[The Placid Casual]

I go back to Uni next month, and need a new machine to see me through...

I placed an order for a dual 2 Ghz G5, but it won't arrive in time, so I have decided to broaden the search for a suitable machine... (I have also realised that I don't really need the power either for what i am planning to do...)

I sold my 12" PB last month due to the DVI out issue, and assuming the 15" Powerbook revision is still some way away, I looked at the TiBook 15"...

£1450!! Cheap, cheap cheap...

For under £1950, compared to the £2100 for a dual G5, I can get everything I need for the immediate future:

PowerBook 867MHz 15"
256MB SDRAM
DVD/CD-RW
60GB Ultra ATA drive

iPod 15GB

D-Link USB Bluetooth adapter

Extra Battery -PowerBook G4

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

Yep, not the latest and greatest, but still a very decent system, and I can max out the RAM at crucial...

What does everyone think?

Am I mad for considering it?

Any comment appreciated....

Cheers,

Marc

[phobos]

You better get the 1Ghz version. It's a laptop so you can't upgrade it. So if you buy the 1GHz version it will last longer. Not only you have the higher MHz but you also get double the graphics card memory (32MB vs 64MB) so you can play better video games and graphic intensive application and you also get much more hard disk capacity.
On desktop machines you can get the lower specced machine and later as the hardware goes cheaper you can buy something better. But on laptops it;s a different thing. You have to get the latest and greatest for your machine to last longer and won't spend many money after a year or a year and a half.

Hope this helps

[mousehouse]

if you look closely at the pricing and add airport, the 60G drive and an extra 256M (all of which you'll want) you end up paying like 80 Euro's for an additional 32M VRAM and the 133MHz speed bonus.

i'd always go for the 1G... (gets a little warmer though)

[Eug]

For under £1950, compared to the £2100 for a dual G5, I can get everything I need for the immediate future

Well, everything except speed.

My 1 GHz TiBook is no screamer. It gets the job done but for video stuff it ain't the fastest.

What do you plan to do with it? Do you need a dual G5? How about a single 1.8? Are you getting an educational discount?

The other consideration is the (small?) possibility that a new PowerBook would be released in August. Doesn't school start for you in Sept? What's another few weeks for waiting? If they don't release one by the time school starts you can just pop in to a store and pick up a cheap TiBook.

[wulf]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Am I mad for considering it?

Yes, clearly

Don't get me wrong I have a Ti867 and it's a fine machine and all. But.

You were about to buy the top of the range next-gen Mac! Alternatively there's also the possibility of new powerbooks Real Soon Now. I follow your reasoning, but it seems kind of rash to buy the Ti867 at his point in time, unless you absolutely have to have a mac this minute.

Besides, it's kind of annoying having a sleek laptop and then having to plug in an ugly dongle to do Bluetooth. Better to wait for a new Mac with it built-in

[HasanDaddy]

I agree that the 1 ghz machine is a very good and stable machine

plus, having a SuperDrive is nice too

otherwise, unless you're doing video or graphics editing, there's no need to get a G5 PowerMac

the PowerBook is plenty of power!

[rjt1000]

Hi,

If price was the main issue for considering the 867mhz vs the 1 ghz Ti-book, you might also consider getting the 1 ghz Ti-book with combo drive rather than superdrive. Unless you really need to burn DVD's that would save significantly over the superdrive model. 1ghz Ti-book with combo rather than superdrives are available directly from apple, as well as from some resellers.

Best wishes,

Rich (Pismo G3 500)

[Mastrap]

You've owned the 12"which makes me suspect that you'll be disappointed with the tibook.

The keyboard isn't up to the 12", neither is the build quality IMO. No native bluetooth and so-so airport reception. Basically you'Re getting what you had before, with a bigger screen and DVI but otherwise not as good.
Now before any angry 15" owners jump on me, I am aware that the tibook is a great machine in it's own right. I just feel that Apple has done a lot of things better with the AL series and I personally could/would not go back to the design or the feature set of previous machines.

If your only concern is DVI I'd wait for the new 15" to come out. Otherwise, have you thought about getting another 12"? I'm running mine with a 15" Sony LCD and have all the screen real estate I could possibly ask for. I'm running my business on it, a fair amount of office use. Light Photoshop, a little web development, database work, InDesign, ever now and then. And a small machine to take with me for presentations. Remember, the only portable computer is a portable computer

If you need more power I would definitely go and get the top 15" model.

[The Placid Casual]

Thanks for the input everyone...

My mind is now officially fried!

Putting my rational hat on, I have come to the conclusion that I don't really need a G5... I was buying the Dual to 'future proof' myself, but thinking about it all, a laptop would be much more beneficial to me.

I was pretty happy with speed of the 12" PB (max RAM), and it did everything I needed it to, which is mostly M$ Office, Open Office, X11, web browsing, email, light Photoshop use, excel, File Maker. I can't see this changing any time soon.

The *book will literally be used for research, and essays and such... nothing demanding such as DV work or games, although there will be loads of iPhoto and digital camera usage...

I also don't use Airport at all. Also, I already have a 17" Studio Display, so DVI is a must.

The thing is, there were aspects of the Alubook which in hindsight I didn't like... and some off the Ti which I do. But then I think that the converse is also true! I am truly stuck!

The way I see it:

Alu Pros: Rugged design, Integrated Bluetooth, Airport Extreme, great keyboard...

Alu Cons: Heat on higher Mhz models? OS X only, that little depression in front of the keyboard that gathered dust and dirt, Battery life (I rarely got 3.5 hours out of my 12" PB) Also, the 'plastic trim' around it was already showing signs of wear after 6 weeks of use.

Hmmm,

TiBook Pros: Cheap! Dual Boot, I kind of prefer the design in some ways. Did I mention it was Cheap!

TiBook Cons: SDRAM? No Bluetooth built in, No AE, EOL so low resale, FW400 only, inferior keyboard, slow?

The other problem is, the 15" Powerbook isn't announced yet..! How long will it be from announcement to shipping? If it is like the 12" and 17", could it conceivably be an 6-8 week gap? Assuming it gets announced at the end of August, it may not ship in the UK until the ned of October (worst case).

I start the course on 2nd September, and I am doing some legal research until then... Ideally I need a machine now'ish', or at the latest in the next 2 weeks or so...

I want to avoid not having a decent machine until after I go back, and also having a brand new machine, in case it is faulty etc. I want to have used it for 2-3 weeks to make sure it is functioning correctly, and there are no issues with it...

Also, I never boot into OS9, however the course is meant to be PC based. I have a copy of VPC5 (Win2000) that is OS9 only, and I don't want to have to spend more money on an upgrade i may never use... I may need this option in future, so is it wise to get a 'dual boot' machine for this?

Also price wise, will the Alu 15" go up in price? I can currently get a Ti 15" with the bigger hard drive for £1480... I can't see it staying this cheap with the introduction of a new machine...

Hmmm, I have no clue which way to go...

[The Placid Casual]

Decision made... I think!

I just spoke to Apple and they have knocked another £100+ off the Edu price for some reason!

I can either have a standard G4 867 machine for £1300...

Or an 867 upgraded to a Superdrive and 60 gig hard drive for a shade over £1500!!

Old tech or no, it is an offer too good to miss for me I think...

[Link]

DO IT! omg that's sooo good a deal

[reybart]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:


Old tech or no, it is an offer too good to miss for me I think... [/B]

Go for it. I just bought the machine you are describing and waiting for it to arrive today.This is not an old tech machine though, it is still far comaparable with the rest. I am so excited.

[phobos]

If the 12'' was good for your needs then the 867 15'' will far exceed them. Go for it. Enjoy your new machine!!

[The Placid Casual]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone... I just ordered!

I don't quite know how, but I got a standard 15" 867, spare battery, D-Link bluetooth adaptor, and an ADC-->DVI adaptor for £1550.

Regardless of what is released down the line, I am chuffed as I think I got a pretty good deal all things considered! The same machine is listed 'normally' at £1599 on the main Apple site!

Delivery is scheduled for early next week, probably Monday... can't wait!

[Eug]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Thanks for the encouragement everyone... I just ordered!

I don't quite know how, but I got a standard 15" 867, spare battery, D-Link bluetooth adaptor, and an ADC-->DVI adaptor for £1550.

Regardless of what is released down the line, I am chuffed as I think I got a pretty good deal all things considered! The same machine is listed 'normally' at £1599 on the main Apple site!

Delivery is scheduled for early next week, probably Monday... can't wait!

Too late now, but why not the 1 GHz?

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by Eug:
Too late now, but why not the 1 GHz?

I the end, I thought through what I really needed...

I would very rarely use a Superdrive, have no use for Airport, and also preferred the RAM single module set-up on the 867...

Also the discount wasn't as great on the 1 Ghz model, so I figured that as I was satisfied with the speed of the 12" with no level 3 cache, the 867 15" would be fine.

By saving the money on the 867, I can also buy some RAM, an iSight, an iPod, a few games and get my new ADSL connection sorted...

It was hard decision, but I think I have done the right thing... At least I hope I have!

Marc

[Lateralus]

Nice catch man.

Enjoy!

[appleseed]

Found myself in a somewhat similar timing predicament, but it was brought about by a rather large dent in my Ti667, after dropping it. Can't be without a Powerbook due to numerous deadlines, so have decided to use this 'opportunity' to upgrade to the Ti 1Ghz, and then sell the repaired Ti667.

I'm also able to get education pricing on it, making it £1550, after downgrading the Superdrive, and reducing the capacity on the HD. Actually, not that unhappy, since I much prefer the aesthetics of the TiBook compared to the Al Powerbook offerings. Ive's design awards aside, I really don't see the anodised drinks can material, with shiny Buck Rogers silver teflon coated keyboard, as the height of exceptional industrial design. Also, prefer that the ports are all at the back on the TiBook, and will be thrilled to have a L3 cache and decent graphics card. So, don't really anticipate buyer's remorse, even when the replacement is eventually released.

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
I the end, I thought through what I really needed...

I would very rarely use a Superdrive, have no use for Airport, and also preferred the RAM single module set-up on the 867...

Also the discount wasn't as great on the 1 Ghz model, so I figured that as I was satisfied with the speed of the 12" with no level 3 cache, the 867 15" would be fine.

By saving the money on the 867, I can also buy some RAM, an iSight, an iPod, a few games and get my new ADSL connection sorted...

It was hard decision, but I think I have done the right thing... At least I hope I have!

Marc