Just received my 15" PowerBook

[MacRy]

Took delivery today of my new 15" 1.5GHz PowerBook with 1Gb of RAM and a 100Gb HDD. I am so excited about it I may actually have a pant accident

In case anyone cares or is interested then here are my initial thoughts:

1. Damn it gets hot! Really, really hot! I'm sitting at home with it on my lap and it has got so hot that it has burned my bare legs (i'm not naked and looking at 'adult' websites I promise....i'm wearing shorts). I've popped a magazine under it to stop the flesh peeling off of me.

2. Damn it's fast! Probably more noticeable because i've come from an 800Mhz G4 iBook with 768Mb RAM but it really does fly. It has given OSX a new lease of life. It feels really snappy and responsive now.

3. Damn it looks good! Bit of a shocker going from a 12" to a 15" widescreen because it is soooo much bigger but it does look really sleek and expensive. Very sexy looking.

4. Love the scrolling trackpad thing.

5. Love the screen dimming thing (haven't locked myself in a dark cupboard to try out the illuminated keys yet but i'm sure they're great too).

6. I get the ripple effect!! YAY! Pointless but very cool.

7. Great keyboard. Really solid and responsive. It's taking a while to get used to though because I expect the keys that i'm hitting to be at the edge of the laptop as they were on my iBook so excuse any spelling errors.

I can't think of what else tickles my funny bits right now so i'll stop gushing about how great it is and get on and use it

I am a very very happy chappy indeed today

 

[berkleeboy210]

Took delivery today of my new 15" 1.5GHz PowerBook with 1Gb of RAM and a 100Gb HDD. I am so excited about it I may actually have a pant accident

In case anyone cares or is interested then here are my initial thoughts:

1. Damn it gets hot! Really, really hot! I'm sitting at home with it on my lap and it has got so hot that it has burned my bare legs (i'm not naked and looking at 'adult' websites I promise....i'm wearing shorts). I've popped a magazine under it to stop the flesh peeling off of me.

2. Damn it's fast! Probably more noticeable because i've come from an 800Mhz G4 iBook with 768Mb RAM but it really does fly. It has given OSX a new lease of life. It feels really snappy and responsive now.

3. Damn it looks good! Bit of a shocker going from a 12" to a 15" widescreen because it is soooo much bigger but it does look really sleek and expensive. Very sexy looking.

4. Love the scrolling trackpad thing.

5. Love the screen dimming thing (haven't locked myself in a dark cupboard to try out the illuminated keys yet but i'm sure they're great too).

6. I get the ripple effect!! YAY! Pointless but very cool.

7. Great keyboard. Really solid and responsive. It's taking a while to get used to though because I expect the keys that i'm hitting to be at the edge of the laptop as they were on my iBook so excuse any spelling errors.

I can't think of what else tickles my funny bits right now so i'll stop gushing about how great it is and get on and use it

I am a very very happy chappy indeed today

Congrats, You'll love it! I have the 1.67ghz Version and it's great. Enjoy every minute w/ the PB.

 

[mad jew]

Very nice set up. I'm jealous. As a current iBook G4 user (800MHz at that ) can I ask how you got 768MB of RAM in there?

It's interesting that it's so much faster than the iBook. I reckon I might have to upgrade mine soon. Sure, I've got an iMac for raw power stuff, but it'd be nice to have a bit more urge on the go. Thanks for the advice.

 

[MacRy]

Very nice set up. I'm jealous. As a current iBook G4 user (800MHz at that ) can I ask how you got 768MB of RAM in there?

It's interesting that it's so much faster than the iBook. I reckon I might have to upgrade mine soon. Sure, I've got an iMac for raw power stuff, but it'd be nice to have a bit more urge on the go. Thanks for the advice.

The iBook came with 256Mb and I added a 512Mb stick in when I brought it.

It really is a lot faster. I can thoroughly recommend upgrading if you can afford it. I was actually shocked at how much faster it was.

I was also particularly impressed with the setup process as I have never done the 'transfer files from an existing Mac' option before. How much easier does that make things! Stuck the firewire cable in to both laptops and it set everything up for me. No need to go mucking around with settings and the like. It's all as I had it on my iBook. Fantastic!

 

[MacRy]

Congrats, You'll love it! I have the 1.67ghz Version and it's great. Enjoy every minute w/ the PB.

Cheers dude, I will

Couldn't persuade my boss to spring for the 1.6Ghz version but this is fast enough for me.

 

[mad jew]

The iBook came with 256Mb and I added a 512Mb stick in when I brought it.

No fair. Mine came with 128MB soldered on and another 128MB that I replaced with a 512MB stick for a 640MB total. Meh.

I'll replace this with another iBook though since it's just got to match the iMac.

 

[MacRy]

No fair. Mine came with 128MB soldered on and another 128MB that I replaced with a 512MB stick for a 640MB total. Meh.

You know what dude mine might have been like that too. It must have been. I feel bad now....i've only had my new PowerBook for four hours and i've forgotten about poor little Carl already. Erm....yes....I named my iBook Carl. I think that you're right though.

I'll replace this with another iBook though since it's just got to match the iMac.

Mad Jew the aesthete

 

[mad jew]

Oooh! I learnt a new word. Thank you.






Umm... It was "aesthete" by the way, not Carl.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Oh, I know the feeling, as I just got my brand new iBook!

It'll serve you for years to come, I'd recommend that you get a fan cooler for the PowerBook if your legs are getting burnt!

 

[wPod]

3. Damn it looks good! Bit of a shocker going from a 12" to a 15" widescreen because it is soooo much bigger but it does look really sleek and expensive. Very sexy looking.

What do you think of the portability in going from the 12 to 15? i have a 12" pb at 867 and only 32mb vram (no ripple effect :-( ) and was thinking about upgrading to a 15" just so i could have a more powerful machine (that and gigahertz ethernet, and backlit keyboard) but yeah, is it heavier in a bad way? or manageble in the size difference? just cruious of what you think.

 

[MacRy]

What do you think of the portability in going from the 12 to 15? i have a 12" pb at 867 and only 32mb vram (no ripple effect :-( ) and was thinking about upgrading to a 15" just so i could have a more powerful machine (that and gigahertz ethernet, and backlit keyboard) but yeah, is it heavier in a bad way? or manageble in the size difference? just cruious of what you think.

It is a bit of a monster compared to the 12" I have to admit. But for the extra power and screen size it's well worth it. It doesn't feel that much heavier. The extra features are nice though. Apart from the really annoying extra feature that I have just discovered that i'm sure isn't listed on Apple's website....that being that my backspace key appears to delete two characters at a time rather than just one. Not if I hit the edge of the key though...just directly in the middle where I always hit it. Brilliant! Four hours old and a fault already

 

[tekmoe]

i own a 15" and my gf's 12"...the size difference really is amazing. the 12" feels like a little baby powerbook compared to the 15" acting as a big brother of some sort. after i've used the 12" and i move to the 15", the screen just makes me wet! it is simply awesome.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

. Damn it gets hot! Really, really hot! I'm sitting at home with it on my lap and it has got so hot that it has burned my bare legs (i'm not naked and looking at 'adult' websites I promise....i'm wearing shorts). I've popped a magazine under it to stop the flesh peeling off of me.

I really wish there was a way to get the fans to kick in at a lower temperature. Currently, they turn on at 145F (IIRC). However, my computer runs (with no real effort) at 138F. So it's always just below the fan temp, thus, they never turn on, and it never cools down. That is the only thing that I dislike about my PB, I really wish I could change that.

 

[Astral Cars]

Hey, I just recently got a 15" PB too, I love it. I have a bit of a question on the temperature though. Is there anything I can get to give me an accurate temperature either on my menubar or as a widget? So far everything I've tried only gives me the temp from when the computer started which is quite useless. Even refreshing the widgets doesn't do it. Is this just how it is on PBs? I would like to have a way to watch my temp.

 

[tekmoe]

astral, it seems like any of the rev d 15" powerbooks have this problem. probably 17" too. BUT, the 12" does NOT have this problem. i know because my gf has one and i play with temperox all the time. the temperature is always going up and down depending on what i am doing with it.

 

[tchorta]

Hey, sweet set up you got yourself. I have a rev D 12" SD w/1.25 RAM. I feel you pain as it were on the heat issue, hot, hot, hot, I have and iLap to solve this problem, I dunno if you have seen them or not but they are worth every penny IMHO. Here is the site: http://www.raindesigninc.com/ Enjoy you PB!

 

[MacRy]

Hey, sweet set up you got yourself. I have a rev D 12" SD w/1.25 RAM. I feel you pain as it were on the heat issue, hot, hot, hot, I have and iLap to solve this problem, I dunno if you have seen them or not but they are worth every penny IMHO. Here is the site: http://www.raindesigninc.com/ Enjoy you PB!

That iLap would be great were it not for the fact that it would cost me $115.00 (including shipping and tax) to get it to me in the UK. I think that a couple of magazines under it will do the job a little cheaper

 

[zelmo]

That iLap would be great were it not for the fact that it would cost me $115.00 (including shipping and tax) to get it to me in the UK. I think that a couple of magazines under it will do the job a little cheaper

Well, do yourself a favour and find something to prop up the back end of the PB a little, just so you generate a little airflow under that baby. Makes a big difference.

Enjoy. I love my 15" 1.33GHz PB, even though it's not the fastest horse in the stable anymore.

 

[wrxguy]

congrats my friend...i have a 15" PB also and it is glory...for a few bucks you can get a little thing by a company called Targus that not only lifts up the back of your laptop it has 2 fans on it that cool it down DRAMATICALLY! it is inexpensive, very light, and uses usb so there are no power adapters to lug around...you can find it at any best buy, circuit city etc...its pretty cool...I personally am gettin an iCurve and bluetooth keyboard but my dad uses the targus thing and i have used it and it works great...enjoy the PB its a great machine!

 

[MacRy]

Thanks for the advice guys. I am really enjoying my new PowerBook - so fast it's fantastic. I have come up with a little solution for the leg burns - I recently brought a Tucano second skin for transporting it around in and it works fairly well as a lap protector too

 

[macmick]

Temperature monitor

Astral cars, you can try software called Temperature Monitor.
It provides realtime display of temperature values and can even plot it for you on chart.

 

[Cloudgazer]

Astral cars, you can try software called Temperature Monitor.
It provides realtime display of temperature values and can even plot it for you on chart.

Temperature Monitor will only take the temp at startup, and will not refresh.
i tried yesterday.
apparently its a powerbook thing.

 

[Mord]

No fair. Mine came with 128MB soldered on and another 128MB that I replaced with a 512MB stick for a 640MB total. Meh.

I'll replace this with another iBook though since it's just got to match the iMac.

you know you can put a 1GB stick in their right? i put one in my sisters 800MHz ibook a couple of months ago.

 

[xFU3Lx]

Awesome man. I've got just about the same setup as you, except the 80 gb HD. I just upgraded to 1 gb of RAM the other day, makes a hell of alot of difference.

 

[macmick]

I have a rev B powerbook and temperature monitor definitely works in realtime, the temperature goes up or down depending on what is happening at the time. Are you saying that the rev D powerbooks are somehow incompatible? Strange, but not unbelievable.