I have a 1 Ghz Superdrive TiBook and my only complaint is the paint. I know its a solid notebook and will stand up to the elements a lot stronger than most, but I'm paranoid about scratching it. If you want superdrive and slightly better battery life, go with the TiBook. If you want a solid machine and peace of mind, go Al.

 

[QCassidy352]

Albook all the way. Built in bluetooth, airport extreme, nicer case, FW 800, USB 2... and benchmarks have shown that the added L2 cache at least makes up for the missing L3, if not more than makes up. Plus you can order that cool back lit keyboard on the albook!