[Switched2Mac]

I bought the 12" PowerBook G4 1.33 gHz with 4X SuperDrive and 768 megs of RAM.

I loaded up GarageBand and played the 5 demo songs:

Daydream
For The Mind
Glide
Half-Dome
Shufflin-Blues

Full Screen, defaults, no adjustments, nothing. Just clicked play.

Each of them played through entirely with the indicator triangle staying clear the whole time throughout each song. I was very pleased!

Next real-world test is Command & Conquer Generals. CompUSA had 1 left in stock, they are selling like crazy it seems. Good news for Asypr.

I install it from the DVD (just a folder copy) and then run it (must leave DVD in drive to play). It comes up using MEDIUM detail and 800 x 600 resolution. I prefer more, but let's try it.

The game runs fine, no serious slowdowns. I have logged hundred+ hours playing C&C Generals/Zero Hour on the PC and I found the gameplay to be acceptable. I played in skirmish mode with only 1 computer opponent.

Downside was that the fan was BLOWING FAST & FURIOUS the whole time the game was playing. I really don't care about the noise since the game has my attention. But I was concerned about the heat. The left palm rest was its usual fire rock hot, no change there. But the underside was meltdown HOT. This game maxes out my CPU on my Wintel desktop (P4 3.0 gHz and Centrino Laptop P 1.3) but they don't get that HOT.

I have the PB up on a laptop cooling pad that elevates it too. How concerned about the heat should I get?

C&C is an AWESOME game that should keep Mac RTS lovers very happy.

If I were playing C&C at the North Pole and dropped my PB, it might have melted through to the earths core.

[vsurfer]

Hi,

Is C&C a good option for Total Annihilation fans looking for a similar game they can play on OSX?

Thanks,

Originally posted by Switched2Mac:
I bought the 12" PowerBook G4 1.33 gHz with 4X SuperDrive and 768 megs of RAM.

I loaded up GarageBand and played the 5 demo songs:

Daydream
For The Mind
Glide
Half-Dome
Shufflin-Blues

Full Screen, defaults, no adjustments, nothing. Just clicked play.

Each of them played through entirely with the indicator triangle staying clear the whole time throughout each song. I was very pleased!

Next real-world test is Command & Conquer Generals. CompUSA had 1 left in stock, they are selling like crazy it seems. Good news for Asypr.

I install it from the DVD (just a folder copy) and then run it (must leave DVD in drive to play). It comes up using MEDIUM detail and 800 x 600 resolution. I prefer more, but let's try it.

The game runs fine, no serious slowdowns. I have logged hundred+ hours playing C&C Generals/Zero Hour on the PC and I found the gameplay to be acceptable. I played in skirmish mode with only 1 computer opponent.

Downside was that the fan was BLOWING FAST & FURIOUS the whole time the game was playing. I really don't care about the noise since the game has my attention. But I was concerned about the heat. The left palm rest was its usual fire rock hot, no change there. But the underside was meltdown HOT. This game maxes out my CPU on my Wintel desktop (P4 3.0 gHz and Centrino Laptop P 1.3) but they don't get that HOT.

I have the PB up on a laptop cooling pad that elevates it too. How concerned about the heat should I get?

C&C is an AWESOME game that should keep Mac RTS lovers very happy.

If I were playing C&C at the North Pole and dropped my PB, it might have melted through to the earths core.

[mdc]

firstly: your name. good job

secondly: the 1.33ghz sounds good. the garageband tests. did you copy the files from the dvd to the hard drive or run them off the dvd. my 1ghz 12" with 768mb ran all the tests perfectly off the hard drive. i have not tested out my new 1.25ghz 15" though.

nice work on the 12", i am sure you are loving it. i'm off to download the demo of c&c

[Commodus]

Consider this: the heat you experience on the outside is being transferred away from the inside. You shouldn't have to worry about your system melting because any excess heat is going to be dissipated through the vents and the case itself.

Even if the system did die on you, it would be Apple's responsibility to fix or replace the PowerBook - they can't just dismiss it with "don't use performance-intensive software!"

[amazing]

I'm very disappointed to hear about the heat. Can you download Thermograph off versiontracker.com and report back with some normal temps and some game temps?

Heat is something to be concerned about. The Thermograph temps will tell the story...

[Switched2Mac]

Originally posted by vsurfer:
Hi,

Is C&C a good option for Total Annihilation fans looking for a similar game they can play on OSX?

Thanks,

Yes!

I love Total Annihilation too!!!!!

TA has yet to be surpassed in many ways, even today. TA came out in 1999 too. PC version was awesome. I wish they would have it for OSX.

Starwars Galactic Battlegrounds was a winner in my book too. But C&C really rocks. Less units, but still a great all round RTS game.

If you liked TA, you should not be disappointed by C&C. I never play the missions, I go right to Skirmish mode or play online.

[rag on a muffin]

Originally posted by amazing:
Can you download Thermograph off versiontracker.com and report back with some normal temps and some game temps?

that program is evil! every time i come out of sleep mode it locks up the computer. i even booted off an external clean install and it would still lock up.

[bcaslis]

I have to differ. I use Thermograph X all the time and it never has locked me up out of sleep. I have had lockups out of sleep with 10.3.3, but they happen whether or not Thermograph is running.

FYI, Thermograph worked fine with the rev A 15" and the rev B 17". But on the rev C 17" it doesn't work. It says it can't find any temperature sensors.

Originally posted by rag on a muffin:
that program is evil! every time i come out of sleep mode it locks up the computer. i even booted off an external clean install and it would still lock up.

[rag on a muffin]

hmmm. does anyone know how to get this to work without crashing on waking??

[Switched2Mac]

Originally posted by amazing:
I'm very disappointed to hear about the heat. Can you download Thermograph off versiontracker.com and report back with some normal temps and some game temps?

Heat is something to be concerned about. The Thermograph temps will tell the story...

If you worked in an Artic Research Station and the generator went out, you would die from the cold within hours.

But if you had a 12" PB, you could turn him on and the maybe the heat alone would keep you alive for as long as you could keep power to the PB.

There is no way that you will see a G5 PowerBook before WWDC 2005. Not gonna happen.

I have a Targus CoolPad Model #PA239U that I originally bought for my Compaq X1010US centrino laptop. I dropped it.....

So I was looking to buy another and decided to buy a PB instead. I was aware of the heat issues prior to buying too. So it was no surprise.

Anyway, the Targus is so small it fits under the 12" PB form factor perfectly and is very light. IMHO, it is the perfect companion.

Keeps the heat off your lap too.

I was thinking of painting an oven grill on the left palm rest.

[Switched2Mac]

Originally posted by mdc:
firstly: your name. good job

secondly: the 1.33ghz sounds good. the garageband tests. did you copy the files from the dvd to the hard drive or run them off the dvd. my 1ghz 12" with 768mb ran all the tests perfectly off the hard drive. i have not tested out my new 1.25ghz 15" though.

nice work on the 12", i am sure you are loving it. i'm off to download the demo of c&c

I liked the name too. Seemed appropriate. I still like WinXP though. I like both worlds. Each has their pros and cons.

I ran the files from the Hard Drive. They came preinstalled in the iTunes folder (surprise!). I was VERY happy that they did not show the red triangle or give the dreaded slow hardware message. I doubt that I will ever use more than 5 tracks at once given what I want to do musically. So it exceeded my expectations there.

PB is not a game laptop though. I knew that going in, of course. Frankly, I was surprised that it ran C&C at all. That game is processor and GPU intensive bigtime.

I used to laugh and make fun of Apple until they switched to OSX and started making laptops/desktops that had a professional look to them (and still stylish and cool too!). I began to take notice and then made the switch.

UNIX underneath is very appealling yet the simple GUI is a work of art. My company has actually allowed some of the IT staff to purchase PowerBooks too. A rare departure from the usual Dell.

I need to find that temperature gauge app now. Post some factual numbers to match the other info.

[Switched2Mac]

Originally posted by bcaslis:
I have to differ. I use Thermograph X all the time and it never has locked me up out of sleep. I have had lockups out of sleep with 10.3.3, but they happen whether or not Thermograph is running.

FYI, Thermograph worked fine with the rev A 15" and the rev B 17". But on the rev C 17" it doesn't work. It says it can't find any temperature sensors.

Apple probably made a tiny little change to render those apps useless. They don't want you to know.

[vsurfer]

Thanks Switched2!

Originally posted by Switched2Mac:
Yes!

I love Total Annihilation too!!!!!

TA has yet to be surpassed in many ways, even today. TA came out in 1999 too. PC version was awesome. I wish they would have it for OSX.

Starwars Galactic Battlegrounds was a winner in my book too. But C&C really rocks. Less units, but still a great all round RTS game.

If you liked TA, you should not be disappointed by C&C. I never play the missions, I go right to Skirmish mode or play online.