Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

lh5w

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 11, 2008
3
0
I'm in the market for a first time Mac laptop (see thread in buying help discussion) and was looking on Ebay. I found the old school iBook, the colored ones and saw they start at $50 and some go for $200. I also saw some that were less than 1 ghz for $500. Why do the archaic computers go for so much? Is a Mac 300 mhz faster than a pc 300 mhz? I'm really confused.
 
Ah, the Megaherz Myth. Yes, PowerPC processors were faster in practice and real-life than old Intel processors.

Macs retain their value because:

1. They fricking rock.
2. Their prices are never lowered during the line's run.
3. They LAST longer than "comparably" speced PCs.
 
To give you an idea...

I have a 4 year old Powerbook, 1.5ghz 15" screen, maxed out at 2gb of RAM

It runs the LATEST SOFTWARE from just about every vendor who matters and I have zero issues.

I know it's not as speedy as the new intel machines, but PPC processors were awesome IMO.

You would also be ill advised to not get a "pro level" computer or some sort if you are buying used that are of the older PPC architecture. The components used in the pro level machines are of a better quality and will last longer...I strongly believe this is the reason why my Powerbook still runs as good as it does...most people i know who have a Macbook of the same vintage have had significantly more problems than I have.

I have also been told by a guy who runs a local Mac shop that's been open for about 15 years that the components are of a higher quality and there's more attention to detail in the pro machines. So again, adding up to a longer lasting machine.

You can score a used Powerbook for 400.00-650.00... then again, save up another 4-500 and you can buy a new macbook that will kick the ass off a Powerbook in terms of speed.

my .02.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.