A. All my intel toting Mac friend have a nasty whine with their machine, which G4 powerbook never has. Not to mention they always complain how very warm their machines gets(have to take their word for it), while mines doesn't. As for HD video I thought flash 10.2+ fixed that, as it allows the offloading to the gpu on most gpu, the 9x00 series included, with only the first gen i core and above supported, no?
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Which should I buy Powerbook or Macbook?
- Thread starter da2005pizimp
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A. All my intel toting Mac friend have a nasty whine with their machine, which G4 powerbook never has. Not to mention they always complain how very warm their machines gets(have to take their word for it), while mines doesn't. As for HD video I thought flash 10.2+ fixed that, as it allows the offloading to the gpu on most gpu, the 9x00 series included, with only the first gen i core and above supported, no?
Lets see now:
1) None of my Intel Portables I've ever had have ever had or shown signs of any form of CPU whine, this includes a First Gen 15" MBP, First Gen MacBook, a Black MacBook from 2007, and my current White MacBook from 2008 and 2011 MacBook Air.
2)HD Video doesn't work at all well on my PowerBook G4, in fact nothing over 360p works well using Flash. Btw it is the very-last gen Hi-Res screen 15" model at 1.67Ghz with 128MB VRAM Mobility 9700 and 2GB RAM. And thats with the latest build of flash under 10.4 and 10.5.
thank you very much you made me happy and i bought a 15" Powerbook 1.5Ghz with 1GB memory for only 200 last month...It works great it makes me feel like I am using a MacBook Pro
The only intel macs not supported with that update are the ones with only intel integrated GPUs, which do suck other than the most recent one. I don't think those GPUs are supported from what I have seen. Even if they are, youtube still sucks on a G4. It simply isn't relevant anymore, save for very basic use.
actually it will run best with Leopard and Ten Four Fox. You should give it a try it's like (aside from hd shockwave) a essential upgrade imo.
Just to chime in again. The Powerbook g4 (specifically mine) aside from encoding video and HD youtube videos is perfect for my needs and all I could afford to spend on a portable computer right now. It's not such an irrelevant machine when I put it against anything else new or used in the 200ish dollar category and OS X leopard is still better than Windows and there is no Photoshop for linux. Since my main CPU intensive tasks for a laptop are Photoshop editing and playing divx/xvid/mkv videos full screen (hd or otherwise) with VLC it does those tasks perfectly. For everything else (word, web, email etc..) its fine even at 1 gig of memory with safari and ten four fox running in different "spaces" with itunes playing... so it's not irrelevant if you are on a budget or dont want to carry around a super expensive laptop. I'd love to have a mac book pro btw, and will when I can afford one. I'm just saying dont write off the Powerbook g4 just yet as they offer a lot of portable Macintosh goodness for the buck.
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I don't care for HD on a laptop, nor is it HD res, but I can get 480p video to play perfectly fine on my Powerbook with out any stuttering. 360p for the most part is fine with me, but if 480p is an option you bet I will use it as it offers better audio imho.
If you can I'd spend the extra 20-35 to max out the ram, for those just in case scenarios.thank you very much you made me happy and i bought a 15" Powerbook 1.5Ghz with 1GB memory for only 200 last month...It works great it makes me feel like I am using a MacBook Pro
As for the other saying you can't do much on a G4, I have yet to find a limitation on my particular G4, heck I even use to to edit videos on it with Final Cut Express 3.5 with no hiccups or issues at all.
I don't get why people are spending more money to get that garbage-fest intel Atom cpu for the less money you can get a 12in Powerbook or even less 12in iBook and get a better G4 gpu, ATI gpu, build quality, durability, the sexiest Apple notebook ever made, plus its not marred by the dead dogs known as Wintel.
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I'd say Macbook because the odds are you will get more life out of it over a Powerbook. Yes, you'll pay more to do so but I think it will be money well spent.
Are you using MacTubes to get 480p? With the right codecs and mplayer ppc, I can even get 720p to play great.. but yes, flash will suck on anything 360 or above. Period.
thank you very much you made me happy and i bought a 15" Powerbook 1.5Ghz with 1GB memory for only 200 last month...It works great it makes me feel like I am using a MacBook Pro
I like you! Spoken like a true PowerPC supporter! We need more like you
That Depends:
You should first make sure that there aren't others selling both types of computers for a lower price.
I recommend the PowerBook, but that does not mean that it is best for you. It depends. A Powerbook can do everything I need for everyday use, but I doubt my everyday use needs are the same as yours.
Videos will be a problem with PowerBooks. Especially Adobe Flash. This is because Adobe Flash does not support PowerPC. You can still get Adobe Flash, but it will be an older outdated version of Adobe Flash.
Unfortunately the PowerBook you will run into trouble with support for it in the future. Most of the software developers will think that you are betraying Apple
because you aren't constantly buying the newest thing.
The PowerBook is more durable...and it is less noisy...and far more heat tolerant. But not as supported. The Macbook is.
But at the same time it should be called PCbook. But since you can only put Mac OS X and not boot Mac OS 9.2.2 on a G4 PowerBook, you might as well get the "MacBook", because PowerBook cannot load the newest OS X, which is very important in having the newest OS X.
I might be wrong, but I think that the PowerPC Macs have an equal amount of support as Mac OS 9.2.2... (they both have minimal support, and mostly from third party open source people) so because of that fact, then the only reason to have a PowerBook, and anything with Power/PowerPC Hardware, is to run Mac OS 9.2.2. so you should probably begin your laptop purchasings with a MacBook.
I hope I provided many helpful and useful tips. Good luck.
You should first make sure that there aren't others selling both types of computers for a lower price.
I recommend the PowerBook, but that does not mean that it is best for you. It depends. A Powerbook can do everything I need for everyday use, but I doubt my everyday use needs are the same as yours.
Videos will be a problem with PowerBooks. Especially Adobe Flash.
This is because Adobe Flash does not support PowerPC. You can still get Adobe Flash, but it will be an older outdated version of Adobe Flash. Unfortunately the PowerBook you will run into trouble with support for it in the future. Most of the software developers will think that you are betraying Apple
because you aren't constantly buying the newest thing.The PowerBook is more durable...and it is less noisy...and far more heat tolerant.
But not as supported. The Macbook is.But at the same time it should be called PCbook. But since you can only put Mac OS X and not boot Mac OS 9.2.2 on a G4 PowerBook, you might as well get the "MacBook", because PowerBook cannot load the newest OS X, which is very important in having the newest OS X.
I might be wrong, but I think that the PowerPC Macs have an equal amount of support as Mac OS 9.2.2... (they both have minimal support, and mostly from third party open source people) so because of that fact, then the only reason to have a PowerBook, and anything
with Power/PowerPC Hardware, is to run Mac OS 9.2.2. so you should probably begin your laptop purchasings with a MacBook.I hope I provided many helpful and useful tips. Good luck.
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Not so. Bar 240p, audio is almost identical across the board.
240p, H263, MP3, flv - 59kbps, 22.05KHz, Stereo
360p, H264, AAC, flv - 120kbps, 44.1KHz, Stereo
480p, H264, AAC, flv - 120kbps, 44.1KHz, Stereo
360p, H264, AAC, mp4 - 120kbps, 44.1KHz, Stereo
720p, H264, AAC, mp4 - 128kbps, 44.1KHz, Stereo
1080p, H264, AAC, mp4 - 128kbps, 44.1KHz, Stereo
arg. i shouldn't get drawn into these debates, but i feel my g5 entitles me to at least state my opinion.
@coldmack, there are indeed plenty of usage scenarios out there where a ppc mac is fine, and there's nothing wrong with loving and appreciating classic mac hardware, but your bias against intel-based macs is just plain ridiculous.
as i said, i have a g5 powermac from 2005 and a first-gen unibody macbook pro from 2008. both machines have served me wonderfully and for light usage i wouldn't miss one for the other. but make no mistake, my powermac, which is the second most powerful ppc model apple ever released, is positively smoked by the macbook pro in any computationally demanding task. i've never bought the whole superior "feel" of a ppc processor. they're all number crunching slabs of silicone that'll either deliver your your 1's and 0's or won't. and whatever anecdotal complaints you can come up with about your friends' problematic intel hardware can be just as easily be matched by anecdotes of ppc tribulations and glowing intel reviews.
the fact is, a platform that is no longer supported is going to have gotchas, and that shouldn't be glossed over. if you're collaborating with others using newer versions of software, you may run into compatibility headaches. browsing the web doesn't necessarily require the most powerful machine, but it is also a constantly changing medium, and being stuck on older browsers and older plugins will run you up against more and more limitations as time goes on.
everyone has different needs, and if ppc meets those needs and best fits the budget, then sure. but its not helping anyone to try and paint everything black and white. intel is not a "garbage-fest" and it doesn't "marr" a person's computer. while you "don't care for HD on a laptop", others might find value in it--there are such things as external monitors that a lot of us use...
so in general, a good deal is only good if its useful. $200 could get someone exactly what they need, or it could become $200 more that they'll have to save up towards another machine if it turns out the powerbook doesn't work with software X or website Y that matters to them.
thats my 2¢
@coldmack, there are indeed plenty of usage scenarios out there where a ppc mac is fine, and there's nothing wrong with loving and appreciating classic mac hardware, but your bias against intel-based macs is just plain ridiculous.
as i said, i have a g5 powermac from 2005 and a first-gen unibody macbook pro from 2008. both machines have served me wonderfully and for light usage i wouldn't miss one for the other. but make no mistake, my powermac, which is the second most powerful ppc model apple ever released, is positively smoked by the macbook pro in any computationally demanding task. i've never bought the whole superior "feel" of a ppc processor. they're all number crunching slabs of silicone that'll either deliver your your 1's and 0's or won't. and whatever anecdotal complaints you can come up with about your friends' problematic intel hardware can be just as easily be matched by anecdotes of ppc tribulations and glowing intel reviews.
the fact is, a platform that is no longer supported is going to have gotchas, and that shouldn't be glossed over. if you're collaborating with others using newer versions of software, you may run into compatibility headaches. browsing the web doesn't necessarily require the most powerful machine, but it is also a constantly changing medium, and being stuck on older browsers and older plugins will run you up against more and more limitations as time goes on.
everyone has different needs, and if ppc meets those needs and best fits the budget, then sure. but its not helping anyone to try and paint everything black and white. intel is not a "garbage-fest" and it doesn't "marr" a person's computer. while you "don't care for HD on a laptop", others might find value in it--there are such things as external monitors that a lot of us use...
so in general, a good deal is only good if its useful. $200 could get someone exactly what they need, or it could become $200 more that they'll have to save up towards another machine if it turns out the powerbook doesn't work with software X or website Y that matters to them.
thats my 2¢
It's fine being a ppc fan and all, but when you're spewing things that are blatantly false about them, it's a little ridiculous.
Any intel mac is going to be MANY times more efficient than a ppc Mac. PPC processors are HIGHLY inefficient compared to a C2D.
Even the most base MacBook will outperform most of the later G5s in browsing and video watching, without breaking a sweat.
PPCs generate tons of heat doing seemingly mundane tasks.
Do I still love using them? Absolutely, but I would never recommend one to a friend that actually has real work to get done on their computer. For a first Mac they are GREAT, as long as you've "test driven" one first and know what it can and cannot do.
And in regards to "coldmack," if your G4 PowerBook doesn't get hot, then you haven't turned it on. My C2D MacBook ran SO much cooler than my PB.
Any intel mac is going to be MANY times more efficient than a ppc Mac. PPC processors are HIGHLY inefficient compared to a C2D.
Even the most base MacBook will outperform most of the later G5s in browsing and video watching, without breaking a sweat.
PPCs generate tons of heat doing seemingly mundane tasks.
Do I still love using them? Absolutely, but I would never recommend one to a friend that actually has real work to get done on their computer. For a first Mac they are GREAT, as long as you've "test driven" one first and know what it can and cannot do.
This.
And in regards to "coldmack," if your G4 PowerBook doesn't get hot, then you haven't turned it on. My C2D MacBook ran SO much cooler than my PB.
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My PowerBook does get pretty warm, but no warmer than the Intel Macs, based on using my mom's computer before she killed it. (Of course, my apartment is like a fridge, so I don't mind the warm lap ) It's all just a matter of what you plan to do or not do with the computer. I know your situation...I really wanted a MB, but couldn't afford one on my current budget so I sprung for an iBook G4 "Mid 2005". When I can afford a newer MacBook I'll go for it, but for now the iBook will do. If it's your first mac, go for a maxed out G4, just keep your expectations in check-they don't run the absolute latest software but they do function well. Again, all depends on what you want to do and what you need it to do.
) It's all just a matter of what you plan to do or not do with the computer. I know your situation...I really wanted a MB, but couldn't afford one on my current budget so I sprung for an iBook G4 "Mid 2005". When I can afford a newer MacBook I'll go for it, but for now the iBook will do. If it's your first mac, go for a maxed out G4, just keep your expectations in check-they don't run the absolute latest software but they do function well. Again, all depends on what you want to do and what you need it to do.