Need Your Opinion, An iMac G5 for a PowerBook G4?

[FF_productions]

Hey guys, I need yet another opinion.

I've been given an offer to trade
my iMac G5:
1.8 Ghz
1 gig of ram
80 gig drive
64 mb's graphics
superdrive
tiger
17 inch
rev a

FOR
a PowerBook G4
1.33 Ghz
15 inch
1.5 gigs of ram
64 mb's graphics
combo drive
tiger
Airport Express MIGHT be included

What do you guys think? I know I'm going to lose some speed but is it worth it? I would like to have a portable to run apps like FCP and Photoshop but I am NOT willing to go INTEL.

Thanks everyone

 

[DeSnousa]

If you need the portability like you said, I would then go for the PowerBook. It may be a bit slow for editing, but if it is faster than your previous system on which you have survived, than the PB should be fine

If not go for the G5's power

Edit: Need to read carefully, sorry. Yeah by all means the PB seems like a fair trade and if you need the portability it's a bonus

 

[Littleodie914]

Howdy. To be totally honest, that doesn't sound like a really bad deal. Sure you're dropping speed and a processor generation, and a lot of people are probably going to give you grief on that, but you're upgrading a few things as well... You're getting more RAM, which should help a lot with your Pro work you do (I'm assuming that's why you're not going Intel?), and you're also getting portability, which is often more important than sheer processor specs.

I guess if you do make the switch, a couple things to look out for are (1) the battery life of the PB, and whether or not it's bad enough to purchase a new battery from Apple, and (2) whether you need that superdrive. If you don't already have an external DVD burner (or if you just never need one) then I wouldn't worry about it, but if you're big into the video thing, it's definitely something to think about.

Hope this helped.

 

[FF_productions]

Thanks so far for all the opinions. The PB was apparently in the office and never left that office so I would imagine the battery is in really good shape. I may invest in a superdrive sooner or later.

And Yes, I've been through SLOW before, I used a G3 PowerMac to run FCP, one of the most painful experiences I've ever been through.

 

[mac000]

dude are you kidding me??

if ANYTHING, keeep your iMacG5.

If u can make some move sell that ish and pick up a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.

Or you could be like me and sell that and get an intel iMac. ( You'd be surprised how much u could really get if you sell overseas, YEA really, i think i sold my ibook for more than i bought it for) get with the times kid.

best option if anything: macbookpro/macbook + external display + external harddrive / mouse&keyboard.

DEF. NO G4 . NOOOOO G4, ish is outdated man, not matter what

 

[mac000]

one more time no no no no no, sell and upgrade, MOVE WITH THE TIMES,

move on, and continue on man, best advice you could ever get.

 

[FF_productions]

I'm not willing to go Intel yet...

 

[dmw007]

Since you seem to want to go the mobile route, I say trade your iMac G5 for the 1.33GHz PowerBook G4.

 

[mac000]

Since you seem to want to go the mobile route, I say trade your iMac G5 for the 1.33GHz PowerBook G4.

NO WAY, my intel smokes G4's even if Rosetta.

Ok kid your call, pick Five Year Olds Cousin's Technology.

Keep an open mind.

 

[T-Stex]

dude are you kidding me??

if ANYTHING, keeep your iMacG5.

If u can make some move sell that ish and pick up a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.

Or you could be like me and sell that and get an intel iMac. ( You'd be surprised how much u could really get if you sell overseas, YEA really, i think i sold my ibook for more than i bought it for) get with the times kid.

best option if anything: macbookpro/macbook + external display + external harddrive / mouse&keyboard.

DEF. NO G4 . NOOOOO G4, ish is outdated man, not matter what

I am NOT willing to go INTEL.

Those two don't exactly go together...

For some people, the G4 processor is a good option. In this case, I'd also go with the PowerBook. I love having the portability of a laptop, and am perfectly happy sacrificing some speed for it. The G4 will serve your needs, and I think you'll be happy with the switch.

 

[iShane]

If I were you I would go with the PowerBook G4. I mean iMac G5 I love you and you're amazing but portabilty is awesome. Especially since you're getting [almost] the same power.

 

[T-Stex]

NO WAY, my intel smokes G4's even if Rosetta.

Ok kid your call, pick Five Year Olds Cousin's Technology.

Keep an open mind.

The OP clearly states that he is not willing to go for an Intel chip. While the new Intel computers may be faster, the OP may not be in a position to get one. It's unnecessary to pressure the OP to go for an Intel based Mac, even if they do perform better.

 

[dmw007]

NO WAY, my intel smokes G4's even if Rosetta.

Ok kid your call, pick Five Year Olds Cousin's Technology.

Keep an open mind.

Personally, I went the intel route (I traded my iBook G4 for a MacBook Pro), but since the OP does not want to go intel yet and wants a laptop, then it has to be a G4.

 

[FF_productions]

Thank you Dmw007, I'm not yet willing to go with intel. If I ever go Intel, it may be a year or 2 from now.

 

[dmw007]

Thank you Dmw007, I'm not yet willing to go with intel. If I ever go Intel, it may be a year or 2 from now.

No problem and I understand your choice not to go intel just yet. I am sure that you would be quite content if you do indeed decide to go with the PowerBook G4.

 

[9Charms]

I have a powerbook 12" 1.33 GHz, 1.25 GB RAM, 80GB 7200RPM HD, and Photoshop CS2 just sucks on it. I'm just touching up/colour correcting 3 megapixel photos, too. (3 MB files). Adobe Bridge is totally unnavigatable (spell?). I have no experience with FCP. My Quicksilver dual 1gig does just fine with everything, and we all know that a single 1.8 G5 is faster than a dual 1gig G4... so if you want to maintain your sanity, stick with the iMac G5.

Also, if the powerbook never left the office, most likely it was plugged in all the time, which means the battery is probably fried, dead, or mostly dead... do some testing first if you still really want to go that route.

 

[Planner Dude]

if you need poratability..do it...if not keep the G5

if you wait a while maybe the powerbooks will come down in price, b/c of the intel vesions

 

[plarusa]

NO WAY, my intel smokes G4's even if Rosetta.

That is not true, the Macbook running Rosetta is slower than the latest PB. If you plan on running programs in emulation mode, stick with the PB.

 

[danny_w]

I have a 15" 1.5GHz PB and a 17" Rev B iMac. The iMac is somewhat faster, but I love the PB in every respect, and is only slightly faster than the one you are contemplating. If I had to choose just one, I would go with the PB. However, as others have said, I would check the battery. I lucked out and was covered by the battery recall, so Apple gave me a brand new battery when I bought the PB used. If you can, check the serial # and see if it qualifies.

EDIT: Another thing to check on the 15" PB is the lower memory slot. Quite a few machines apparently are affected, as was mine when I bought it, but I knew that mine qualified for a free repair (only a narrow range of sn's qualify). If mine ever goes out again I will just get a 1GB memory for the upper lost and forget about it.

 

[FF_productions]

UPDATE

Well I guess the person offering the PB has decided to pass on the offer. He may still think about it but I doubt he is willing to trade anymore.

So, I guess I'm going to keep this iMac G5 and just wait for offers if any come along soon. I need to make movies this summer and I can't be looking for a computer to edit my videos all summer, so I'll stick with my speedy All-in-one for now.