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New ibook 14" or pb 15"?

S

Shirley-

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 9, 2005
12
0
Here are the conf:

ibook 14"

• 1GB DDR333 SDRAM (512MB built-in & 512MB SO-DIMM)
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• iWork '05 preinstalled
• Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
• AppleCare Protection Plan for iBook
• 14-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.42GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
• AirPort Extreme built-in
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
total: $1,611

Pb 15"

1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 w/128MB VRAM dual
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• iWork '05 preinstalled
• AppleCare Protection Plan for PowerBook (w/ or w/o Display)
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
• 15.2-inch TFT Display

$2,477

So there is about $850 difference... if the pb is significantly better than 14" ibook than I would prefer the pb.

I am a freshman and I will mostly use the computer for word and internet. I might play games like sims 2 and sacrifice. Would ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 w/ 32MB DDR video memory be enough for games?

I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you
 
The iBook would be adequate, but the PowerBook would be better, if only for the gaming.

However, neither will be great for gaming, so I suppose the iBook is the better value machine and the more sensible purchase. :)
 
i had a 12" ibook back late last year. i sold it so i could buy a 15" powerbook. last week, we added a 12" powerbook.

POWERBOOK!
 
but the ibook has been updated just this week. a few weeks ago I wouldn't even consider an ibook. so I don't think comparing your pb to your one year old ibook is any good. thanks anyways.
 
The biggest thing for me was that the 15" gave you much more screen space. The 14" ibook has same screen real estate as 12" 'books.
 
When I bought my powerbook, I bought it for speed, the video card, and the size. I needed something peppy (and the iBook at the time didn't cut it). I thought that 64 MB of VRAM would last me a year longer (I don't like updating my computers that often). And I needed something portable. So I bought the 12 inch powerbook, used my student discount, and ended up (with AppleCare) at 1700 (including taxes; don't forget that taxes add 50-100 bucks no matter where you are). Had I bought the 15" Powerbook with the exact same processor, it would've cost me an additional $425.

Here's what I think you should do. The difference between the base model 15" and the base model 12" is almost nothing. Slightly better video card, bigger screen, and .17 Ghz. But the price difference is huge. Get the 12" for portability; buy a Decent LCD screen (go nuts and get a 21"; you can afford it now); and revel in the fact that you saved a bunch of money and have a huge desktop now.

(Personally, I would wait for the Powerbooks to get updated first. I think it'll happen in 4-6 weeks, which is worth it IMHO.)
 
I would definitely go iBook, though I think it is lame that the 14" screen is the same resolution as the 12". I think that the Powerbooks are a just a total ripoff for what you get. Just my thoughts :eek:
 
The iBook would be fine for your needs, even though the powerbook would be better. However, I would chose the iBook as you'll be saving a considerable amount of money, and it would be fine for your needs.

::20ROGERSC::
 
powerbook all the way man... while my 14" ibook (1.33GHz model) has served me well i am ready to move on as the powerbook 15" offers a much (MUCH!) better screen with a higher resolution and the overall speed of the machine is far ahead of an iBook. plus the powerbook has 4 times the VRAM
 
I would personally get a iBook for college. Just got my 14" iBook and love it to death.
 
i say ibook. the only difference is a lightly better video card and .14ghz which turst me, isn't much of anything. If you really want to do games then you'll have to ask your self is that tad better video card worth the huge amount extra you'll be paying? You said you only wanted it for word and school and then some games on occasion so you dont sound like a huge gamer fan to me. So I really dont think that you'd even see that much of a difference in what you are wanting to do. GO iBOOK!
 
I agree that the iBook is the way to go. Save your money. Unless of course you are rich and aren't concerned with money, then by all means go for the PowerBook. :D
 
Just think about What the real extras you are getting are, then see if it's worth the extra beans.
EXTRAS WITH PB:
*1" bigger display w/ higher resolution
*Aluminium Design
*Apple logo on the back the right way up, not upside down :D (no really, it's true)
*Backlit Keyboard
*128MB VRAM (4x as much)
*Firewire 800 port (in 15" and 17" models)
*Tee-nee bit more power.

Though your specs you posted you won't get a superdrive.....
PB if you can afford it.. Personally I wouldn't mind a 12", but no firewire 800, and I don't think there is a PCMCIA slot to add one...
 
Thanks guys for the replies. You are really helping me decide:)

I've read that 12" pb has a fan and heat problem. Many people complain that the fan never stops. Also, since this'll be my primary computer, I thought I could use a bigger screen.

I don't really understand the differences in the video memory, so the pb is 4x (128mb) the ibook and has ATI Mobility Radeon 9700, but from what I've read, that's not a huge difference, is that? I can still run Sacrifice and Sims 2, right?

How is the fan and the heat with the ibook?
 
Shirley- said:
Thanks guys for the replies. You are really helping me decide:)

I've read that 12" pb has a fan and heat problem. Many people complain that the fan never stops. Also, since this'll be my primary computer, I thought I could use a bigger screen.

I don't really understand the differences in the video memory, so the pb is 4x (128mb) the ibook and has ATI Mobility Radeon 9700, but from what I've read, that's not a huge difference, is that? I can still run Sacrifice and Sims 2, right?

How is the fan and the heat with the ibook?
Click to expand...

These are all understandable concerns. With my 12" PB, the fan definitely pops on more than I'd like, or used to anyway. I got a stand for the laptop, which keeps it at the same level as my 17" LCD screen (which I bought for 200 bucks) and gives me more desktop space than I could ever have imagined. Now it's as quiet as can be. And again, for the price difference, $425, an extra couple inches didn't seem worth it. But if you get the 15" PB with 128 MB RAM, the price will be $2200 without AppleCare.

What I found out (now that I've had my laptop for about a year now) is that I have over $600 worth of accessories invested here. (Speakers, Printer, Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, Sleeve, Protouch cover, and a hundred bucks of little software apps for ease of use).

My advice again would be to look at the big picture of how much it'll cost to bring your computer to the specs you'll really need, as opposed to what you think. For instance, when I bought the computer originally, I thought that that was it. I made the big purchase and I was all done. Now, a year later, I'm still buying little stuff for it, which when it all adds up, costs a crapload of money, and I'm so grateful for spending so little on the original investment. The 12" will get you the most bang for the buck and if you wait a few weeks, you'll have a top of the line system along with all the crazy accessories without blowing your budget.
 
BlueT said:
...The difference between the base model 15" and the base model 12" is almost nothing...
Click to expand...

Not entirely true. The 15" is upgradeable to 2gigs of ram, 12" only 1.25 gigs. If you go with the 1.67 ghz 15", then you can get 128 video card, 12" max is only 64. PLUS! The 15" you get the cooool backlit keyboard. =) (those 3 alone clinch it for me) :D 15" powerbook for the win!! ;)
 
they say that ibook gets dirty very easily is that correct? also, I've seen isuit for the 12" model, do they have covers for the 14" too? I might use a cover because I've heard that ibooks get scratched very easily...
 
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