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

older powerbook scheme..

J

justinshiding

macrumors member
Original poster
Hi all,

I've been looking into getting a powerbook for some time, but I'm playing the "wait for an update" game. In the meantime I found an older powerbook 15in (g4 500mhz , 512 mb ram , airport, 20 gig hard drive etc) for fairly cheap. I'm thinking of picking this up and using it as a test drive to see how things go. Then once they update the line I'll pick up a new one and give the older unit to my sister who is going off to college next year...

anyways...what I was wondering was...

will this computer be suitable for just normal usage (mail , itunes, general internet browsing) ? Currrently I'm used to using my good old athlon 700/384 mb ram so I'm not exactly used to a super fast machine...but on the other hand I wouldnt want a machine that's always lagging..

since it has 8/16 (not sure which) mb of vram....how will the expose effects look ? will they run choppy ...or at all ?

I wasnt even looking into getting a 15 inch...but it's around 300us...which seems good for those titanium books which are megaoverpriced...What i was looking into was a new 12in, but ...ehh...

Well anyways enough rambling...any thoughts on my little scheme or faults in my logic ?

Thanks for the advice, 🙂

Justin
 
Get that computer, you'll be happy that you did. I gave one just exactly like that to my nephew last year, which he used for his senior year at Michigan and is now using for grad school up in Boston. He does the same things that you do, plus uses some playwriting/screen writing software for it. He loves it and it does everything that he wants it to do for him except for play games, but he has a console for that. For what you describe, this machine will be a good investment at a good price. If that is really all you'll do with it, you might want to just upgrade the hard drive in it and continue to use it for a while. That way you'll have room for photos and iTunes 😉 Get it, you'll enjoy it...I miss mine. The only thing to be aware of is that the paint will sometimes flake off. Big problem on these old models. Sometimes the hinges have to be replaced as well. Just so you know. But it is still a wonderful machine. Good luck.
 
lovely. thanks much for your advice ... I'm going to get it (assuming my friend hadn't sold it already). I have this problem where I just kind of sit around trying to decide on something, and then by the time I do ...it's gone.

thanks again

Justin
 
Yeah that system will last you for some time. I use a very similar setup and it gets the job done. As long as it is not a G3 it seems to fast enough for me to get your things done (iTunes, email, web surfing...).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back