[redJag]

Ok, so not exactly. Here's my situation:
I have a G4 QuickSilver (733) with 80GB harddrive, Radeon 8500, and a gig of RAM. I also have two PCs, one a 2.4 Ghz P4 and the other an AMD XP 2600+. I am definitely selling one of the PCs for ~$800. I notice on eBay, 733 G4s go for $800-850, and I'm considering selling the G4 so I can buy either a powerbook or ibook. What advice do you all have to offer me, and keep in mind I'm a college student (though employed) and enjoy drinkery (which equates to a lack of funds). Thanks,

Travis

[Graymalkin]

I've got a 12" Powerbook SD and my friend recently got a 12" iBook 900. I love my Powerbook and my friend is really enjoying her iBook (she's a recent switcher). I think either one would make a really good choice for a school system. They're both light and quiet while still being fully functional. They both play Quake 3 and NWN very nicely even on a battery.

If you're more of a multimedia creator type person the Powerbook would probably suit you better. The G4 makes a really big difference in a lot of media apps. Quicktime and iTunes encoding are AltiVec aware as is FCP and FC Express. Photoshop has several AltiVec savvy filters and functions as well. Logic and ProTools are also do well on the G4.

If you're looking for more of a consumer system save the money and get an iBook. The 900MHz iBook is a really sweet deal. It's fast and handles games better than a lot of people might expect. It also gets a bit better AirPort reception than my Powerbook and about 30 minutes more time on the battery.

[SEkker]

I, too, think iBooks are nice, but the 12 PB just has too many pluses. In addition to those listed, it can have a superdrive, has a much better keyboard IMHO, and has a better build, fit, and finish. I expect it will last much longer.

In addition, the 12PB can use an airport extreme card for better wifi with an airport extreme base station, and I believe it has better video for use with external monitors.

I think the screen is also better, but that may only be a matter of opinion.

[Darksider]

Sell the G4 and get a powerbook.