Powerbook 12" 1.33 Quandary

[GlynJones]

Hi all,
I have a Powerbook 12" 1.33 with 768mb memory 60gig HD and the Combo optical drive. It has served me very well but I have a problem.

The problem I have is that I've run out of space on the drive and the memory could do with a bit more poke. I was thinking of replacing the drive with a 160gig drive and upping the memory to 1.25gig. This would cost me about £125 but I am wondering if this is false economy.

The problem is that Apple no longer does an ultra portable machine in the Pro range. I could get a refurbed machine for about £900 - £1100 depending on the model I chose but is too big for me. The Macbooks I don't really like as I’d rather not have a plastic laptop even though they are very good machines.

The question is what should I do. My Powerbook is in mint condition and I could get £400 for it on eBay but is this still a very capable machine? I have an iMac 24" at home and the Powerbook is mainly used when I'm away for iTunes, Movies, surfing and checking e-mails and the odd game of "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". Would rather play WOW but don't think it would have enough poke in the graphics department.

Am I best to bite the bullet and get a Macbook Pro or a Macbook or would upgrading the Powerbook be a good solution?

Thanks for any replies received.

Glyn.

 

[xUKHCx]

Why do you need to upgrade the harddrive as this is only really a secondary machine you could delete some stuff to free up the space.

For your uses a MBP would be overkill except maybe WoW.

I think that machine still has a good year if not more for the uses you are describing.

If you spend that £125 now it will translate to about £50 extra resale value if not more. I'd keep the powerbook. The step up in size to the MBP is huge, you won't want to travel around with it as much as your tiny powerbook.

 

[TDM21]

I have the same model PowerBook except I chose to upgrade the hard drive to 80GB and 5400RPM. For 3 years my laptop has served as my main computer at college and I have had no problems with it. I say upgrade the machine and get a few more years out of it. A faster spinning hard drive will really help make your machine feel new (the 60GB is only 4200RPM).

Final note, I have played WOW on my PowerBook and it does run reasonable well. Out in the world I usually get 15-18 FPS, which is playable. The main issue you will have is if you are in a really busy place, Ironforge for example. The frame rates drop dramatically as the area you are in gets more crowded. Don't expect to do a 40 man raid, but anything else is fine.

 

[GlynJones]

After having a look at a Blackbook in PC World yesterday and thought it didn't look half bad a Core 2 Duo Blackbook appeared on the refurb section of the Apple Store for £756 and thought what the heck and bought on.

It will be more powerful than what I've got. More disk space with easy upgrade and compared to upgrading the PowerBook with the sale of it on eBay should hopefully only cost £200 more.

 

[cluthz]

WoW runs decent on a PBG4, areans and 5 man instances is running good, AV and SSC is horrible.

 

[vicious7]

I think I'll check out ebay for a PB 12" now I love that machine. A friend of mine has one and I lust after it every time I see it. It is so compact.

One thing I did notice, though. When I heft it, it (subjectively) seems to weigh a bit more than my MBP? Go figure.

 

[lord patton]

i have a 12" 1.5 GHz, and I'd also love to upgrade it. Specifically:

768 MB => 1.25
60 gig => 100 or more
10.3 => 10.5 (in October, obviously)
iLife '05 => iLife '08

But that's really adding up, and I haven't even gotten a new battery, and I'm stuck with a dim screen.

So I'd love to do it, 'cause the 12" is just that sexy, but I'll wait and get something new early next year.

 

[RonJ83]

i love my 12in pb. luckily i dont really do anything on it other than surf the web and check email. i recently got a macbook and sold it only a few weeks in becuase i didnt like the size of it. the 12 is beyond perfect in my opinion. it lets me get what i need done at the same time its small and compact. i would say upgrade it, i dont know how to upgrade the harddrive or id do it, other than that memory is fairly cheap to get and does give you a nice boost.