New 15" PB or used 17" PB?

[NewSc2]

I'm placing an order for a 15" Powerbook 1.67ghz, Superdrive, and 128mb of VRAM. I get the educational discount, so the total with $100 rebate comes out to about $2200 after tax.

I was at the Apple Store, though, and the 17" really caught my eye.

I found a used, 3 month old, 17" powerbook 1.67ghz locally, for about $2050, with superdrive, 128mb of vram, and 1gb DDR (1 stick). Also comes with sleeve and extra battery.

They're basically the same model, but the 17" is cheaper, has more memory and hard drive space, and comes with an extra battery. Am I going to find the 17" too bulky? I want to do a lot of live music, so I think the 17" would be easier on the eyes and be easier to work with, but would it look funny in Starbucks or Barnes and Noble (too big?)

Thanks

 

[Piarco]

Personally I think the 17" is frickin' huge in mobile use. But it on a desk, and its a great desktop replacement though - the trade off is the portability. The 17" was never an option to me because of the size, and I've gone from the 12" to the 15" and even then when I've got it on my lap browsing on the sofa, or in Starbucks, it feels significantly larger than the 12". So I still handker after the 12" at times!

If you're going mobile a lot then the 17" isn't really an option, but if you use it in only two locations and transport between them it becomes an option.
I went to an Apple store to actually get a feel how much heavier the 15" was to the 12" - may be an option for you.

Saying all that though, the 17" sounds a bit of a bargin! Have a go on both an make your decision from there....

 

[JzzTrump22]

Get the 17", if you find it doesn't suit you, sell it for money money then you paid for it, then buy the 15. You'll actually make money in the end.

 

[mariahlullaby]

15" new all the way. The 17" is just way too big in my opinion, while the 15" is perfect.

 

[mad jew]

15 inch is the sweet spot of the PowerBook range in my worthless opinion (IMWO?).

 

[witness]

I find my 17" very portable, it is the thinnest of the PowerBook range and will easily fit in any backpack.

When I purchased I found it hard to decide between the 15 and 17, but I'm glad I went for the 17".

Still the 15" is a good size and a few grams lighter and the spec is almost the same (you could upgrade it and it would be identical except for the screen size).

 

[NewSc2]

Gee, thanks guys I'm ripping my hair out trying to decide which one and the comments are split 15" and 17".

I think I will go for the cheaper 17", because money's always good, but... I want a laptop for mobile use. ahhhhHHH...

 

[davidanderson1]

I bought the exact same 15" you are looking at (1.67, 128VRAM, 80GB, SuperDrive), except I got the 1GB of RAM built to order. However, the price on that 17" is incredibly good and it's only three months old. Go with the 17", not only because it is cheaper but because of the extra RAM; you can deal with the portability issues. I'm astonished you found that 17" at that price - great value.

 

[tekno_geek911]

17" all the way!