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Just got my 15" Powerbook! Any questions?

Phatpat

Phatpat

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 15, 2003
903
2
Cambridge, MA
I just got home from the Woodfield Apple Store and am now installing software updates on my 15" 1.25ghz Powerbook. I'm a tad bit excited. Any questions for me? I want to explore this :) I already noticed that there is a bluetooth keyboard and mouse control panel under system preferences. I'm running 10.2.7 (6R55) I've gotten many others to switch, but now I am finally a switcher! What should I do? What do you guys do when you get a new mac?
 
Bother absolutely everyone I know telling them about it and stay up all night. But that's just me. LOL

dh
 
Hey...I am going to buy one too but I need a few questions answered

1: What HD did you get (speed) and is it too slow

2: Does it run hot?

3: Do you think I should wait till 10.3 comes out to get that bundled

4: is DVD burning speed slow

5: if you press the back of the lid, is there marks on the LCD screen

6: Did you stick with 512mb of RAM

thanks!
 
XBench Results

Results 103.72
System Info
Xbench Version 1.1.1
System Version 10.2.7 (6R55)
Physical RAM 512 MB
Model PowerBook5,2
Processor PowerPC G4 @ 1.25 GHz
L1 Cache 32K (instruction), 32K (data)
L2 Cache 512K @ 1.25 GHz
Bus Frequency 167 MHz
Video Card ATY,RV350M10
Drive Type FUJITSU MHT2080AT
CPU Test 149.29
GCD Loop 145.19 5.67 Mops/sec
Floating Point Basic 150.32 543.62 Mflop/sec
AltiVec Basic 150.31 4.37 Gflop/sec
vecLib FFT 150.36 2.33 Gflop/sec
Floating Point Library 150.42 6.02 Mops/sec
Thread Test 79.35
Computation 77.42 619.84 Kops/sec, 4 threads
Lock Contention 81.39 1.02 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads
Memory Test 114.64
System 114.14
Allocate 152.49 102.83 Kalloc/sec
Fill 148.72 1183.85 MB/sec
Copy 76.91 384.53 MB/sec
Stream 115.14
Copy 122.66 896.63 MB/sec [altivec]
Scale 124.70 920.31 MB/sec [altivec]
Add 112.59 720.60 MB/sec [altivec]
Triad 103.24 630.81 MB/sec [altivec]
Quartz Graphics Test 142.37
Line 134.76 3.43 Klines/sec [50% alpha]
Rectangle 125.82 8.85 Krects/sec [50% alpha]
Circle 149.16 3.44 Kcircles/sec [50% alpha]
Bezier 139.13 1.51 Kbeziers/sec [50% alpha]
Text 170.63 2.78 Kchars/sec
OpenGL Graphics Test 99.80
Spinning Squares 99.80 69.84 frames/sec
User Interface Test 129.30
Elements 129.30 41.59 refresh/sec
Disk Test 68.08
Sequential 79.64
Uncached Write 75.11 29.90 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 70.25 27.42 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 123.08 19.48 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 68.72 27.77 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Random 59.45
Uncached Write 68.16 0.97 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 55.22 12.45 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 53.76 0.35 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 62.89 12.94 MB/sec [256K blocks]
 
So 10.2.7 is definitely required for USB 2. All I'd also like to know how hot it gets now, although I'd think that it would only get warm now.

Kudos to Apple. Same day! SAME DAY!!! :)
 
I got the standard hard drive, 80gb, 4200rpm. Seems fine so far.

Heat: Wrist rests don't seem any warmer than room temp. Underside behind the keyboard is a little warm, but not uncomfortable.

Get it now, it rocks :)

Haven't burned any dvd's yet, yet

If you press the back of the lcd there you can't tell by looking at the screen. No marks.

Got standard 512mb ram, fine for now, I'll upgrade later if I feel the need.

Oh, and this keyboard rocks. I love the feel of this powerbook over the old titaniums. Sound seems better too.
 
which harddrive?

Hi, which hd did you get - 4200 or 5400? how about heat and noise? I'd like to get some advice about which drive to get? I don't download a lot of big data files, so I'm wondering if it makes sense to get the slower drive - IF it's quieter and cooler. Hillel
 
Does it have any L3 cache? Is the processor identified as a 7457 or 7447? Can you include a dump from System Profiler (in the /Applications/Utilities folder)?
 
---------------------------------------------------
System Profile
---------------------------------------------------
Software Overview:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| System version : Mac OS X 10.2.7 (6R55) |
| Boot volume : |
| Kernel version : Darwin Kernel Version 6.7: Wed Aug 13 20:21:32 PDT 2003; root:xnu/xnu-344.47.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hardware Overview:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Machine speed : 1.250 Ghz |
| Bus speed : 167 MHz |
| Number of processors : 1 |
| L2 cache size : 512K |
| Machine model : PowerBook5,2 (version = 1.1) |
| Boot ROM info : 4.7.1f1 |
| Customer serial number : V73362WJ-NRZ |
| Sales order number : Not available |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Memory Overview:
Location Type Size
SODIMM0/J25LOWER DDR SDRAM 256 MB
SODIMM1/J25UPPER DDR SDRAM 256 MB
Network Overview:
SLOT-B:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Flags : 0x8863<Up,Broadcast,b6,Running,Simplex,Multicast> |
| Ethernet address : 00.03.93.EF.BF.3B |
| IP : 10.0.1.2 |
| Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0 |
| Broadcast : 10.0.1.255 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Built-in:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Flags : 0x8863<Up,Broadcast,b6,Running,Simplex,Multicast> |
| Ethernet address : 00.0A.95.D7.E3.54 |
| IP : 192.168.1.100 |
| Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0 |
| Broadcast : 192.168.1.255 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
---------------------------------------------------
Devices and Volumes
---------------------------------------------------
PCI:
built-in AGP:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Card Type : ATY,DDParent |
| Card Name : ATY,JasperParent |
| Card Model : ATY,RV350M10 |
| Vendor ID : 1002 |
| Device ID : 4e50 |
| ROM# : 113-xxxxx-117 |
| Revision : 0 |
| Card (Video) Memory : 64 MB |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
SLOT-B:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Card Type : Not available |
| Card Name : pci80211 |
| Card Model : Not available |
| Vendor ID : 14e4 |
| Device ID : 4320 |
| ROM# : Not available |
| Revision : 2 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
PC Card:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Card Type : cardbus |
| Card Name : cardbus |
| Card Model : TXN,PCIXXXX-00 |
| Vendor ID : 104c |
| Device ID : ac56 |
| ROM# : Not available |
| Revision : 0 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
USB Information:
USB Bus 0:
USB Bus 1:
USB Bus 2:
USB Bus 3:
Bluetooth HCI:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Product ID : 33283 ($8203) |
| Vendor ID : 1452 |
| Device Speed : Full |
| Power (mA) : 500 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
FireWire Information:
No FireWire devices found.:
Bus:
CD-RW/DVD-R:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Disc Burning : Fully supported. |
| Unit Number : 0 |
| ATA Device Type : atapi |
| Device Serial : |
| Device Revision : DXJ3 |
| Product Identification : DVD-R UJ-816 |
| Vendor Identification : MAT****A |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Hard Drive:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Disk Size : 74.53 GB (1K = 1024) 81 GB (1K = 1000) |
| Device Serial : NN4CT3812YK5 |
| Unit Number : 0 |
| ATA Device Type : ata |
| Device Model : FUJITSU MHT2080AT |
| Device Revision : 8162 |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Macintosh HD:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Volume Size : 74.52 GB (1K = 1024) 81 GB (1K = 1000) |
| Ejectable : No |
| Writable : Yes |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
I love this this computer! Very quiet under normal conditions, runs dvds really well. Go Apple! Glad to be a switcher.
 
Very jealous.. maybe I should have gone to the Apple Store instead of ordering online?

It's that cursed 1 DIMM of 512 RAM I asked for...

Let's see some pictures and ENJOY!
 
I wonder if the 15" has the same, mid-range enhancing speaker that the 12" PowerBook has...

I'm hoping to maybe get a 15" PowerBook on their next revision. I just got my 12" PowerBook in January, and I love it to death. I just wish I had a bigger screen, but I'm looking into buying a nice digital/analog LCD, such as the Samsung 151T (which they don't make anymore :mad: It was a good display!)

I think I could use a bigger display for my CS classes later on. For now, I love the portability of my 12" PowerBook.
 
I, too, am interested in whether the 5400 rpm hard drive is too hot, or eats up too much batteries. I'm a designer, so I do a lot of graphics heavy work, in which the faster drive would come in handy.

If anyone gets a 5400 rpm drive, let us know how hot it gets!

Alia
 
Re: Just got my 15" Powerbook! Any questions?

Originally posted by Phatpat
I just got home from the Woodfield Apple Store and am now installing software updates on my 15" 1.25ghz Powerbook. I'm a tad bit excited. Any questions for me? I want to explore this :) I already noticed that there is a bluetooth keyboard and mouse control panel under system preferences. I'm running 10.2.7 (6R55) I've gotten many others to switch, but now I am finally a switcher! What should I do? What do you guys do when you get a new mac?
Click to expand...

yeah...please post some pics. Also, what battery life does it have. please be specific on the energy settings (highest performance, or long batery life)

thanks
 
As far as the 3rd speaker, according to the specs page on Apple, it does indeed have the mid-range speaker like the 12". I, too, would like to know how the 5400 RPM disk performs since I also got the upgrade. There seems to be no L3, though, from the specs listed on the page and the system profiler. I do hope you enjoy your PowerBook, I cannot wait for mine next week! The three things I really want to know, though, are how hot it gets after a few hours of use, how often the fan kicks in, and how long your battery lasts (real world and not Apple "ideal"). Besides that, it looks pretty good!
 
I made a special trip today over to the Apple Store in SoHo (NYC), and they didn't have any of the new hardware at all :(

In the end, this was probably best for my bank account.
 
RAM and another issue - touchpad

I'd like to hear a bit more from people who have 1 - 512 Ram and people who have 2. Does this make a big heat difference? I love to keep a lot of applications open, so I was thinking about getting 2 512 Ram.

And a biggie for me - The touchpad. With my G3, the base of my thumb never leans on the touchpad, which is a little depressed from the keyboard. But when I used a friends earlier Titanum 15 inch and also the ibook, my thumb base kept hitting the touchpad and the cursor kept jumping all over the place making typing really a drag. (of course I had the preferences fixed to turn off touchpad sensitity while typing, but that didn't matter.)

Any feedback about the touchpad on the new models would be great!
 
Originally posted by Phatpat
CPU Test 149.29
GCD Loop 145.19 5.67 Mops/sec
Floating Point Basic 150.32 543.62 Mflop/sec
AltiVec Basic 150.31 4.37 Gflop/sec
vecLib FFT 150.36 2.33 Gflop/sec
Floating Point Library 150.42 6.02 Mops/sec
Thread Test 79.35
Computation 77.42 619.84 Kops/sec, 4 threads
Lock Contention 81.39 1.02 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads
Memory Test 114.64
System 114.14
Allocate 152.49 102.83 Kalloc/sec
Fill 148.72 1183.85 MB/sec
Copy 76.91 384.53 MB/sec
Stream 115.14
Copy 122.66 896.63 MB/sec [altivec]
Scale 124.70 920.31 MB/sec [altivec]
Add 112.59 720.60 MB/sec [altivec]
Triad 103.24 630.81 MB/sec [altivec]
Click to expand...

The CPU and memory test look good, especially the CPU, this new improved G4 looks like a strong processor.
 
I have a question now that I think about it...I remember when the 12"/17" PowerBooks came out, there were quite a few defects with the lid not closing flush and battery not sitting flush with the units. How does yours look? Any defects with either yours or the demo units at the store?
 
The battery on the powerbook stays very flush with the bottom of the case. On the 500mhz tibook my dad has the batter would come out easily (too easily), but this one requires a coin/screwdriver to take out, which I prefer. Battery life seems great. Haven't tried watching a dvd, but I've been using safari/itunes/ichat/dreamweaver for about an hour and a half and the battery indicator shows 63% left. The touchpad seems great, I actually like it better than the older ones. Pics will come, but probably not till tomorrow. I'm gonna try this thing out for games now.
 
hey Phatpat!! congrats!!:D when i first got my TiBook i just spent time setting up the partitions and then changing all the icons etc. getting themes and messing with the dock and stuff. but i doubt you'll get sick of the look of OS X, so you shouldn't need the themes until later. ;) :D

and can you test WarCraft III on it? i realy want to see how that runs, as that's the only game i have really played on my TiBook.

it is good that Apple could release it the same day... but it would even have been better if they could do that here in Australia. i was talking to an Apple Store and they said it could be two weeks!!!:eek: i can't wait that long!!:mad: :rolleyes: i wonder if Europe has the same availability problems?:confused:
 
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