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dissident · 03:44 AM

Lately I've been thinking of selling my powermac G4 1GHz MDD and bying maybe one of the new powerbook g4s, a 12".

I do a lot of audio stuff, like cubase sx, and some video. I'm a student living in a small apartment, and the little neat powerbook seems soo cool!

Of course I need a audiocard to be able to record music.

Would this be a mistake? Can anyone help me think of reasons why I would regret switching. Is the pbg4 powerful enough to replace my 1ghz g4 pm? By switching I would gain space and silence, what would I loose?

thanx!

Scotttheking · Sep 19, 2003, 03:06 AM

What is a Powerbok?

Simon · 04:16 AM

Originally posted by Scotttheking:
What is a Powerbok?

You may be a mod, but you're a particularly annoying one. This is not the first time you have completely missed it.

He wrote PowerBook correctly throughout his posting, it was just a minor typo in his title. Lay off. Why don't you try answering his question instead of being a nuisance for once?

Originally posted by dissident:
Would this be a mistake? Can anyone help me think of reasons why I would regret switching. Is the pbg4 powerful enough to replace my 1ghz g4 pm? By switching I would gain space and silence, what would I loose?

I think I experienced a similar problem. I used to have a dual PowerMac MDD. It was a great machine, fast as hell and had lots of expansion possibilities. But it was very noisy. Too noisy to have running 24/7 and sit next to. I finally sold it off and bought a new 17" iMac. It wasn't an easy decision to take, but in the end I was very glad I "switched". These are the questions I think you should answer for yourself in order to make the decision:

- Do I really need the PowerBook? Or, do I really want the PowerBook? If you want it bad that's OK, but you really need to want it. It should be a real benefit for you. Just buying it to have it is not going to make you happy.

- Yes, the 12" PowerBook is very cool. But, is it enough? Will I need an additional screen hooked up externally? Will I need an external keyboard, mouse, etc.? These are additional costs.

- Can I really do without the PowerMac? You mention an audio card. I suppose PCI. How do you expect to replace that? The PowerBook has no PCI. Is there an external FW or USB box that can give you the functionality?

- The PowerMac is expandable and upgradable. The PowerBook is more limited in this respect. Is that a problem? Do I plan on keeping the device for only two years and then getting a new one anyway, or do I expect to ugrade and expand the machine for years to come?

The PowerMac might be faster in one or the other tasks, but I guess in general it will be similar. They both have single 1GHz G4s. They have the same bus and RAM. The PowerBook has more L2 cache, but the PowerMac has a better HD and more VRAM.

If you had a dual 1.42GHz PowerMac it would be a completely different issue. But your PowerMac is already a tiny bit "outdated". But, instead of listening to me babble, go to you local shop and try a PowerBook (at least once they have them). Keep in mind that it may not have enough RAM (try to play with one that has at least 512MB) and they may have hooked up odd peripherals or installed crazy software. If overall performance seems similar that's fine. But what about your specific audio apps? If you spend ages waiting for them to get work done on your PowerMac already, chances are, the PowerBook won't be any faster.

And finally, how much would the "switch" cost you? Is it cheap enough just to have a cool and nice device? Or is it a lot of money for too little benefit?

dissident · Sep 19, 2003, 10:07 AM

Simon, thank you very much for your reply! It will certainly help me with making a decision.

Scotttheking · Sep 19, 2003, 12:14 PM

Originally posted by Simon:
You may be a mod, but you're a particularly annoying one. This is not the first time you have completely missed it.

He wrote PowerBook correctly throughout his posting, it was just a minor typo in his title. Lay off. Why don't you try answering his question instead of being a nuisance for once?

Obviously (s)he meant powerbook. Now if only the thread title had said that...

I'd recommend against switching to a powerbook. I use mine as a desktop replacement, but I've had it die at least 5 times in the last 2.5 years. Apple doesn't service laptops locally, so if something goes wrong, you may be without the computer for a while. My battery latch broke (I can't remove my battery), and it's going to leave me without my machine for 3-5 days while it's repaired. With a desktop many of these problems don't happen.
Also, you will have less screen real estate, but that depends on if you want it or not.
I do not find apple powerbooks to be quiet, either. Sure, they are while not doing anything, but run the CPU to full and they are horribly annoying.

--Scott

fat mac moron · Sep 19, 2003, 12:25 PM

I moved to a Powerbook (TiBook) from a QuickSilver 867Mhz (single processor) earlier this year. It's been great, but there are obsticles that I ran into...

Hard Drive - My PB has a 60 gig drive, my tower has a 100 gig. Big difference. I bought a firewire drive for the notebook, but lugging all that stuff around can be a pain in the ass.

Super Drive - Both machine have a Super Drive. I couldn't live without one. If your other machine has a SD, you'll probably want one in the notebook too.

Another thing to consider: Your PowerBook will get beat up. It will get scratched. It will get dents and dings. It's not a big deal (at least for me, I'm fairly hard on my equipment), but know that a nice shiny notebook will show wear and tear more than a desktop machine.

Overall I've been very happy with my notebook, it's great having the mobility that you can't have in a desktop. I'm not sure if I'd ever go back to having a desktop machine, but I still haven't sold my QS 867... yet.

euphras · Sep 19, 2003, 02:04 PM

Quote: originally posted by Scott:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Simon:
You may be a mod, but you're a particularly annoying one. This is not the first time you have completely missed it.

He wrote PowerBook correctly throughout his posting, it was just a minor typo in his title. Lay off. Why don't you try answering his question instead of being a nuisance for once?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obviously (s)he meant powerbook. Now if only the thread title had said that..."

You know just as well as I that thread titles cannot be edited by normal members, Simon is totally right...

benb · Sep 19, 2003, 02:41 PM

Originally posted by euphras:
You know just as well as I that thread titles cannot be edited by normal members, Simon is totally right...

And who can alter thread titles? Hmm, maybe instead of being an idiot you could have changed it if it bothered you so.

euphras · Sep 19, 2003, 03:00 PM

...Mod�s like Scottthel....

turboSPE · Sep 19, 2003, 03:26 PM

Originally posted by dissident:
Lately I've been thinking of selling my powermac G4 1GHz MDD and bying maybe one of the new powerbook g4s, a 12".

I do a lot of audio stuff, like cubase sx, and some video. I'm a student living in a small apartment, and the little neat powerbook seems soo cool!

Of course I need a audiocard to be able to record music.

Would this be a mistake? Can anyone help me think of reasons why I would regret switching. Is the pbg4 powerful enough to replace my 1ghz g4 pm? By switching I would gain space and silence, what would I loose?

thanx!

I plan on doing the same thing very soon. I am a student as well, and while I don't do as many power-hungry things as you, I feel "over-powered" with my MDD 1GHz.

turboSPE

B_2 · Sep 19, 2003, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by Scotttheking:
What is a Powerbok?

King of what? being a jackass?

Simon · Sep 19, 2003, 11:17 PM

Originally posted by dissident:
Simon, thank you very much for your reply! It will certainly help me with making a decision.

No problem at all.

Please keep us posted about your decision-making process and the new PowerBook (if ya get it of course).

JustinD · Sep 20, 2003, 01:15 AM

Lay off Scott. Seriously, stop being a d1ck. Everyone makes typos. What's with the need to constantly berate people and/or point piddling crap out? As a mod aren't you supposed to set an example? So set one.

Look at that, you made me act like you and diss you.

Scotttheking · Sep 20, 2003, 02:09 AM

Originally posted by euphras:
You know just as well as I that thread titles cannot be edited by normal members, Simon is totally right... [/B]

Noted. I actually wasn't aware of that.
If anyone wants a title edited, they can put a note to the mods in their post and someone will [probably] see it and edit the title.