12" or 15" Powerbook?

[onlyCOpunk]

I need some help deciding. The 12" has no L3 Cache and has a slower G4 CPU, the 15" has all the bells and whistles, but is about $500-600 more? Anyone know if the price is worth it for the bigger Powerbook?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

What do you plan on using it for?

 

[hdeck]

hmm....powerbook[/homer]

 

[MDE]

The 12" Powerbook is supposed to be scorchingly hot, especially under the wrist rest where the hard drive is.

 

[Cadaver]

I've been using a 15" PowerBook G4 (1.0GHz G4, 1MB L3 cache, 1GB RAM, 60GB HD, DVD-R, 802.11b wireless built-in) as my portable since last December.
It's a fantastic laptop. Thin, light and the screen (1280x854) is one of the best notebook screens I've ever seen in terms of image sharpness & color.

I mainly use the PowerBook & MacOS X for on-the-road PowerPoint, web/email and Word, and for watching DVDs on airplanes and in hotels. Microsoft Office X is 100% file compatible with it's Windows counterpart, so all is well. It's also decent enough for casual gaming (64MB Radeon Mobility 9000 does a reasonable job playing UT2003).

While my 2.3GHz AthonXP/WinXP machine will remain my main computer for a while, the PowerBook is a better laptop than anything in the Windows world I could find (except perhaps some of the very new Centrino machines from Sony).

The PowerBooks (15" and 17" models at least) are the only laptops I'm aware of that have DVI video out instead of strictly analog VGA. At work we've got a mini Compaq LCD projector with a DVI input. Makes for a dazzling combo.

Personally, I'd go for the 15" model if you can afford the difference. It's faster than the 12" and has a nicer screen. Unless you need something very small, the 15"-er is a super-nice machine.

 

[Bruck]

Do not want to spoil your purchase, BUT. Apple should release a new version of the 15 any day now. Check www.macrumors.com for updates, the laptop was due out a few weeks ago (rumor) but it probably has been delayed, but be careful. You may purchase and 3 weeks later see a brand new model with 1.3ghz, fw800, backlit keys and bluetooth.

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: Bruck
Do not want to spoil your purchase, BUT. Apple should release a new version of the 15 any day now. Check www.macrumors.com for updates, the laptop was due out a few weeks ago (rumor) but it probably has been delayed, but be careful. You may purchase and 3 weeks later see a brand new model with 1.3ghz, fw800, backlit keys and bluetooth.

G5?

 

[Bruck]

No, this would be a G4 but the newer version the 7457 i believe, will run cooler and use less power (should have better battery efficiency)

The G5 is not going into a powerbook anytime soon (public apple comment) due to size.. etc work is in progress to shrink die process. etc etc could take up to a year until G5 notebooks.

I personally will be purchasing a brand new 15 inch the moment they are announced, I'm just waiting on apple.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I have the definate feeling that right after I buy this one, the new ones will be released. Unfortunately I only have the 8/15 to decide on one.

 

[addragyn]

Go to the Aple Store and click on Special Deals, in the bottom left.

Refurbished iPods

iPod 20GB WINDOWS (prior version w/touch pad, remote & carrying case) - Refurbished Add $299.00

Refurbished PowerBooks

PowerBook G4 867MHz/256MB/40GB/Combo/E/12"TFT - Refurbished Add $1,399.00
PowerBook G4 867MHz/256MB/40GB/SuperDrive/E/12"TFT - Refurbished Add $1,599.00
PowerBook G4 1GHz/512MB/60GB/SuperDrive/GigE/56K/AirPort Card/15"TFT - Refurbished Add $2,299.00
PowerBook G4 1GHz/512MB/60GB/SuperDrive/AP ExtremeCard/GigE/56K/17"TFT - Refurbished Add $2,999.00
APP for PowerBook (w/ or w/o display) - Enrollment Kit Add $349.00

These have the same warranty as new and I've heard tons of positive stories about buying Apple refurbished. You can also add AppleCare to these machines.

Sounds as if this is for school. Check out the Educational Discounts on the bottom left. I've also heard of super PowerBook deals through some college bookstores. Apple has a history of being very generous to education. e.g. 1GHz 15" PowerBook for 2k & free iPod.

---

The 7457 is more than just a frequency bump. It has 512KB L2 cache versus 256KB in 7455.

 

[randomlinh]

my refurb'd ibook has gone thru hell and back first battery died, then lcd died, then cdrw/dvd died.. then i finally got it back... and the faceplate was broken off in shipping.. had to send it back again.

but on the upside, they really do a good job in getting it and returning it to me fast... i'd get apple care regardless of what you buy, especially a notebook (on another note, my friend has a dell, the power circuitry funky, another friend, his HD died... just seems like notebooks are prone to it).

anyway, my suggestion is a 12" if it's mainly for on the go use. the 15 is pretty big, and the 17.. that's just flat out a desktop replacement If you're using it as both desktop/on the go, then go for the 15.

and yeah, are you going to be doing anything that specifically requires or will benefit from the cache (i'm not familiar w/ apple hardware, didn't know the 12" was crippled in that way)?

 

[ViRGE]

I went with a 12" myself. The 15" is nice, but I needed something ultra-portable and a bit cheaper than the 15", so I went with the 12". It also comes with Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme, so the tradeoff was worth it. The 15" overall is the better buy if you aren't as price or size concious, but if you are, the 12" is better.

 

[ViRGE]

DP