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What would it take for you to buy a last G4 rev PB?

W

willmg

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 25, 2003
93
0
MA
I dunno bout you guys, while a kick-ass last revision might be tempting don't know that I'd go for it. I am currently running a 1.25 15incher which is supposed to be my Dad's but he is letting me use it till Apple releases another book revision(late grad present), then he wants to dump his lombard and take this one from me. I think i can convince him to wait for the G5 rev A but if they do have another G4 first he's gonna push me to get it.

Seems to me a simple jump up to 1.42-1.5 alone wouldn't really be worth it for another 2300-2600, I'd like to see at least a 128MB graphics card(preferably 9700M), and a 7200 drive opton wouldn't hurt either. Lastly a litle L3 and a 4x DVDR might be nice as well.

Any other ideas? Any news on the fabled 200MHz Moto FSB or true DDR support? Should I try to make a convincing argument for him to wallow in G3 misery for another 6-9 months?
 
I'll be there

I've got a 1.0Ghz Ti with a gig of RAM and would definitely look at a 1.5Ghz G4 PB. However, I may be on my own here as I'm in the enviable position of being able to upgrade my machine each year :D

The PB would need to have a 60 or 80Gb HD (my iTunes and iPhoto libraries are getting too large) and an ATI 9700M. A higher res screen and a 4x DVD SuperDrive would be nice, but if they were missing it wouldn't stop me upgrading.

Rev A G5 PB? No thanks - I don't like being an unpaid hardware beta tester. I'm speaking from experience here, as I used to have a Rev A 500Mhz Ti - 'nuff said....;) (no disrespect to current 500Mhz Ti owners!)

I'd wait for the inevitable Rev B G5 PB and upgrade the G4 at that time (would would be 2005 regardless of whenever a G5 PB appeared, right?)
 
price price price price price price price price


i have a g3 ibook which i love, and i could have spent the extra bit and gotten a g4 pb, but i just couldnt justify stretching my budget.
same thing agian with g5, there are those who cna and will stretch for it, and the g4 will drop for everyone else.
 
there is no need for L3 cache. It was only on the old PBs because the L2 wasn't high enough. It's very unlikely that L3 will come back, and there's no reason that it should (if you want more cache, ask for 1 MB L2, not L3!).

There's also little need for a better graphics card as the processor is much more likely to be the limiting factor on these machines. Until you get up to a high end processor, it won't be able to "feed" the card fast enough for a 128MB Radeon 9700 to make any difference.
 
Everything else would need to be top notch

If the next PowerBook revision still has a G4 (with its lame front side bus - and that's the real problem) then everything else would need to be top notch for me to still consider one. And I mean top notch (as in 'ridiculous' to some)! :D

Here's what I want:

- Choice of hi-res screens as BTO options
e.g. the 12" PowerBook would have either 1024x768 (default) or BTO 1280x960 or even 1440x1080. The 15" and 17" PB with up to 1920x1200 as BTO. I understand not everyone wants higher res, this is why it is NOT the default, but a BTO option.

- Maxed out VRAM and highest-end mobile graphic chip
128MB that is, or even 256MB. Why? With a 15" or 17" at 1920x1200 plus a second external 23" Cinema Display at yet another 1920x1200 you need lots of VRAM! And a fast graphic chip.

- 7200rpm HD as BTO option
Why? OS X uses the HD a lot for swap space. It feels a lot smoother with a faster HD.

- RAM up to the 4GB max the G4 supports

- Dual CPU BTO option for the 17" PowerBook
If you're using it for video encoding, 3D or mathematical software I can imagine that 2 x 1.25GHz (or even 2 x 1.0GHz) are a lot better than 1 x 1.5GHz.
And since it would be BTO only, it could in fact even be part of a trade-off: e.g. PC Card slot vs. second CPU. While I love my PC Card slot for flash card readers, if given the choice between a PC Card slot - or - a second CPU, I'd pick a dual CPU setup anytime.

But then again, perhaps due to the lame system bus none of this would make any significant difference... :(
 
I guess the FSB is what it really comes down to huh, 167MHz is just lame. The G5 even at a measly 1/8th or hopefully at least 1/4th speed FSB should clock for clock wallop a G4.
 
some of the main programs i am running on my G4 867mhz 12" PB still don't utilize Altivec (ahem... Ableton Live Bastards) so a 1.4ghz would definitely be a justified expense for me, but then theoretically so would a G3 1.4ghz. But in the next year said software will be velocity engine optimized and the G5 will look even tastier. so i say, for now, if you really have money burning a hole in your pocket then Max out your ram and wait for the G5.
 
12 PB with backlit keyboard

my wish for the 12 pb are

1 backlit keyboard MUST!!!
2 gigabit ethernet MUST!!!!
3 VGA update MUST!!!

4 LCD update, (Resol &) Wide Screen if possible
5 battery life update will be nice

will be nice
6 ddr 333
7 something that one can only dream of is the PCI card slot

I find the backlit the only reason i would go for the 15 al. well maybe PCI Card slot the second, but that's all period.
 
Realistically heres what we probably will see

Same screen sizes and same resolutions

12inch
1.25 megahertz G4
32 mb ati radeon 9600 ?
backlit keyboard option ?
everything else unchanged

15inch
1.33 megahertz
new ati radeon 9700 64mb
backlit keyboard standard?
everything else the same

17inch
1.42 megahertz
new ati radeon 9700 128mb
everything else the same
 
gigabit and ddr 333 too

gigabit and ddr 333 also if it was going to be a 1.25

i want backlit key option..........!!!!!!!!!!!!
i was about to get a 2$ snake usb light of ebay, not cool.......-_-"

if this comes out, i wonder how long will my 2 month ibook g4 800 last.

since my first mac ibook g3 900 12 last me for 59 days before getting this g4 ibook

i didn;t go for the PB 12 b/c of the lack of backlit.
 
Originally posted by Cheap-Chopstix
Realistically heres what we probably will see

Same screen sizes and same resolutions

12inch
1.25 megahertz G4
32 mb ati radeon 9600 ?
backlit keyboard option ?
everything else unchanged
Click to expand...
sad but most likely true.
 
the sad thing is the 12" has the exact same keyboard of its backlit big brothers.
hit the F6 num lock key and you will see this.
i read somewhere that it was just too hard to fit the backlighting into such a small package.

i dont necessarily need it as the illumination from the LCD gives me good enough light on the keys... plus at 60 words a minute i dont have time to look at the keys.

i'll wait for the G5
 
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