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Marchangel · Jun 4, 2003, 04:09 PM

Hm, I always wanted to have a 15" Titanium - the prices now are very tempting, but I really worry about fan-noise - I had the "pleasure" to meet 500 Titanium that sounds like an airplane starting if treated more than opening Simple Text. I�ve been reading both opinions, 1Ghz ugly loud and the opposite. My question:

Are there different models, some loud, some more silent?

Is the 867Mhz 15" noteable more silent than the 1Ghz, running cooler?

Noise is an very important issue to me, going much by train, for instance.

Sorry for my bad english, anyway. Thanks and many greetings,
Markus

justinf77 · Jun 4, 2003, 04:14 PM

I have the 15" Gigabook and love it... I do hear the fans come on, but they are not too loud at all. In fact, I would say this is one of the quieter laptops I have ever used. Good luck with the choice, its a great machine.

juanpacolopez · Jun 4, 2003, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by justinf77:
I have the 15" Gigabook and love it... I do hear the fans come on, but they are not too loud at all. In fact, I would say this is one of the quieter laptops I have ever used. Good luck with the choice, its a great machine.

I second that. While my ti is noticeably louder than my iBook when the fan kicks on, it's still 1/5th as loud as my girlfriend's (couple year) old Toshiba Satellite 7k series, and a great deal quieter than my dad's Dell Inspiron 8500.

i wouldn't worry about the noise w/ the 1Ghz, hasn't bothered me a bit. And to those of you who think the tiBook gets too hot.... try out almost ANY windows laptop for a week or so, they get FAR hotter.

I say go for the ti, it's a FINE machine!

todrain · Jun 4, 2003, 07:07 PM

Go Listen to just about any PC notebook, then compare it to a TI... there's no comparison!

shrink · Jun 4, 2003, 07:44 PM

I can't speak to the comparison with a PC laptop, but I had a 1 Ghz 15" and its two fans were just plain obnoxious. I could here it in the room down the hall (granted, this was a very short hall in a small apartment). In my TiBook, it was a significant issue, but as you can see from the other posts, it doesn't seem to be a universal problem. Unfortunately, I don't think you can really "try it before you buy it" without a 10% restocking fee (at least from the Apple store).

schk · Jun 4, 2003, 08:05 PM

I'm definitely more averse to fan and computer noise in general than most people that I go out of my way to make my PC's as silent as possible (you can barely tell my P4 2.53 PC is on). With that said, I would say that when the fan did kick in on my previous 1ghz TiBook, it definitely was not obnoxious at all (trust me, I have sensitive hearing and get annoyed rather easily). Like others have said, just compare it to a PC laptop and the noise is night and day, with the TiBook being much quieter. Plus, with limited space in laptops for air to circulate, fan noise is just something you learn to deal with.

Marchangel · Jun 4, 2003, 08:44 PM

Its not a question between PC-notebook and an Apple - most PC-bricks are unelegant and awefull. Its more 867Mhz against 1Ghz - speed is ok with both.

Hm, I should try to test it at an Apple-Store.

Thank you very much -
Cheers
Markus

StrongMan · Jun 4, 2003, 09:52 PM

dont be fooled,markus.i have both sony viao GR114Mk and Pbg4 867. when i compared them pbg4 is the loudest and both the center ad right fans never stop.kicks in just after 15-20 mins of use.even when im only doing normal web surfing.i can hear the noise from 100cm away.(mind you i did call apple, and they told me that's normal.)while the sony viao i need to put my ear next to the laptop just to make sure the fan is blowing.i notice people here dont compare the fan noise to a better pc machines like ibm,sony or toshiba.they always tend to compare it to the worsts like dell.that i think is not fair.anyway,if you're not in the rush to get a pb then i suggest you wait for the al15" or maybe get the al17".by the way buy apple laptop only if you need it for graphic works otherwise it is always better to buy a pc.trust me.
Excuse my english.hope you can understand.
p/s not all pcs are ugly.

juanpacolopez · Jun 4, 2003, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by Marchangel:
Its not a question between PC-notebook and an Apple - most PC-bricks are unelegant and awefull. Its more 867Mhz against 1Ghz - speed is ok with both.

Hm, I should try to test it at an Apple-Store.

Thank you very much -
Cheers
Markus

I would try it out... because I think the 1ghz runs at 867 in "reduced processor performance" for battery mode. If that's the case, then I can vouch that the fan seems to come on just as often and in the same circumstances (playing games, processing video).

I can't imagine 133Mhz would add THAT much heat... but who knows.

juanpacolopez · Jun 4, 2003, 09:58 PM

Originally posted by StrongMan:
dont be fooled,markus.i have both sony viao GR114Mk and Pbg4 867. when i compared them pbg4 is the loudest and both the center ad right fans never stop.kicks in just after 15-20 mins of use.even when im only doing normal web surfing.i can hear the noise from 100cm away.(mind you i did call apple, and they told me that's normal.)while the sony viao i need to put my ear next to the laptop just to make sure the fan is blowing.i notice people here dont compare the fan noise to a better pc machines like ibm,sony or toshiba.they always tend to compare it to the worsts like dell.that i think is not fair.anyway,if you're not in the rush to get a pb then i suggest you wait for the al15" or maybe get the al17".by the way buy apple laptop only if you need it for graphic works otherwise it is always better to buy a pc.trust me.
Excuse my english.hope you can understand.
p/s not all pcs are ugly.

Actually the machine I was comparing it to, the Toshiba Satellite 7000 series, was of EXTREMELY high quality for it's time (2 years ago). It was about 5 times louder than my 1Ghz pb. I can't hear my tibook in the next room, but her laptop I could hear in the bathroom with the door closed.

As for buying a PC being better... a similarly equipped PC costs at best, $300 more than I paid for my tiBook. Trust me, I'm a systems admin at an all windows house... we've got top end ibm notebooks in our office that slow to a CRAWL under a multitasking load that my tiBook would laugh at. 1 single app is faster, for sure... but open up 10 or 12 (as in a common professional environment) and the gap narrows FAST.

squish · Jun 5, 2003, 01:06 AM

I have a Ti/Ghz. Here are the rules for Silent Powerbook:
1.) Make sure it hasn't heated up before you start using it! (this is the most important)
2.) Use battery power (battery last a long time, usually longer than I am sitting at my computer, then i plug it in while i'm away, but usually the noise isn't a big enough issue for this)
3.) Place powerbook FLAT on glass (works like a charm)

This way, if you stress the hell out of the machine, it'll be silent for a good 15 minutes. If you go easy on 'er, she'll be quiet for like an hour and a half. And if you use 'er for a lil while, stop (put machien to sleep), then start using it again, it'll have cooled down and will remain silent for a long time.

And finally, the noise is NOT that big of an issue. Yes, I like having silence while using it, but the fans aren't a problem. Don't let that be the determining factor between 867 and 1 ghz. I would say get 1 ghz all the way.

NOTES: Rip your DVDs to your HD. This saves battery power (if you're on the go) and reduces fan noise.

You will be amazed at how much quieter it is when it's not plugged in. I sure was.

PUt the computer to sleep when you're not using it. this lets it cool down.

But really, it's not going to be a problem, trust me. This was my biggest worry before getting the machine, but I love the thing too damn much. I shouldn't have let this make me wait as long as it did. The Ti rocks.

Enjoy.