iMac G5, Powerbook G4, MacBook...?

[Kalmia]

First, a bit of background. I currently own two full computers: my main machine, a Core Duo 2.0 GHz MacBook Pro, and a 1.9 GHz iMac G5 with iSight. Before I purchased my MBP, I had a little 12" iBook G4, so the iMac was my graphics machine for all of my art-related purposes, and my iBook was the all-purpose travel/school/lounging machine. Now, though, my MBP has pretty much taken over in both departments--it's got the high-resolution widescreen display, the graphical processing power, and the portability. But it's not that portable, due to its big display... and my iMac, meanwhile, is not getting as much use as I'd like.

So, I'd like some advice, if anyone would be so kind! Ideally, I'd like something that I can trade or sell my iMac towards without having to front too much extra cash out of pocket. I mainly want something that is small for taking on trips and to classes (about 12-13 inches is ideal), speedy, able to do the usual web browsing and simple tasks, and capable of doing a little Photoshop or Painter on the go, should I need it. I narrowed down my options pretty quickly to a 1 to 1.33 GHz Powerbook G4 or a MacBook. The MacBook seems like the better buy for obvious reasons, and the benchmarks seem to support that for the most part, but the integrated graphics seems like it could get problematic for certain intensive 2D applications. I'm not sure how a Powerbook would handle the same types of applications. Also, there seems to be a bit of buzzing about an update for the MacBook, but I don't know how seriously to take that, because everything's due for an update eventually...

Anyway, I think that about covers it. Any advice, personal experiences, or whatever you've got are greatly appreciated. Sorry for writing so much--I just wanted to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I thiiink I've got it all down by now. Hopefully I won't have to come back and add another paragraph in ten minutes.

Thanks in advance!!


~Kalmia

 

[Jarcrew]

Please don't throw money into a G4 machine - I know Apple was still selling them less than a year ago but frankly it's only going to mean you'll want to replace it faster.

I can wholeheartedly reccomend the MacBook, although I am yet to try it with Photoshop.

 

[Kalmia]

Please don't throw money into a G4 machine - I know Apple was still selling them less than a year ago but frankly it's only going to mean you'll want to replace it faster.

I can wholeheartedly reccomend the MacBook, although I am yet to try it with Photoshop.

The MacBook is kind of where I'm leaning, as well... it'd be great if someone who's used it with Photoshop or Painter (or other similar apps) could weigh in. Might be just what I need to push me over the edge.

Is the difference between CD and C2D great enough to justify going for one over the other? My understanding is that C2D is a little faster and a little cooler-running, but I can't really back that with experience, since my MBP is CD, and I've never used anything else.

Any other insight/opinions would be awesome. Thanks in advance!!


~Kalmia

 

[dartzorichalcos]

Is the difference between CD and C2D great enough to justify going for one over the other?

Check this.

 

[teleromeo]

My Powerbook G4 is less than 2 years old and I already would like to replace it. It's a good machine but way too slow.

 

[eXan]

Dont waste your money on a MacBook. They aren't that more portable than MBP15". Check out their size and weight on apple.com - the weigh is almost the same and MB is just a little bit smaller than MBP.

If you want something noticably smaller than your MBP, get a 12" PowerBook.

 

[Kalmia]

Dont waste your money on a MacBook. They aren't that more portable than MBP15". Check out their size and weight on apple.com - the weigh is almost the same and MB is just a little bit smaller than MBP.

If you want something noticably smaller than your MBP, get a 12" PowerBook.

Oh, wow, I didn't even know that--even the actual dimensions are very close, and the MBP is actually thinner! That I wasn't expecting. Hmm.

That puts me in a bit of a tough spot... The PB is pretty slow by today's standards (and especially now that I'm used to my MBP with maxed-out RAM), even though it's the perfect size, as far as I'm concerned. Now I see what people mean when they say that MacBooks are too big. Tch.

Maybe I should just sit on it for a while longer. Maybe we'll get one of those rumored 12-inch MBPs before long. Though I doubt it. Ahhh, life is hard...


~Kalmia

 

[discodave]

Oh, wow, I didn't even know that--even the actual dimensions are very close, and the MBP is actually thinner! That I wasn't expecting. Hmm.

That puts me in a bit of a tough spot... The PB is pretty slow by today's standards (and especially now that I'm used to my MBP with maxed-out RAM), even though it's the perfect size, as far as I'm concerned. Now I see what people mean when they say that MacBooks are too big. Tch.

Maybe I should just sit on it for a while longer. Maybe we'll get one of those rumored 12-inch MBPs before long. Though I doubt it. Ahhh, life is hard...


~Kalmia

I use a 1.33Ghz G4 PB, a C2D iMac and a MacBook. I wouldn't say that the G4 is slow. Far from it. It really ticks me off when people come on here saying that the MB is soo much faster. I use both of them on a daily basis and can 100% guarantee you that it is complete BS.

Sure, with Intel applications open much faster (unless using Rosetta), but thats as far as it goes for me. With video encoding you will notice a difference and the Intel machine will be better however. For photoshop use, CS2 and CS3 run amazingly well on the G4, and CS2 actually runs better on my PowerBook than on my MacBook or Core2Duo iMac.

So, sure buy a G4. Just don't pay a ridiculous amount for it. The most important thing with any of these machines in this respect is RAM. Don't discount the power of the G4 just because others say it is damn slow. It is not.

David

 

[eXan]

I use a 1.33Ghz G4 PB, a C2D iMac and a MacBook. I wouldn't say that the G4 is slow. Far from it. It really ticks me off when people come on here saying that the MB is soo much faster. I use both of them on a daily basis and can 100% guarantee you that it is complete BS.

Sure, with Intel applications open much faster (unless using Rosetta), but thats as far as it goes for me. With video encoding you will notice a difference and the Intel machine will be better however. For photoshop use, CS2 and CS3 run amazingly well on the G4, and CS2 actually runs better on my PowerBook than on my MacBook or Core2Duo iMac.

So, sure buy a G4. Just don't pay a ridiculous amount for it. The most important thing with any of these machines in this respect is RAM. Don't discount the power of the G4 just because others say it is damn slow. It is not.

David

I agree that in CPU- (video/audio encoding) For example, my MacBook C2D rips DVDs at roughly 29 FPS, while iMac G5 I have only at 11. and GPU-intensive apps (games), the Core (2) Duo Macs really shine. But if an app is still PPC, they are about the same speed, while casual stuff (Finder, web, typing) is the same as Intels (well, maybe Finder is slower because new 'books have faster HDs and optical drives).

Because you already have a powerful laptop (MBP), you can probably afford to have a slower, but much more portable notebook.

 

[SteveG4Cube]

If they come out with a 12" MBP, you could even get rid of both current machines and run an external display/HD/keyboard/mouse at home. I'd hold out and see what they release between now and Leopard.

 

[Dustman]

Oh, wow, I didn't even know that--even the actual dimensions are very close, and the MBP is actually thinner! That I wasn't expecting. Hmm.

That puts me in a bit of a tough spot... The PB is pretty slow by today's standards (and especially now that I'm used to my MBP with maxed-out RAM), even though it's the perfect size, as far as I'm concerned. Now I see what people mean when they say that MacBooks are too big. Tch.

Maybe I should just sit on it for a while longer. Maybe we'll get one of those rumored 12-inch MBPs before long. Though I doubt it. Ahhh, life is hard...


~Kalmia

Macbooks are far from big, its still 500000% smaller than a dell. (post may have slight exhaduration included). i think they really hit a sweet spot in terms of size with the macbook, plus it has sex appeal.. honestly, get the macbook. intergrated graphics have come a looong way since the p4 days..

 

[Dustman]

I use a 1.33Ghz G4 PB, a C2D iMac and a MacBook. I wouldn't say that the G4 is slow. Far from it. It really ticks me off when people come on here saying that the MB is soo much faster. I use both of them on a daily basis and can 100% guarantee you that it is complete BS.

Sure, with Intel applications open much faster (unless using Rosetta), but thats as far as it goes for me. With video encoding you will notice a difference and the Intel machine will be better however. For photoshop use, CS2 and CS3 run amazingly well on the G4, and CS2 actually runs better on my PowerBook than on my MacBook or Core2Duo iMac.

So, sure buy a G4. Just don't pay a ridiculous amount for it. The most important thing with any of these machines in this respect is RAM. Don't discount the power of the G4 just because others say it is damn slow. It is not.

David

honestly, i couldnt care less about the processor, and i dont think anyone else should either, unless u want to futureproof, then go with the obvious choice, but with enough ram, you'll have a fast enough computer for almost anything, regardless of processor speed or generation.

 

[eXan]

Macbooks are far from big, its still 500000% smaller than a dell. (post may have slight exhaduration included). i think they really hit a sweet spot in terms of size with the macbook, plus it has sex appeal.. honestly, get the macbook. intergrated graphics have come a looong way since the p4 days..

We are not comparing MB with PCs. The OP needs a Mac.

 

[Kalmia]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! They've been a great help.

I agree that in CPU- (video/audio encoding) For example, my MacBook C2D rips DVDs at roughly 29 FPS, while iMac G5 I have only at 11. and GPU-intensive apps (games), the Core (2) Duo Macs really shine. But if an app is still PPC, they are about the same speed, while casual stuff (Finder, web, typing) is the same as Intels (well, maybe Finder is slower because new 'books have faster HDs and optical drives).

Because you already have a powerful laptop (MBP), you can probably afford to have a slower, but much more portable notebook.

Thank you; that's exactly what I was looking for. Benchmarks are helpful, but personal experience is better--I think that since my MBP will be doing most of the "serious" work between the two, a G4 processor should handle my other needs just fine. Hell, I managed a while back with my first-gen Mac mini and Photoshop, though, granted, that was long before I ever could have foreseen the greatness of MBP...

If they come out with a 12" MBP, you could even get rid of both current machines and run an external display/HD/keyboard/mouse at home. I'd hold out and see what they release between now and Leopard.

That's precisely what I'm hoping to do, if the 12" MBP should ever see the light of day. I don't think I can afford to wait until WWDC, though, what with my school being on the quarter system, and me attending for summer term, as well... Hopefully my MBP will still hold some value on the secondhand market with its larger screen if I should feel the need to make the jump back to a tiny machine.

All that said, I think I'm going to start looking at 12-inch Powerbooks. Anyone out there who can help me with a price estimate on my iMac? I haven't seen a G5 iMac for sale anywhere in a while, so I'm a bit uncertain. It's not with me right now (back at home while I'm at school, so a family member will be bringing it up over the next couple of weeks), but it's a 17-inch 1.9 GHz G5 with built-in iSight and stock 512 MB RAM. Minty-mint condition, OS X Tiger, and all original packaging intact, as far as I can recall. I'd also be including an Apple Wireless Mouse (not Mighty Mouse) instead of the default Mighty Mouse.

Thanks again; I really appreciate it!

 

[jng]

with the 12" powerbook though, how much photoshop do you expect to do "on the go."? I have a 12" powerbook and it annoys me how small the screen is, even when I'm just doing Word in class, because I can't get all the formatting panels open at once or I can't have two documents open side by side even though I'm adept at Apple+~ between windows (it's psychedelic).

And it's definitely not great for photoshop projects. I make do, since it's the only mac I own, but I always love to work on with ACDs at work instead of my powerbook.

I would also say that the MBP isn't that big and probably can do everything best. The 12" powerbook is smaller and takes up less space, but in terms of weight, there isn't a noticeable difference between his MBP and my 12" pbook when it's being carried on the go.

 

[Kalmia]

with the 12" powerbook though, how much photoshop do you expect to do "on the go."? I have a 12" powerbook and it annoys me how small the screen is, even when I'm just doing Word in class, because I can't get all the formatting panels open at once or I can't have two documents open side by side even though I'm adept at Apple+~ between windows (it's psychedelic).

And it's definitely not great for photoshop projects. I make do, since it's the only mac I own, but I always love to work on with ACDs at work instead of my powerbook.

I would also say that the MBP isn't that big and probably can do everything best. The 12" powerbook is smaller and takes up less space, but in terms of weight, there isn't a noticeable difference between his MBP and my 12" pbook when it's being carried on the go.

Oh, I'm definitely still keeping my MBP. It's a fantastic size, nice and lightweight, and it does everything I throw at it without a hitch. But it's not always practical to toss it into a bag and go, particularly when space is at a premium (i.e. packing for travel abroad). I don't mind 1024x768 too much, since I used a 12" iBook for a good long while before I upgraded to my MBP. I'd mostly just be using it for a bit of light editing of website images and maybe some quick doodling, and only those if I have my tablet with me. I'm not too often away from my MBP for very long, so I don't imagine that it'd get a lot of editing work thrown at it.

But, yes, back on the original point... the Powerbook would be a replacement for my iMac, not for the MBP. I'm hardly about to let this one out of my sight.

Thanks for your input; I appreciate it!


~Kalmia