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Olorin · Aug 13, 2003, 12:48 AM

I am sure this has been discussed quite a few times now; however, I am interested in hearing what owners of these two computers have to say about them.

My mother had an old 400mhz iMac that has bit the dust, and she needs a new Computer fast. SO no waiting etc for new ones. (she is a writer) I have been using Macs for a long time and know quite a bit about them. However, I would like some input on which comp to buy.

My questions for you guys are as follows:

1. Will the 900Mhz iBook run OS X fast like my 1ghz Tibook? As in will it seem the same using the finder or if not how much slower.

2. Would the 12" PowerBook be any faster than said iBook?

3. I know that the Pentium 4 now runs at something like 3Ghz, would an old G3 chip running at 900Mhz be able to keep up with modern software? Even though apple CPUs have lower Mhz than PCs, I know first hand that it really doesn't matter with the G4. My TiBook runs head to head with 2.4GHz P4s all the time. However, I wonder whether the G3 would keep up at all.

Thanks!

Peter · Aug 13, 2003, 02:47 AM

1) The TiBook would be faster, due to the L3 Cache, G4, extra 100Mhz, ability to upgrade to 1Gb ram. But the 900Mhz iBook runs OS X very very very nicely

2) The powerbook 867 would be faster, and signifcantly faster in applications like Photoshop.
3) Yes, easily. You'll be able to run all applications other than the most complex rendering stuff on an iBook, and then if you were to upgrade to Panther, the speed boost would be awesome

Cipher13 · Aug 13, 2003, 05:45 AM

Originally posted by PeterClark2002:
1) The TiBook would be faster, due to the L3 Cache, G4, extra 100Mhz, ability to upgrade to 1Gb ram. But the 900Mhz iBook runs OS X very very very nicely
2) The powerbook 867 would be faster, and signifcantly faster in applications like Photoshop.
3) Yes, easily. You'll be able to run all applications other than the most complex rendering stuff on an iBook, and then if you were to upgrade to Panther, the speed boost would be awesome

The iBook has twice the L2 cache, however, which is more important than L3 cache (IMO, that's no fact though...).

The PB 12" also has no L3, so that point is moot.

Link · Aug 13, 2003, 07:16 AM

The 12" powerbook will fry your lap.

The ibook will not.

The ibook will look like a japanese toy.

The 12" powerbook will look like a retro computer

The ibook will be sturdier

the 12" powerbook won't crack or fade into yellow.

This is basically what you're looking at

ChadC · Aug 13, 2003, 07:59 AM

We got a 12" PowerBook in out house about 1 month ago. Its great, such a beautiful peice of machinery. If you are going for looks, definatly get the PowerBook. But like Link said, the iBook will be sturdier. This is my dads fourth laptop(third Apple) and it took him this long to get it because he travels and is always worried about it being dropped or hit in any sort of way. As a writer, I dont think she'll need the added power but for asthestic reasons it may be a better option.

All in all its gonna be a tough decision if you ask me.

-Chad

arnette · Aug 13, 2003, 10:42 AM

I've owned both the PB 12" and the ibook 900Mhz 12".

Get the ibook. It's more comfortable to type on when it's in your lap, it runs OS X just fine, yeah if you're doing Photoshop or rendering stuff you'll see a difference between the two but seriously, are you going to be doing that?
Better Airport reception, better durability, better looks, speed is even on just about every aspect, cheaper, etc.

Why WOULDN'T you choose the ibook?

GORDYmac · 11:04 AM

I'd opt for the PowerBook just because it has more connectivity options. Also its lighter, more compact, and it looks more professional IMHO.

Olorin · Aug 14, 2003, 12:09 AM

Well we opted for the iBook cause it is cheaper and seems to provide fine for all her needs. Plus the PowerBook 12" with extra ram and warrenty begins to get expensive. The iBook, although it does not look as good, is a better deal. Thanks apple says it should ship tomorrow.

generic · Aug 14, 2003, 12:48 AM

"The iBook, although it does not look as good"

You can always mod the ibook with paint or buy a skin for it.

aloner · Aug 14, 2003, 04:07 PM

Buy the iBook and spend the $500 price difference in a 512MB memory module, an Airport card and some software you might need.

Peter · Aug 14, 2003, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
The iBook has twice the L2 cache, however, which is more important than L3 cache (IMO, that's no fact though...).

The PB 12" also has no L3, so that point is moot.

I was refering to the TiBook

sniffer · Aug 14, 2003, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by aloner:
Buy the iBook and spend the $500 price difference in a 512MB memory module, an Airport card and some software you might need.

Yep. The airport card is a great value and gives the machine true mobility. I bought one recently and couldn't be more satisfied.

qnxde · Aug 15, 2003, 08:47 AM

The iBook and the PowerBook currently feel fairly similar responsiveness wise, but 10.3 doubles the gui performance on the PowerBook, (from my xbench benchmarks) but the iBook's speed increase isn't so large.

I think 10.2 must have badly optimized video drivers making quartz not be as responsive as it could be.

The PowerBook will have better resale value. The PowerBook has a 133mhz system bus where the iBook is only 100 (all else being equal (it's not) the powerbook by definition will be 33% faster).

The keyboard on the PowerBook is by far better, and if you're doing any media encoding the powerbook will be faster there. I won't go into the airport extreme, slot loading drive, superdrive option, audio in ports or the bluetooth.

On the other hand, the iBook is a big chunk cheaper and is more durable (and the battery probably lasts longer).