Ibook G4 compared to current laptop PCs

[freeedge369]

So...In the process of converting my family, my mom freaked out about how high Apples notebook prices are. I understand the longer life/better resale stuff, but comparative to an identically spec'd pc, they cost insane amounts.

So, would a G4 iBook be adequate for her needs?
~Writing freelance articles
~Photoshop (Preferably CS3, though CS2 would be ok)
~Watching movies
~Surfing the net
~Listening to music
Possibly doing more than one of those things at once.

And I'm sorry for the n00b question, but I'm 16, and hence didn't know enough about computers to want to switch until after the Intel jump, and hence have no first hand experience with PPC chips.

And no, boot camp/fusion/paralells/crossover are not necessary for her.

Thanks in advance, MR~

 

[heatmiser]

It would work, but for the price of a 3-year old G4 you could get her a brand new c2d Windows laptop that would do everything you've listed above, and leave you with processing power and memory to spare. There's no sense in investing in old technology for the sake of using Apple.

 

[MrT8064]

iBook is great for everything on your list, with the exception of photoshop, even CS2 feels very slow compared to an intel mac.

it would be good to get an iBook, and let her use your MacBook Pro for PS!!

 

[MrT8064]

31 days uptime

wow, your a fan of up-time!! no 10.5.2 for you!!

 

[Eidorian]

It would work, but for the price of a 3-year old G4 you could get her a brand new c2d Windows laptop that would do everything you've listed above, and leave you with processing power and memory to spare. There's no sense in investing in old technology for the sake of using Apple.

I'm going to agree with heatmiser here. I love Apple as well and I've switched a lot of people. There's no sense in spending more money for an Apple and giving yourself more support headaches with new user questions. I wouldn't buy any PowerPC laptop at this point.

 

[nl2134]

So, would a G4 iBook be adequate for her needs?
~Writing freelance articles
~Photoshop (Preferably CS3, though CS2 would be ok)
~Watching movies
~Surfing the net
~Listening to music
Possibly doing more than one of those things at once.

I have a 1.33GHz iBook G4, with 1.5GB RAM and a 100GB 4200rpm HD. Here's what I think...

Writing articles using Word or any other Word Processor will be fine. I typed a lot of stuff for school, and I never had any problems.

Photoshop is a little more icky. It'll work, but it won't perform extremely well...if you compare it between even a PowerBook (or more recently, any MB or MBP), you'll notice a difference. CS2 would probably be the version you'd install.

Watching movies through DVD runs smoothly. I usually close everything else I have open, though, because if I don't, it becomes a bit too intensive.

Surfing the net, it's perfect.

I listen to music almost all the time when my computer is open, and again, no problems.

Most of the time, if you want to do two things at once, it'll be fine. The fan will go off when the hard drive gets too hot, and you'll notice the heat emanating from your palms also. From the above list, I can use Safari, iTunes, and MS Word, and it runs cool. When I add a DVD, it gets hot quickly...but you know, just gotta be cognizant of those things.

Peace

 

[Michael CM1]

So...In the process of converting my family, my mom freaked out about how high Apples notebook prices are. I understand the longer life/better resale stuff, but comparative to an identically spec'd pc, they cost insane amounts.

So, would a G4 iBook be adequate for her needs?
~Writing freelance articles
~Photoshop (Preferably CS3, though CS2 would be ok)
~Watching movies
~Surfing the net
~Listening to music
Possibly doing more than one of those things at once.

And I'm sorry for the n00b question, but I'm 16, and hence didn't know enough about computers to want to switch until after the Intel jump, and hence have no first hand experience with PPC chips.

And no, boot camp/fusion/paralells/crossover are not necessary for her.

Thanks in advance, MR~

You need to tell your mom that they aren't "insanely" priced when compared literally on par. Most of your cheaper PC laptops get that way on parts inside that you rarely hear of. Lest we also not forget the costs of Anti-Virus and Firewall software that rack up.

Anywho, when you mentioned Photoshop, that stopped your consideration right there. Don't even think about a G4. I had a G4 Mac Mini and, while not too bad, this Core2Duo MacBook Pro blows it away. The extra processing power from a faster dual-core processor is just, well, insane.

For all that stuff, the $1099 MacBook will be perfect (they're even cheaper if you qualify for an education discount). You may want to up the Hard Drive or go to a SuperDrive if you need to burn DVDs. 1GB of RAM should be plenty for all that you mentioned, even doing 2 or 3 at once.

So in conclusion, get a MacBook. If you qualify for an education discount (at 16, you probably do), use it. RAM can always be upgraded later, and I wouldn't buy it from Apple (Crutchfield's stuff works fine and is way cheaper). If you go with Photoshop, visit www.academicsuperstore.com and get the educational discount on that as well.

 

[ktbubster]

check the refurb store! 949 for a bottom line refurb macbook current gen, save 50 over edu discount (which you don't qualify for in HS). Occasionally if you check early enough the last gens show up too, and you can grab a last gen macbook white for something like 800 bucks. That would be perfect for her.

Good deals here too in the marketplace and some resellers Keep an eye out and you'll find something good for a good price!