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PowerBook buy help.

P

phoneorpda

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 7, 2005
233
2
All around the world.
Hello all,

apologies in advance for creating a new thread about powerbooks, but i need some different opinions on what to do.

I an week i will be leaving for work for an extended period of time around the US and i am stuck with two choices:

keeping my TiBook 1ghz 1gb ram and have it last until next models show up, hopefully by the end of the month.

getting a current powerbook, taking advantage of a discount.

My only concern with the current powerbooks is that they are not much of a speed bump from what i have now.
I have had a chance to try and check the difference with Logic Audio (main program that i use) and yes, the current ones are faster, but not enough for me to spend around 2 Gs on it.

On the other hand, i dont want to spend the next 3 months waiting for something that is not coming anytime soon and being stuck with my current machine, which, still works, but it is starting to limit my workflow.

hope somebody has some constructive advice, cause i am stuck!

thanks,


Roger.
 
Hi phoneorpda,

I would advise waiting till after the upcoming Paris Expo. Even with the absence of a formal keynote, I believe that the new PowerBook G4's will still be released during this time frame. If no new updates after/during the expo, then go for the best PowerBook G4 you can afford- you won't regret it, they are awesome laptops (as you no doubt already now). :)
 
dmw007 said:
Hi phoneorpda,

I would advise waiting till after the upcoming Paris Expo. Even with the absence of a formal keynote, I believe that the new PowerBook G4's will still be released during this time frame. If no new updates after/during the expo, then go for the best PowerBook G4 you can afford- you won't regret it, they are awesome laptops (as you no doubt already now). :)
Click to expand...


Thank you dmw007,

i appreciate your suggestion...that is what i probably will end up doing.

more specifically, is there anyone who could direct me to some benchmarks that include the old 1ghz tibook and the new machines?

or any user experienced on both?


thanks
 
Sounds to me like you already have a great portable
with plenty of life left in it.
If I were you, I'd keep what you have for portable needs and take a hard look at either a well equipped
17" 2.0 Ghz iMac G5 or the 2.3 GHz dual G5 tower.

Either one would give you way more bang for the buck than any single processor G4

You'll be fine for another few weeks till we know what's new at the Paris Expo.

If we see a dual core machine, then it's time to regroup and rethink your options.

Audio requires lots of storage and most of the newer Pro Apps may work O.K. on a G4, but they all recommend at least a Single G5 or better.
 
FFTT said:
Sounds to me like you already have a great portable
with plenty of life left in it.
If I were you, I'd keep what you have for portable needs and take a hard look at either a well equipped
17" 2.0 Ghz iMac G5 or the 2.3 GHz dual G5 tower.

Either one would give you way more bang for the buck than any single processor G4

You'll be fine for another few weeks till we know what's new at the Paris Expo.

If we see a dual core machine, then it's time to regroup and rethink your options.

Audio requires lots of storage and most of the newer Pro Apps may work O.K. on a G4, but they all recommend at least a Single G5 or better.
Click to expand...


FFTT,

I agree...I have been thinking about getting a G5 instead of a new powerbook.

problem is that i will be on the road extensively, and i won't have room for a full blown g5 in my rack(even though i thought about it).

So i guess the best thing to do is to wait and see what happens in paris.


Thanks again.
 
This is really one of those tough calls.

You're the ideal candidate for a dual core PowerBook,
unless you could figure out some clever way to make Logic work with a remote desktop.

If the rumored Freescale dual core is a no show at Paris, then you'll have to either get by till June
or max out a 15" PowerBook, providing you are generating enough business to warrant the expense.

OR......

Since you mentioned a rack, what about an Xserve??
That would sure be a trick setup.

I just don't know how road worthy they are.
 
i'm not sure about this but the guy at an apple center here in antwerp (belgium) said the powerbook is having one update before the intels, which is due for december and would incorporate a speed bump to 1.8 / 2.0 ghz. but again, i don't know why he would know more then any of us - even if they sell apple's.
 
If this helps: I'm getting a 12" (PB) tomorrow. Finally going to an Apple store (Carousel Mall, Syracuse) to get it, after Apple Online told me I couldn't get it charged to 2 credit cards online.

Also getting the Mini. Maybe, we'll see.

To clarify, this means buy now.
 
Upgrade TiBook, or wait, or Mac mini, or iMac?

I have a DJ gig coming up on the 24th and I'm debating on what to do with my TiBook 667 VGA. It was running sluggish on my last gig so I either need to upgrade the HDD and RAM (still has original 30GB HDD and 512MB RAM), wait until Paris and see what they bring out and buy a new one, get a Mac mini and a cheap monitor, or get a 17" iMac G5.

I love my TiBook and it's awesome for regular use but music playback was glitchy and embarrassing. Getting a Mac mini would be okay since I could use it as part of a home theater when I'm not gigging.

Suggestions?
 
If your needs are fully covered by either a mini, iBookG4 or iMac G5,
there's no reason to hold off on your purchase.

If your demands require the better performance of the PowerBooks and PowerMacs, then waiting 2 weeks for Paris Expo is a good idea.

Any improvement in either Power line-up will be gladly received
making the existing models an even better value for those on a budget.
 
Tough call, i'm waiting myself for an update, as far as i can tell, only Steve knows for real when will be updates, it usually takes 2 weeks from his "go" signal to the announcement. First thing you'll notice are shortages in some distribution channels, promotions and rebates, these are usually made public 7-5 days before announcement.

If the powerbooks are updated in the Paris show timeframe, we should hear more rumors and about some shortages by the end of next week, i'm thinking of playing safe and wait till the 28th, if i don't hear anything by then, i'll have to bite the bullet and buy what's available...
 
Ok, I usually don't butt in on other people's threads but I didn't want to start a new one for this question since it kinda fits here. I have a 1GB stick of RAM for a the current line of powerbooks and iBook sitting around (I bought it for use in a powerbook a month ago but I received two defective powerbooks in a row and decided to hold off for awhile). If the powerbooks are updated, I would imagine this ram would no longer be compatible. I would, no doubt, take a loss on the ram as I paid about $100ish dollars for it. Also, Amazon.com has a $125 rebate and no tax on the 12" super powerbooks (down from $150 they offered before). Not paying tax and having the rebate makes the 12" thru amazon $209 less than thru Apple. Even if a new PB does come out and the prices are dropped, will they drop more than $200? I am sure amazon will pull the rebate when the updates come and just drop the price for an instant rebate effect instead.

My question, since I already have the ram and since amazon is offering such a rebate, should I just order from amazon now or should I still wait for the update? Just looking for some opinions. Thanks!
 
Chrispy said:
My question, since I already have the ram and since amazon is offering such a rebate, should I just order from amazon now or should I still wait for the update? Just looking for some opinions. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I think the ram type has remained the same for all AluBooks, so, if the next revision is another G4, your ram should be compatible, and the question about the price, they are hardly going to cost less than now, the point in waiting is for the -possible- HD display or better screen specs, higher hard drive sizes, small speed bumps, dual layer superdrives, perhaps lighted keyboard in the 12 incher, who knows? :) Perhaps we'll get the long-rumored "SJ" Powerbook, which includes a: customized screensaver of Steve with random messages like "get back to work", "boom" and "superhipermazing" and also includes a not-yet-patented RDF device which supposedly gets you trough 100 hour workweeks and which has been mentioned to made the rounds at cupertino... :rolleyes:
 
I'm not so sure your RAM will be compatible if the PBooks are updated one suggestion has been a move to DDR2 RAM.
 
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