[Jolt21]

i am in the process of building a Powerbook for college, so i get a college discount..but besides that, im just wondering about the options i want..here is my list..

-upgraded to 128 MB video card
-upgraded to 5400 RPM HD (anyone know if the difference is noticeable? im still skeptical on this one...or maybe i should upgrade RAM instead?)
-iSight (can i get it anywhere cheaper than $129?)
-Extra Battery (again, can i get it anywhere cheaper?)
-AppleCare Protection Plan (APP)...OK, someone explain this all to me, is it really necessary? for dead pixels and stuff? would i be able to get all the help i need from people like you or other experts?


i need to keep it under $3000, because that was my graduation money..thank you for all your help!

[tooki]

-128MB gfx card: yes
-5400RPM drive: definitely noticeable.
-iSight: not really. Decide whether you really need it. Sacrifice this for RAM money.
-Extra Battery: handy on rare occasion
-AppleCare: absolutely essential. One single out-of-warranty repair costs more than AppleCare, and in laptops, the everyday wear-and-tear almost guarantees that some kind of repair will be necessary. AppleCare won't cover dead pixels any more than the standard warranty, but frankly, that's no big deal.


Remember that you can get the iSight and battery whenever you want, and you can buy the AppleCare any time during the original 1 year warranty. So you can spread out the cost of those items.

You do not need to buy those items together with the computer to get the educational discount.

tooki

[Jolt21]

is there any competition with the iSight from anything else? or does it work the best for what it is made to do? especially for the PB?

i might be able to delay my purchase of the iSight, especially if it only works well with ethernet (does it work OK for 56k users?)

the extra battery i'll look for on eBay, so i can that a little cheaper

and i didn't know the APP could be delayed a year, i think i will definetly delay the purchase on that

[Graymalkin]

I'd put the iSight money into a nice large helping of third party RAM. While the iSight is a really nice camera it isn't going to very useful talking to people over a 56k connection. If you've only got a few people to talk to with it you're not going to be very happy about spending $129 right now. Loading your Powerbook up with RAM however will benefit you immediately.

The extra battery is a judgement call for you really. In order to switch out your battery you need to shut your Powerbook off which means an interuption in your work. Do you envision cases where you'll be using your Powerbook for 4+ hours away from an AC outlet? If so then you'll probably want the battery, if not save the money for now.

Definitely upgrade the drive to a 5400rpm one. Typical laptop hard drives are only 4900rpm and have really slow transfer rates. With a 5400rpm drive you'll be able to open files and applications a good bit faster than if you had a 4900rpm drive. The speed difference is very noticeable. If you can manage it I'd suggest you go ahead and pick up a 1GB RAM module for your Powerbook. While an individual application might not need more than X amount of memory you might run into a situation where you want more than one app open or to work with extremely large files. If you get a Powerbook with 512MB (2x 256MB) you can sell one of the 256MB modules for a few bucks on eBay. You can also spend the extra cash for a single 512MB module but you'll be pushing your spending limit after you pick up a 1GB module.

[rag on a muffin]

Originally posted by Graymalkin:
Typical laptop hard drives are only 4900rpm and have really slow transfer rates. [/B]

isnt it 4200? which makes it even more of a reason to upgrade.

[TailsToo]

Skip the extra battery if you would otherwise drop the iSight. The 2nd battery will spend most of its time as a paperweight. Where is there that you would go that wouldn't have an electrical socket somewhere near by?

[wuzup101]

Just wondering but what size are you considering... I know it obviously has to be a 15 or a 17 to have the upgradeable vid ram...

I am purchasing a 15" PB in the next couple of days for school. Because I like programming and am considering doing a double major in computer science (am already a bio engineering major) I decided to go with a student ADC membership. It's $99 to sign up but saved me aprox $300 on the cost of the machine over my student rate (net savings of about $200). With the ADC student hardware discount program you can only buy 1 machine in your lifetime w/ the student discount (then you either have to go to a more expensive developer plan or pay student/retail price for your next mac). Still, I was able to configure a 15" PB w/ 128mb vid ram and the 5400rpm 80gb HDD for about $1950 usd. I personally have no need for another DVD burner because I have one in my PC so I dropped the SD. If I didn't I'd buy an 8x dual format DVD burner w/ dual layer technology for under $100 at newegg and spend the extra $40 on an external enclosure and get a better drive than the SD for more money.

If you went this rout you could get what I got and go for the 1 512mb stick of ram over the 2x 256mb sticks upgrade for like $70 and then still afford to buy a 1gb stick from newegg.com for $250 and a very nice external burner and still have extra money in your pocket.

Edit: Links to the ADC membership site... click student membership... also link to the ADC purchase program discount site

ADC membership
ADC hardware purchase program... click on HPP Store link

[Jolt21]

Originally posted by wuzup101:
Just wondering but what size are you considering... I know it obviously has to be a 15 or a 17 to have the upgradeable vid ram...

I am purchasing a 15" PB in the next couple of days for school. Because I like programming and am considering doing a double major in computer science (am already a bio engineering major) I decided to go with a student ADC membership. It's $99 to sign up but saved me aprox $300 on the cost of the machine over my student rate (net savings of about $200). With the ADC student hardware discount program you can only buy 1 machine in your lifetime w/ the student discount (then you either have to go to a more expensive developer plan or pay student/retail price for your next mac). Still, I was able to configure a 15" PB w/ 128mb vid ram and the 5400rpm 80gb HDD for about $1950 usd. I personally have no need for another DVD burner because I have one in my PC so I dropped the SD. If I didn't I'd buy an 8x dual format DVD burner w/ dual layer technology for under $100 at newegg and spend the extra $40 on an external enclosure and get a better drive than the SD for more money.

If you went this rout you could get what I got and go for the 1 512mb stick of ram over the 2x 256mb sticks upgrade for like $70 and then still afford to buy a 1gb stick from newegg.com for $250 and a very nice external burner and still have extra money in your pocket.

Edit: Links to the ADC membership site... click student membership... also link to the ADC purchase program discount site

ADC membership
ADC hardware purchase program... click on HPP Store link

im not 18..so there goes that..

[Jolt21]

oh yea, plus i am getting the 15"


also, since this is my thread, i'll just ask more questions here...

once i get to college, i plan on getting the iCurve, and an external mouse and keyboard. My question lies with the keyboard...

I'm so used to PC keyboards that i would first go for the Apple Pro keyboard, however, my previous encounters with Apple keyboards left me with the impression that they are too "soft"..i need a HARD keyboard, where the pressing of the buttons makes like a clicking sound or something when i type (its hard ot explain, hopefully someone gets the idea)...is there another windows-type keyboard that works perfectly on a PB?

and finally, i was looking through a lot of setups, and i see those external speakers that are really tall with 4 holes in them..who makes them? what are they called? is the quality good? i know i won't be able to live with just the regular speakers...

[rglenn]

Any USB keyboard will work with a Mac, though you may run into problems with the Command and Option keys if you use a standard PC layout. Everything else will be fine.

I think the speakers you're referring to are the Harmon Kardon SoundSticks.

[drive-thru]

Originally posted by rglenn:
I think the speakers you're referring to are the Harmon Kardon SoundSticks.

Yeah that's right. I have a set and love them. The quality is great and better than any regular computer speakers I've heard (haven't heard many of the expensive sets though). Some people don't think they're that good (maybe I got a good set, dunno).

One thing you should be aware of is that they connect through USB not the normal audio jack, so you can't run them from an iPod or mini-disk etc and you also occupy one of you two USB ports so you might need a hub depending on how many USB periph's you have.

They are sold through the Apple store so you can check the price online to see if it fits in your budget.

[Luca Rescigno]

While the SoundSticks do sound okay, they're not very good for the price. I'd say go with sound quality over looks, in which case you should look into the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers. They're a bit over $100 (about the same price as SoundSticks) and sound absolutely stunning. Totally clear way up to a very high volume. I've listened to both the Klipsch and the SoundSticks and there's really no comparison.

I'd say to skip the iSight and extra battery and just bring your power adapter with you. It's small and light, and it has little hooks for wrapping the cable up so you don't get clutter. Also, as others have said, make sure you get AppleCare. If you can afford it now, you should probably buy it now, so you don't end up missing your window of opportunity to purchase it.

Most USB keyboards by the major companies (Kensington, Logitech, Microsoft) should have software that can reverse the command and option keys. If you connect a Windows keyboard to a Mac, the Windows key will act as the command key, and the Alt key will act like option, even though their positions are reversed. Logitech's keyboards have both symbols on their keyboards, while Microsoft simply has software to reverse them. I don't know about Kensington, as I've never used one of their keyboards. Personally I love my Logitech cordless elite keyboard, although it is somewhat soft. It doesn't provide as much resistance as a Pro keyboard, but it's still a quiet, soft typer, not the loud clicky kind. If you really, really need a loud clackity-clack keyboard (that just happens to feel excellent), there's one company that makes a modern version of the old Apple Extended keyboard. That one was a beast, tremendously good tactile feedback, very loud, and totally different from today's keyboards. The main drawback is that it costs $100... but then again, the Apple Extended was over $200 when Apple sold it many years ago. Here's the link:

http://halfkeyboard.com/tactilepro/index.php

I don't know if it's worth it... I think you'd be well served by perhaps a Microsoft keyboard (MS ones seem to be a bit stiffer than Logitech), but that one is always an option.

[Jolt21]

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
While the SoundSticks do sound okay, they're not very good for the price. I'd say go with sound quality over looks, in which case you should look into the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers. They're a bit over $100 (about the same price as SoundSticks) and sound absolutely stunning. Totally clear way up to a very high volume. I've listened to both the Klipsch and the SoundSticks and there's really no comparison.

i'm going to be in a college dorm, do they take up a lot of space?

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
If you really, really need a loud clackity-clack keyboard (that just happens to feel excellent), there's one company that makes a modern version of the old Apple Extended keyboard. That one was a beast, tremendously good tactile feedback, very loud, and totally different from today's keyboards. The main drawback is that it costs $100... but then again, the Apple Extended was over $200 when Apple sold it many years ago. Here's the link:

http://halfkeyboard.com/tactilepro/index.php

I don't know if it's worth it... I think you'd be well served by perhaps a Microsoft keyboard (MS ones seem to be a bit stiffer than Logitech), but that one is always an option.

wow, that keyboard looks perfect, plus it has the 2 USB ports, only downside is the price as you said...i'll look into it, thnx

one final question..even though it is not PB specific, it has to do with what I am going to put on my PB...With my 20 gig 2G iPod, is there anyway I can get music OFF of it and ONTO my HD? I really don't want to get all 2500 songs again

[Jolt21]

i see that the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 is really small, but did you mean the GMX A model or the regular model? and the GMX A seem to be much cheaper (GMX = $115 and Regular = $135) than the Soundsticks ($149)..

[Luca Rescigno]

I haven't seen the newer, cheaper one. I think the new one is kind of silver and rounded and space-agey looking? Yeah, I haven't seen that one. It's the older one I'm talking about. They're not that small, but not staggeringly large either. The satellites are probably about a foot tall each.

$135 would be a great deal. I'd like to get some myself but I can't justify spending that much money. It's so tempting though... a friend of mine has the set and I'm very jealous!

BTW, there are plenty of programs for removing your music from your iPod. Look on Macupdate or Versiontracker and you'll find one. Most are shareware and all they do is run a simple script... so I'd say try just using a program called TinkerTool to allow hidden files to be visible, and then drag all the music from the iPod over to your hard drive. You'll lose certain values, such as play count, ratings, date added, and so on, and they won't be organized in any decipherable manner, but they'll all be there, and they'll still be properly tagged.

[Jolt21]

after further research, the THX is better than the GMX-A..but i have now found the Logitech Z2200 2.1. These seem to be the best out of all of them, plus cheaper (and better looking)..anyone have these?

[wuzup101]

Hey sorry about that man, I don't know why I assume everyone is 18. Well you can look forward to using the ADC in the future if you decide you want to do some programming!

Anyway, as far as speakers are concerned, the Klipsch THX 2.1 system is definitely worth the money over it's lower end counterpart. I personally have a pair of logitech Z-560s (4.1 TXH system 400watts) and I love them to death. Living in the dorm allows you to check out a ton of different speakers, but I haven't personally heard the z2200s yet. I can however say that the z5300s (I believe this is the similar 5.1 system made by logitech) sound great. Also, if size is a concern, bose makes a killer 2.1 computer setup now. They were < $200 at best buy when I saw them and they sounded amazing! The sub really kicked out the lows and it wasn't a big unit at all... the satalites were very small also (but not the bose cubes you may be thinking of... aroud the same size though).

As for keyboards I personally use a Logitech MX duo. The keys do have a "click" to them but they aren't overly hard. I would personally go to bestbuy or some similar store and just check out what they all feel like. The higher end microsoft boards/mice are also very nice... they do have a nice bluetooth model if memory serves...

[kafoochy]

Wow, this subject has already been well-discussed, but let me give you the best advice I can give you: buy the computer and decide afterwards if you need an iSight, extra battery and AppleCare. I'm going to be a senior (oh-my!!) at Boston College and bought my 1.25 Ghz 15" Alubook in the fall (although now have a 1.5Ghz 15"). I quickly found out what else I "needed" and didn't after using it for a few weeks. Think about what is easiest to upgrade or not.

AppleCare is an absolute must-buy, but you could wait the year. I didn't, because it was loan money that I was using. My dad is an Apple-authorized computer tech and we've never had AppleCare on any of our desktops, because we can fix and upgrade them without any problems. Powerbooks are completely different and my dad urged me to get AppleCare. Although there are many people that don't have problems, the chances of something going wrong are much higher that with a desktop.

I only have 512MB of ram, and would like more, but will buy third-party later when I can. I would suggest to custom-order the computer with one (1) 512mb SO-DIMM. The standard config is two 256 Dimms, but when you upgrade you then have to toss one or sell it. It would be much easier to upgrade later on.

I'm not a serious gamer, but I'd go for the extra VRAM for the price, although you could do without if you are trying to cut costs.

Many people have noted that 5400rpm hard drive makes the system feel a little "peppier" and considering that there some basic finder tasks that feel more instantious on my old 400Mhz G3 w/7200rpm HDs, I'd say go for the 5400 (and I'd choose this upgrade over the VRAM, if it came down to it)

This is what I think you should start with, the 15" with extra VRAM, 5400rpm HD and only one 512mb SO-DIMM. You'll find out soon what else you want but probably can wait on:

I'd like an iSight, but don't know many (or any) people that have one and it is a little expensive now, although the quality is very good. You could wait on it, especially if you're only using 56k. You probably won't be able to find them any cheaper, I've looked around and they're all about the same.

I do have an extra battery and it has been well used, but not as much as I'd thought. It's a nice thing to have, but I always bring the AC adapter, and there are very few places (except outside on our library's lawn with the wireless on) that I can't plug in. You can get it later. Be careful if you look online (eBay), because I had the battery in my first AluBook replaced three times because of their low-charge/voltage. Also, the latest powerbooks have slightly larger capacities than the previous revisions (the current 15" has a 50 watt-hour battery while the previous was a 47 I think or 46).

I don't mind the feel of Apple's external keyboard (although I think it feels cheap) but I love the 15" keyboard (at least when it hasn't needed to be replaced-buy AppleCare!) However I use an external Logitech wirelss trackball and a Microsoft keyboard. All of the extra buttons of the keyboard are configurable with the Microsoft Keyboard utility. Very nice and I like the feel, although it is a little loud. You can use basically any USB keyboard. I suggest going to Staples, or your local computer or office superstore that would have a variety of keyboards and try them out.

I agree with the Klipsch speakers. They are about the best you can get for the money. Some of the Logitech's have gotten good reviews. One person mentioned Bose and I wouldn't recommend them, or at least not for their price. The MediaMates sound very good for their size, but are too small to match a decent 2.1 system. The Companion 3s have some nice features, but don't have the quality or sound. I was recently comparing them for a friend to my all-time favorite speakers, the Cambridge Soundworks MegaWorks 210D (the same $249) and the Bose couldn't hold a candle to the MegaWorks. The MegaWorks has been compared with the Klipsch and although I prefer the MegaWorks as some others have, they are $100 more. I still think the Klipsch are the best for your money, but if you are near an Apple store, go check them out (my local store has some Klipsch as well as SoundSticks and others on display).

GOOD LUCK!! You're buying an excellent machine. You may not realize how great it is until you get it! Buy the computer with the proper configuration and use it for a week or two (or three) before deciding what you want extra (and don't forget the software that actually makes the computer and Mac OSX experience more than just Safari, iTunes and Address Book!) Skip the iSight and extra battery for now and hold out on the AppleCare for a year if you can to get the speakers. That's my long-winded opinion!

[Jolt21]

thnx guys! i have made all the final decisions and now have $400 in pocket money to get the keyboard, speakers, iCurve, or maybe even things for college ! wooohooo

[kafoochy]

Originally posted by Jolt21:
thnx guys! i have made all the final decisions and now have $400 in pocket money to get the keyboard, speakers, iCurve, or maybe even things for college ! wooohooo

Excellent! So what's the final decision? It's all very exciting when someone gets a new PB!

[Jolt21]

15"
1.5 Ghz
128MB Video Card
80 gig w/ 5400 RPM
512MB Ram (1 SOxDIMM)
SuperDrive

and saving everything else for later...

ordering it in a couple of days...woohooooo!

[wuzup101]

Sounds like a great decision... I can't wait to order mine either! Make sure you use your student discount (duh)!