nope. you said to get a new base C2D macbook and mentioned nothing of refurb. i'm talking CD refurb!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is 1Ghz enough?
- Thread starter Smileyguy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
nope. you said to get a new base C2D macbook and mentioned nothing of refurb. i'm talking CD refurb!
No, you said "why don't you spend a little more." The post I claimed solved the problem proved a macbook was actually cheaper.
I'm not in Ireland unfortunately, but I think that I remember somebody from Ireland saying that they do not.
I'm typing this on a stock, last version 12" G4 iBook (1.33Ghz, 512MB RAM). I split my computer time about 25/75 between the iBook and a 3.4GHz Pentium 4 PC (WinXP) with 2GB RAM and a 17" display. I use the iBook for web browsing, newsreading, email, and stuff on the go but the other computer gets used for real work.
The iBook is obviously pokey (slower) compared to the PC. For basic word processing and web browsing, the iBook is fine. I have Office 2004 loaded but I prefer to use something lighter like Mellel or even Textwrangler because Office is bloated, and the low screen resolution (not size) makes having lots of open floating toolbars difficult. For web browsing I use Safari, which tends to choke on really flash heavy pages. Probably a combination of issues but 512MB RAM doesn't help. Wireless is fine and reception is very good with an Airport Express or Linksys WRT54G router. PDF access is actually better on the iBook due to Quartz though. I *hate* having to use Acrobat on the PC it drives me nuts.
iTunes is slower than on the PC and iPhoto is a bit slow, but usable. iDVD is useless, the HD is too small and too slow. Photoshop CS is VERY slow. Noticeable lag with most actions. I mostly use it to retouch the odd photo (no heavy lifting) since it's that slow. If I had no other recourse I could live with it but not for long. With that in mind I wouldn't want to use it for daily work.
Staying current with OSX, in general IMO most Apple machines can handle one OS generation upgrade from what they came with and then you're done. i.e. even way back a machine designed for OS7 could run OS8 but not OS9. 10.1 machine fine with 10.2 but 10.3 (esp. if no Quartz Extreme) is pushing it. So I'm looking forward to 10.5 but I harbour no ideas of being able to run 10.6.
Personally I could not use the iBook as my sole computer. Get a MacBook, you'll be happier and have a machine for the long term.
The iBook is obviously pokey (slower) compared to the PC. For basic word processing and web browsing, the iBook is fine. I have Office 2004 loaded but I prefer to use something lighter like Mellel or even Textwrangler because Office is bloated, and the low screen resolution (not size) makes having lots of open floating toolbars difficult. For web browsing I use Safari, which tends to choke on really flash heavy pages. Probably a combination of issues but 512MB RAM doesn't help. Wireless is fine and reception is very good with an Airport Express or Linksys WRT54G router. PDF access is actually better on the iBook due to Quartz though. I *hate* having to use Acrobat on the PC it drives me nuts.
iTunes is slower than on the PC and iPhoto is a bit slow, but usable. iDVD is useless, the HD is too small and too slow. Photoshop CS is VERY slow. Noticeable lag with most actions. I mostly use it to retouch the odd photo (no heavy lifting) since it's that slow. If I had no other recourse I could live with it but not for long. With that in mind I wouldn't want to use it for daily work.
Staying current with OSX, in general IMO most Apple machines can handle one OS generation upgrade from what they came with and then you're done. i.e. even way back a machine designed for OS7 could run OS8 but not OS9. 10.1 machine fine with 10.2 but 10.3 (esp. if no Quartz Extreme) is pushing it. So I'm looking forward to 10.5 but I harbour no ideas of being able to run 10.6.
Personally I could not use the iBook as my sole computer. Get a MacBook, you'll be happier and have a machine for the long term.
Apple keeps suport for older hardware for more than 1 OS generation. I am typing this on my eMac which shiped with 10.2.x and is running tiger excelently, and I think that some machines that shipped with OS 9 can run Tiger.
Hi, thanks for the suggestion, but where did you see that link? It seems to have expired. Was it on the US Apple Store?
TB, I didn't mean to appear to chastise you at all, and I'm sorry if that's how it came across. It's just that I've often asked for advice on buying cheaper secondhand hand kit here, and read other posts, and many of the suggestions seem to advise buying new, more expensive gear. My apologies.
I was running late for work when I posted the listing above without realizing
that I had posted new prices.
When shopping for refurbs you have to watch the listings every day until what you want pops up, then be ready to pounce. The most desirable units
go fast, but generally others show up before too long.
that I had posted new prices.
When shopping for refurbs you have to watch the listings every day until what you want pops up, then be ready to pounce. The most desirable units
go fast, but generally others show up before too long.
Up until Feb of 2005 I was using my iBook G3 800 mhz as my primary machine, 640 ram was the only upgrade... I did everything you listed and more (alot more) , such as large PSB (Photoshop large format) files which were over a gig (and sometimes into gigs) in size (hundreds of inches, high resolution). I beat Halo on it and played multiplayer Halo on it (and it doesnt even meet the requirements).
I then bought a G5 since my iBook was already a few years old and I wanted a faster machine to work with large documents on...
Currently Im using my iBook daily because I didnt bring my G5 to school, and that means using PS, AI, etc, etc...
So I dont think youd be needing a faster machine with any of the choices you listed eariler... However I would look for deals on MacBooks (alot of people get Pros went they dont need them).
I then bought a G5 since my iBook was already a few years old and I wanted a faster machine to work with large documents on...
Currently Im using my iBook daily because I didnt bring my G5 to school, and that means using PS, AI, etc, etc...
So I dont think youd be needing a faster machine with any of the choices you listed eariler... However I would look for deals on MacBooks (alot of people get Pros went they dont need them).
I disagree. My iMac G3 500mhz is quite capable at handling Panther (10.3), and has been doing so for a good while. In fact, I believe it runs faster than 10.2 ever did. OSX hasn't really bloated that much. And anyhow, it's in apple's interest to do so, otherwise who would buy OSX retail versions? I'm expecting that it should be able to handle Leopard as well.
Same, Im running Tiger on my iBook (800 G3) now... I believe it came originally with 10.2, and Panther was alot faster than 10.2 and seems like Tigers even faster (at least booting wise).