I am buy a powerbook no matter what but I am having trouble deciding whether to get the 5400 or 4200, money is not a problem either way. I need the computer to last for as long as possible, but I also would like the battery to last for as long as possible. I dont know if the scrafice in battery life is worth additional longevity in its lifespan. To complicate things, I need the computer delivered by October 9th at the latest, so I do not know if I should just order it with the 5400 now, or wait till more information about models with the 5400 are released. What do you think I should do?
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Should I buy a powerbook with 4200 HD now, or wait for more info on the 5400?
- Thread starter maise
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I would say go with the 4200 rpm, take that extra you save, add a few bucks and get a good external firewire drive. They are faster, larger, more flexible, and just generally kick butt.
This was discussed in another thread. Sorry no link. The best guess seemed to be it was a fairly nice IBM unit but no one knew for sure.
As for best upgrade option the general concensus was as hugemullen said get a really good drive if you need the speed and put it in a fw800 enclosure or swap them and put old drive on firewire.
As for best upgrade option the general concensus was as hugemullen said get a really good drive if you need the speed and put it in a fw800 enclosure or swap them and put old drive on firewire.
4200 is good enough for me. Why?
1) It's got an 8 Meg cache (really nice)
2) It's cheaper
3) It's huge
4) It's got the answer to life, the universe, and everything in it's first two digits. How perfect!
I wouldn't sweat it too much, but hey, if you're not in a hurry to get the PowerBook, then wait a week. Most BTO models will be out of Apple's doors by Tuesday, so we'll be getting benchmarks up the wazoo this weekend. If you're in desperate need of a laptop, get the 4200. I don't think the difference is that noticable... Somewhere on MacNN there was an indepth comparison between the two drives, and the 5400 drained a lot more power and didn't transfer files much faster.
1) It's got an 8 Meg cache (really nice)
2) It's cheaper
3) It's huge
4) It's got the answer to life, the universe, and everything in it's first two digits. How perfect!
I wouldn't sweat it too much, but hey, if you're not in a hurry to get the PowerBook, then wait a week. Most BTO models will be out of Apple's doors by Tuesday, so we'll be getting benchmarks up the wazoo this weekend. If you're in desperate need of a laptop, get the 4200. I don't think the difference is that noticable... Somewhere on MacNN there was an indepth comparison between the two drives, and the 5400 drained a lot more power and didn't transfer files much faster.
Accelerate Your Mac has comparisons on the 4200, 5400. and 7200 drives. If speed is important, get a 7200. If battery life is, get the 4200 (and an extra battery). The 5400 is a little faster for a lot less battery life. So ultimately... it's up to you.
The external 7200 drive is the best idea, but then you have to drag it around and plug it in.
The external 7200 drive is the best idea, but then you have to drag it around and plug it in.