Powerbook Questions...

[promot]

Hi all,

This is the first time i've posted although i browse these forums a fair bit, so excuse any error!

I'm thinking about getting a Powerbook but i'm not really sure what to get. My brother used to have one until he broke it and claimed insurance to get a new mbp! His was 12", 1Ghz, 80gb and don't know about RAM. I quite enjoyed using it for word processing and internet, it was fairly quick and never crashed - unlike the PC.

So, a few of questions:

1. Will 1.5ghz be fine for internet, photos, music and word etc or would it be a bit sluggish?

2. Will a larger amount of RAM do a lot for me if the above is all i'm doing?

3. Am i better off getting a 12" or 15" based on the stuff i'll be doing, also does it make much of a difference in its portability?

4. Lastly, how much would you expect to pay for 12"/15", 100GB HD, 1.5 Ghz, 1gb RAM on ebay - just looking around now i saw basically the same specs i've just set out (15") go for £360 which i thought as pretty good.

I'll certainly appreciate any answers, thanks!

 

[corinhorn]

Hi all,

This is the first time i've posted although i browse these forums a fair bit, so excuse any error!

I'm thinking about getting a Powerbook but i'm not really sure what to get. My brother used to have one until he broke it and claimed insurance to get a new mbp! His was 12", 1Ghz, 80gb and don't know about RAM. I quite enjoyed using it for word processing and internet, it was fairly quick and never crashed - unlike the PC.

So, a few of questions:

1. Will 1.5ghz be fine for internet, photos, music and word etc or would it be a bit sluggish?

2. Will a larger amount of RAM do a lot for me if the above is all i'm doing?

3. Am i better off getting a 12" or 15" based on the stuff i'll be doing, also does it make much of a difference in its portability?

4. Lastly, how much would you expect to pay for 12"/15", 100GB HD, 1.5 Ghz, 1gb RAM on ebay - just looking around now i saw basically the same specs i've just set out (15") go for £360 which i thought as pretty good.

I'll certainly appreciate any answers, thanks!

My wife uses my old PowerBook G4 15" with 1Ghz CPU, 1GB of RAM and 60GB HD. She does everything that you want to do and more. It runs a bit slow when doing iPhoto, but it runs smooth. You should be fine as long as the used PB is in good condition.

The more RAM the better. 1GB will get you by, but more will get you by faster.

As far as what screen size to get, its mainly your personal preference. I prefer a smaller laptop since they are generally lighter, have a smaller footprint, and you generally get a longer battery life with each charge. The 12" PB is a bit thicker than a 15" PB. A larger screen may be better for photo editing, but a 12" may be fine for your needs.

I'm not sure about the prices, but the price that you quoted seems reasonable to me.

 

[soberbrain]

I still use my almost 5-year old 15" PowerBook G4 1.25 GHz 1.5 GB RAM. It does all the needs you mentioned. The extra RAM definitely made it zippier.

I find the 15" to be the best of both worlds regarding screen size and portability.

The price looks good. According to everymac.com (I used google for currency conversion) a 1.0 GHz 12" / 15" should be about £400 - £450.

Just make sure to buy from a reliable source.