[LadiDami]

I just bought a Dual 1ghz QS 2002 on eBay for $500 and am considering selling my 4 month old PowerBook, for the extra money and the expansion possibilities (3 internal drives, PCI slots, better cooling, etc).
Is the QS reliable? I skimmed over the topics on here, and it seems that all the towers have their share of problems...
My main concern is the age of the computer and the lifespan of the processors. Currently I have a Powerbook 1.67ghz/1.5gb ram/80gb/dual-layer dvd.
Which is better for ProTools music software? I was using the Pbook, but occasionally the usb/firewire ports decide not to recognize anything and I have to restart.
Any comments or suggestions are much appreciated.

[WizOSX]

I'm in a similar situation. I've owned a 1.33 12" PB (1.25gb RAM) for almost two years. It was my main computer until last November when I picked up an SP 867 QS (1gb RAM) on eBay for about $425 (US) including shipping (couldn't resist the deal). Having the two machines available at the same time I definitely have found myself gravitating toward the QS full-time. It just feels faster at almost everything I do. And when I do go back to the PB, it only backs up that feeling. And its not the video card because the PB has a MUCH better video card or the HD because the PB also has just as fast a one (I replaced the original with a much faster one). The main explanation for the difference in perceived speed is, I think, the fact that Apple seriously underclocks the video cards in their PBs for heat and energy use reasons.

In your case, with the Dual, I would think this would be even more obvious. As to the life of the machine, just keep in mind that it is an old machine. Mine (probably 6 months older) has stood up fine so far. But they do die and then are not worth repairing. So don't put money into it (except for some RAM--never more than 1gb unless your apps desperately need that much).

[LadiDami]

Originally Posted by WizOSX

I definitely have found myself gravitating toward the QS full-time. It just feels faster at almost everything I do.

I've noticed that, too. The QS seems a lot quicker than my PB. You're right, it must be due to the heat issues associated with such a small space.

Originally Posted by WizOSX

So don't put money into it (except for some RAM--never more than 1gb unless your apps desperately need that much).

Why not more than 1gb? It maxes out at 1.5, which is what I have in my PB right now.

Thanks for the reply, I find myself leaning towards the tower - portability issues aside.

[jamil5454]

The fastest 2.5" 7200rpm drive is still slower than the slowest 3.5" 7200rpm ATA100 drive. This is why your PowerBook feels slower than a desktop.

[chris v]

The Quicksilvers are sturdy machines, and you got a pretty good deal. Definitely max the RAM.

[wupboxer]

Did you say dual QS? I think that's your answer. Really, unless you're going to be doing some heavy rendering of 3D spaces, movie or sound editing in non dual core aware applications, I'd say that the QS is the better machine. You can swap some quiet fans in the thing to get the noise down, add in about a TB of disk space for fairly cheap, max the ram and have a much better machine than your PB could ever be (no offence to your powerbook ).

If you wanted to get really adventurous (spelling?) you could upgrade the processor to a dual 1.6 or 1.8 model (http://eshop.macsales.com/) and have it really scream.

[scottiB]

I have a QS 2x800 that's 4.5 years old. Other than its first year where it was having processor/motherboard issues (warranty fixed), it's been a great machine. I have 4 hard drives in it and three of the PCI slots filled.

We have a 2x1000 at work as a digital asset/FileMaker server and not a problem at all.

Yours can handle drives larger than 127GB. Max the RAM, upgrade the video if you want. It's all cool.

[LadiDami]

Thanks for all the replies, guys.
I threw in a 120GB and 200GB Seagate Barracuda drives.
Memory to be acquired soon.
Laptop has a sale pending...

sold.