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Powerbook or Turion

S

swaq

Member
I'd like some help on deciding what laptop I should get. I want something very portable, light with a decently long battery life if possible. I'd like to go with either the 12" Powerbook or a laptop with an MT class Turion processor. I've been looking at the Fujitsu S2110 for a Turion solution:
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=S2

The Fujitsu is lighter and cheaper than the Powerbook. Are there any other lightweight Turion laptops available right now? Will there be more soon? I'd like to get a new laptop before school starts again in late September. Thanks!
 
Does the operating system matter to you a great deal? If it does that should play a fairly large part in the decision too. If you prefer windows it most likely makes sense to get a PC, but if you want os x then you should probably buy the apple.
 
Doesn't matter too much. I don't have much experience on OS X but I don't mind learning. I run Win XP Pro / Gentoo on my desktop, Slackware on my server, and just Gentoo on my current laptop. If I get a PC I'd probably dual boot for compatibility reasons. With the Mac I'd just leave it as is.
 
you may find the powerbook a better alternative since it has a flavor of linux 🙂

you can also consider to go the X86 route and get OS X on your fujitsu (however, i don't condone it since i'd rather people own the hardware) 😛

honestly, if it were me, i'd go with a dell because of their great on-site support (if you opt for it), which is especially helpful when you're at school (i've had the tech-support guy come to my dorms numerous times to replace my LCD, keyboard, you name it -- they fixed it next-day). my ibook is my secondary laptop, but i don't use it at all that much (more for laziness than for any other good reason).
 
tami: OS X isn't a flavour of linux. It's more like FreeBSD (which it's based on). There's some big differences (I use both). 😉
 
I was hoping to stay away from Dell. My current laptop is a Dell, my dad owns a dell laptop, and so does my brother. I really don't like any of them. I'd rather get a laptop that doesn't have any problems than have great support for one that does. Also, I read somewhere recently (forgot the place now), that Dell has been dropping in customer satisfaction. Does anyone here own the Fujitsu S2110? I'd love to hear personal experiences. Or anyone with any Fujitsu laptop? Thanks.
 
I can understand you may have your own reasons for staying away from Dell, but why not consider the Pentium M? If you're looking for something lightweight with good battery life, there are many more Pentium M options than Turion options.

That Fujitsu is 4.02 lbs. and has a 13.3" screen, but it's only 1024x768. It's not widescreen, so you're not getting a full-sized keyboard. If you compare it to a 14" widescreen, the widescreen will be almost the same dimensions but will have better resolution and a 1.4" wider keyboard. The Gateway M250X, for example, is slightly thinner and has a full-sized keyboard for $500 cheaper (although it is 5.01 lbs). HP has the DV1000 line which you can get with a Turion, and it also has a normal-sized keyboard and a widescreen.

If you really want to go the light route, the Latitude X1 has the same size keyboard as that Fujitsu, but it's only 2.5 lbs. and 0.98" thick. It's also about the same price. Latitudes in general have better build quality, and the X1 is actually made by Samsung.

Not that there's anything wrong with the Fujitsu. Most people really like them. NewEgg has pretty good prices of 3 different LifeBook S notebooks.
 
I think I'm leaning toward the PowerBook right now. I probably should have mentioned I'm a CS major so I need to be write code on whatever I get. I've heard Xcode is pretty good.

Pentium M has not been thrown off my list as I think it is a very nice processor, I just would rather choose something else first if I have a choice because Intel has enough of a market share as it is. 😉
 
my biggest complaint with fujitsu is that their laptop harddrives are extremely unreliable.

i really have not have any experience with any other fujitsu mobile solutions, so i'm afraid i cannot advise you on that.
 
You could check out the Acer Ferrari 4000/4005, though it's in the weight class of the heaviest powerbook.
HP has some cheap Turion powered notebooks.
 
I've taken CS classes at many different universities, and I haven't seen a CS department in the past 5 years that didn't require Visual Studio for at least some of their classes. Even schools that have Macs in most of their labs are generally using Microsoft stuff to code on. You're going to need experience with .net. The university I'm at now even requires all the students to have a Windows laptop, and that's not exactly a rare thing these days.

Obviously you're big into the "anti-establishment" factor of non-Intel non-Microsoft products despite the impracticality of it. You even mentioned you wanted good battery life, and PowerBooks have just about the worst battery life of anything. I'm not sure what kind of advice you're even looking for with this thread since you already have your mind made up. You've already got a laptop, and you didn't say it was inadequate, nor do you seem to have any legitimate things you need out of a new laptop. Did your parents give you some cash and you just want something new and cute to carry around instead of the Dell you've already got?

Anyway, good luck "sticking it to the man" by paying 3X more for a 1024x768 laptop that will put you at a disadvantage in school and lasts under 3 hours if you're actually doing anything. 🙂
 
interesting, coz my CS department uses unix almost exclusively, and xcode is great for that. In fact, having a mac has been a huge advantage, and more and more CS students are getting them (at my university that is). We do have 2 windows labs for .net though.

That being said, powerbooks are a little overpriced for my liking. If you want to go mac, look at getting an iBook G4 imho.
 
Tami: I was considering replacing the stock drive anyway because they charge so much for upgrades.

Fox5: I looked at the Ferrari and I like it a lot but it's just too heavy. If I were getting a desktop replacement I'd probably go for that.

Tostada: I have experience with .NET, I've been programming in C# for my work using Visual Studio .NET 2003 since the beginning of this year. I'm two years into the CS program at Oregon State University and have yet to see any .NET requirements. A laptop became a requirement for incoming freshmen last year so I just missed the cutoff, Windows is definitely not required. I'm not completely against Intel and Microsoft. I'm keeping Windows on my desktop as my primary OS, I don't need Windows on another computer though. I've heard that PowerBooks don't have that bad of battery life, Anand's review said he averaged around 3 hours on the 15" which is at least as good as my current laptop. My current laptop is a Dell Inspiron 5100 which I got as a high school graduation gift 2 years ago. It has a 2.66 GHz Pentium 4 that gets very hot and weighs somewhere around 7-9 pounds. It is next to impossible to drag it with me to class on a regular basis. Don't insult me. I'm paying for this as well as all my other computer equipment, college expenses, car/insurance, rent, food, etc. If I wanted something cute I'd get an iBook. Carrying it around is the idea, I can't do that with the Dell I have. Why would a PowerBook put me at a disadvantage in school? Because it doesn't have .NET? There is a lot more to programming than .NET. More on that below.

hopejr: It seems OSU is geared more toward Unix/Linux as well. It probably helps that we have the Open Source Lab (OSL) here. I have noticed a lot of CS people here getting iBooks/PowerBooks as well. I have a friend in the CS program here who owns an iBook and is coming up to move back in (he just got a job) on Sunday. I'm going to see how heavy my backpack is with his iBook and all my other stuff to see if I'd be able to carry that daily. I know the PowerBooks are expensive, but they are a tad lighter and faster. My friend (same one) said his only regret is not spending the extra money on a PowerBook.
 
I've been suggesting this since I bought my IBM T40p/ I'd look into one of those. I purchased mine with about the same requirements you are looking for and it exceeded my expectations upon arrival. Also look at the T40,T41,T42,T43 series w/ extended battery. There should be a model in there that fits your needs to the letter.

edit: Plus the larger LCD screen (SXGA+ 1400x1050 on the 'p' models) Makes the ol' code monkeying a little easier to manage. Plus the IBM Keyboard is second to none IMO.)
 
Originally posted by: hopejr
interesting, coz my CS department uses unix almost exclusively, and xcode is great for that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if your CS department uses Unix. When I was at Ohio State in 1995 they still used Unix and had some really cool NeXT labs (and they also wanted you to code in Modula 2 in all their CS classes under 400-level). Most places still have Unix machines, but rarely use Unix in class anymore, and when they do you're usually expected to just telnet in (so obviously what kind of computer you have doesn't matter). Still, even these places will generally have classes that require .net, or at least an older version of Visual Studio.

Originally posted by: swaq
I have a friend in the CS program here who owns an iBook and is coming up to move back in (he just got a job) on Sunday. I'm going to see how heavy my backpack is with his iBook and all my other stuff to see if I'd be able to carry that daily. I know the PowerBooks are expensive, but they are a tad lighter and faster. My friend (same one) said his only regret is not spending the extra money on a PowerBook.
Click to expand...

Well, I wouldn't really want to be carrying around a huge P4 2.66, either, and it sounds like it really doesn't matter what you get. I'd get the Apple over the Fujitsu for the cool/fun factor if you've got the money... but if money or battery life is an issue, it's certainly not ideal, and I'm pretty surprised that a geek-type like yourself wants an XGA screen. The 12" PowerBook is 4.6 lbs, which is as much as a lot of 14" widescreens and almost twice as much as a 12" like the X1.

Which brings me back to the point that you apparently want an Apple regardless of all other factors, so it doesn't really make sense that you bothered to ask for advice when your mind is made up.

I don't have anything against Apple. The 12" PowerBook is the only sub-14" laptop I know of that has a good keyboard... and personally, I'm much more concerned about the physical dimensions of a laptop than the weight. You don't want something that won't fit conveniently on your desk, but if you can't carry your laptop, get to the gym. By far the biggest factor with an Apple is OSX, though. I mean, either you want OSX or you don't, right? You want it. So get the Apple.
 
fbrdphreak: What else can you tell me about the MSI S270? I am very interested in that.

phaxmohdem: The T42 is just about what I'd need, it's a bit on the spendy side though. Also, I'm very used to having the Windows Logo button when using Windows.

Tostada: I don't want an XGA screen, but screen size isn't the biggest factor for me. Mac OSX has Exposé which makes the lower screen resolution more bearable. I like the Latitude X1 a lot. It is a Dell I have actually considered buying. However, correct me if I'm wrong, it doesn't have an internal optical drive. I've also considered the Asus S5A, which is 2.8 lb, but that also only has an external DVD drive (and has an XGA screen). I do not want an Apple regardless of other factors. I still need to do more research before I commit to any particular laptop. Currently that MSI is looking awfully tempting. If the PowerBook had the MSI's looks, was a little lighter and maybe had better battery life I would get it without a doubt. I can't say I want or don't want OSX. I like it but it isn't the selling point for me. The main thing I've learned from running Gentoo on my current laptop is that I need an operating system that will just work wherever I go. I've had too many wireless and USB problems that wouldn't have been an issue with OSX or Windows.


I just realized that I never really mentioned my budget. I'm looking to spend between $1200 and $1500. I can get the 12" PowerBook that cheap with student discounts. Thanks for all your input. I've looked at every laptop that has been recommended in this thread so far.
 
We have students here who have done their .NET class assignments using Mono and GTK.net

Personally, I am looking for a AMD64 notebook with an nvidia video card. So far I have had no luck. This would need to be able to handle doom 3 /UT2004 without much issue. Anyone know of anything?
 
Originally posted by: swaq
fbrdphreak: What else can you tell me about the MSI S270? I am very interested in that.

phaxmohdem: The T42 is just about what I'd need, it's a bit on the spendy side though. Also, I'm very used to having the Windows Logo button when using Windows.
Click to expand...
What do you want to know about? Nice looking 12" barebones notebook that can use Turion, Sempron, or I think they have a Pentium M version as well. Integrated graphics. Inexpensive. MSI overall makes some nice notebooks :thumbsup:

Oh, and in regards to the Windows button and a Thinkpad, let's just say two of the more major complaints about Thinkpads are going to be solved with the new models coming out..........
 
Re: Lack of Windows Key on Thinkpads...

I was also a little aprehensive of that since I too use this button alot. However once you start using the notebook and get used to it it really doesn't become much of a factor. Plus I find that using the Ctrl+Esc key command (same as Windows Key) is not that much more difficult if at all.
 
fbrdphreak: I was mostly curious as to how the battery life compares to the PowerBook. Also, do you know of what places would allow me to customize a barebones system? Xmeld change their customize page so that you have to buy it with RAM and a hard drive, I'd rather get those somewhere else for a cheaper price. Thanks!

phaxmohdem: Actually I didn't mean for bringing up the start menu, I use the keyboard shortcuts like Win+L (lock down the computer), Win+D (show desktop), Win+R (run...), etc. At my work we have a T40, T42, and a couple R51's. They're nice, but not quite what I want. Thanks.
 
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