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

URGENT ADVISE PLEASE

M

marknicholls

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 7, 2004
415
0
Bristol, England
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5115644485&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT


Guys, is this laptop to slow? it looks a good deal to me (and i live in the same area as the seller so wont be ripped of as can collect)

is 500mhz to slow? im not a power user, just internet use, email and music, and photo's.....get back to me quick.....if i need to bid!!!!!

PS this is airport not airport extreme.....at home i have a wifi, this will still be compataible for wireless networking right? is the only different the speed? cause i dont need 54mps anyway.....11mbps is fine, and distance i only need about 15 meters..... get back to me asap!!!
 
Hell I use a 500MHz G4 for Photoshop (and really huge files, like, 260+MB), iTunes, audio conversions, a littlework in Quicktime Pro, audio editing, and then the basic text/email/etc., with 1GB of RAM, and it works fine. It'll work finr for you too. Bid!

NOTE: He's selling a 400MHz Powerbook, not a 500MHz Powerboook.
 
I'm typing this reply on a 1999 400Mhz G3 Lombard PB with 320MB of RAM. It runs Panther just fine and does all the stuff you mentioned. So, I'm pretty sure a faster, G4-chipped PB with more RAM will be just fine!

And, yes, the Airport card should work fine.
 
jsw said:
I'm typing this reply on a 1999 400Mhz G3 Lombard PB with 320MB of RAM. It runs Panther just fine and does all the stuff you mentioned. So, I'm pretty sure a faster, G4-chipped PB with more RAM will be just fine!

And, yes, the Airport card should work fine.
Click to expand...

But at that price I don't think it's worth it. You could get an iBook for double power but not double the price.
 
but not a widescreen 15" for that money? i thought it looked like a bargain.....what do you other guys think??

and how is the rangs on airport standard?

Thanks
 
If said product is cheaper than anything offered by Apple currently, then do it.

If say an iBook is same amount and better, I would get that.

As for the power issue, do not worry about it. Unless you plan on doing real time video editing on it, 400mhz G4 should be just fine. I am currently typing on a G3 600mhz iBook with 256 meg RAM with Panther on it. Runs just fine. Granted a little slow...

Mike

+EDIT+ Of course, 15" screens are pretty nice.
 
According to a copy of MacAddict, and according to my father, the first Airport model gets better reception than the Airport Extreme model.
 
the firewire on that G4, is that the same firewire as the ipods?

sorry im asking silly questions.....but i dont have tome to research as im no the verge of bidding, and the seller isnt answering my emails....think he is in bed!
 
marknicholls said:
but not a widescreen 15" for that money? i thought it looked like a bargain.....what do you other guys think??

and how is the rangs on airport standard?

Thanks
Click to expand...


Well, it would cost about 815 GBP for a 14" iBook with 512 MB of RAM and the Airport extreme, so you're talking about a 25% premium for the new device.

About all I can see getting for that premium is the faster processor. If you don't need it, then don't worry about it.

Not sure the 15" widescreen is all that much better - trying to remember if the older generation 15" did better than 1024x768 (which is what you get on the 14" iBook).

Range with the airport (which I have on my 1GHz 15") is pretty good - I can see my wireless router within about 100 ft through my house.
 
I just sold that same spec machine on Ebay.

its a solid machine that ran OS X, Adobe CS and others fine. It was no speed demon, but it was very usable.

About the only thing that truly suffers on that gen machine are games. Most new ones plain won;t run. Older ones (like Starcraft) do OK, but are penalized under OS X versus OS 9.

But word of caution, unless the GBP exchange is less than I think, its a hefty price for what you are getting.
 
Another note - these seem to have almost 10 days left on the bidding, so you have a little time to research, don't you?
 
marknicholls said:
the ibook is G3 not G4.....big difference? good HDD and ram though
Click to expand...

VERY BIG DIFFERENCE! The G3 will NOT be able to run Garageband. The G3 will also be considerably slower than a G4. Also Tiger will not run very well on a G3. Not a big problem for me, I like Panther and see no reason to even bother thinking about upgrading to Tiger on my G3 (now when I buy a new Mac next year, well then we'll talk).

Mike
 
Whats the difference between the Aluminium and the Titanium Powerbooks? is it just the material?

Im playing with a 550mhz Titanium now and it seems fast!
 
DON"T get it, or at least i wouldn't. Its very expensive for what it is.
I've seen a refurb 1.25ghz 15" Powerbook for £900 on Apples site and that has a full years warranty. Not to mention the fact that you could add applecare to that as well.

this really isnt a good deal. I've also seen 12" iBook G4's for £550. I repeat, your money could be better spent on a newer machine.
 
marknicholls said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5115640782&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

I have anaged to get the HDD to 40gb and get the CDROM upgraded to CDRW/DVD Combo, total cost £690

I think ive not got a bad deal....i havnt seen many better deals about...

im now a mac owner :)
Click to expand...

nice, i'm happy that you now have a Mac but.....I personally would have gone for a slightly newer model. 550Mhz isn't that fast but you do have a nice screen. That said if you were on a budget then fair enough. I think i prefer the Titanium powerbooks to the Aluminium ones, and i own a 12" Alu PB. That said i've only ever seen other people with them I dont know whether or not there are any major probs or anoying factors with them. Just watch out for the pain bubbling thing, it might not happen on yours but at some point during the production cycle they had some problems with heat and it made the Titanium paint lift off the metal body work. Apple will do nothing about it either from what I've heard.

Edit: Got the speed wrong on the PB
 
i didnt want to spend to much, simply because i have never used a mac before. if i really like them, then give it a year or so, and ill upgrade to a newer model, but for the sake of £700, i think it will last a year, and give me a chance to see if i wanna stay with mac's for good.
 
Hey, I'm glad you'll have one now - it's a done deal, right?

Just please bear in mind that any of the newer systems are substantially faster, so don't let speed affect your opinion of the OS and of Macs. Of course, that being said, I still enjoy my 1999 400MHz G3 Lombard PB. I'm sure you'll be happy!
 
I will be recieving it monday.

How old is this system? i hope i havnt made a mistake!

It is G4.....It cant be that bad can it? Please advise!!

and does anyone gave any experiences with the battery life on this model?
 
The Powerbook you bought first went on sale on October 16, 2001 and stopped April 29, 2002. Its the second revision of the Powerbook G4 so any initial issues that they had with the first 400Mhz and 500Mhz should be delt with. (I can't find any offhand so don't worry)

If its the original battery it has probably taken a bit of a beating in terms of usage but it will still be ok, I think i saw that the seller said it still takes a full charge. Apple claimed that you would get 5 hours from it when it was new, but i doubt it! :p Its probably around 3 in general usage but maybe someone with an older TiBook could chip in and give a better estimate?

And i think I'm right in thinking that they didn't introduce the 1mb level 3 cache until the DVI models? I think they started at 667Mhz or 800Mhz which were the revision after the one you're getting. All this means is that they're faster, I would be quite happy with one of these.

I hope i haven't put you off, I was just trying to point a few things out and answer some of your questions.
Anyway i think that you paid a little too much for this, not a lot. But that said its still a very cool computer and I"m sure that you'll be happy with it.
;)
 
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