[shortyes]

First I would like to say hi to everyone, this is my first post. I have been a PC user almost as long as there were personal computers for sale. I am currently a college student studying Computer science. This will be for school.

Recently I sold my Centrino Laptop and decided to buy a powerbook, the Cram and Jam helped me alot since my GF wanted a Ipod and I always wanted an Apple laptop.

I virually know nothing about how the Apple computer work and was wondering if some people might help. Searching for answers helped me somewhat but lead to more questions.

My PB when it reaches me from china in 3 weeks >_< PB, 15", 2x256, 80 5400RPM, 128 9700, CD/DVD combo. Thought the superdrive was too expensive when I have an external 8x DVD burner, APP 3year warranty.

1) Is there a site for a beginner Apple user to go to?
2) How sturdy is the PB? My old centrino could take a beating since I go from class to class and travel around alot. Since the PB is aluminum and read a few dents and what not post?
3) Ram upgrade. I plan to upgrade the ram but reading that 1 of the stick is soldered into the board? Can I use PC3200 ram since it should be backwards compatible and in case I might use the ram for a different Laptop later on.
4) Virual Machine, how bad is the hit on performance? I would still like to play some games that I have like Final Fantasy XI between class and there is no Mac version. No Doom3 or HL2 I know. Also I have some Compilers I use but not sure if it will work on the PB like MS Visual C ver 6 which is why I think I need the Virual environment.
5) Does the PB need any Antivirus protection? What about spyware detection tools like adaware, search and destroy mac equilivent?
6) USB/LCD .. we can use usb keyboard and mouse for the PB right? Can I plug the PB into my 17" Analog LCD monitor even though it is not from apple?
7) I keep hearing about PB versions, I assume mine is a C?
8) Warranty, is the battery under warranty since that is what normally dies first in a laptop.

Sorry for the long post but I would like to thank everyone for their reply in advance.

[ibook_steve]

Originally posted by shortyes:
First I would like to say hi to everyone, this is my first post. I have been a PC user almost as long as there were personal computers for sale. I am currently a college student studying Computer science. This will be for school.

Recently I sold my Centrino Laptop and decided to buy a powerbook, the Cram and Jam helped me alot since my GF wanted a Ipod and I always wanted an Apple laptop.

I virually know nothing about how the Apple computer work and was wondering if some people might help. Searching for answers helped me somewhat but lead to more questions.

My PB when it reaches me from china in 3 weeks >_< PB, 15", 2x256, 80 5400RPM, 128 9700, CD/DVD combo. Thought the superdrive was too expensive when I have an external 8x DVD burner, APP 3year warranty.

1) Is there a site for a beginner Apple user to go to?
2) How sturdy is the PB? My old centrino could take a beating since I go from class to class and travel around alot. Since the PB is aluminum and read a few dents and what not post?
3) Ram upgrade. I plan to upgrade the ram but reading that 1 of the stick is soldered into the board? Can I use PC3200 ram since it should be backwards compatible and in case I might use the ram for a different Laptop later on.
4) Virual Machine, how bad is the hit on performance? I would still like to play some games that I have like Final Fantasy XI between class and there is no Mac version. No Doom3 or HL2 I know. Also I have some Compilers I use but not sure if it will work on the PB like MS Visual C ver 6 which is why I think I need the Virual environment.
5) Does the PB need any Antivirus protection? What about spyware detection tools like adaware, search and destroy mac equilivent?
6) USB/LCD .. we can use usb keyboard and mouse for the PB right? Can I plug the PB into my 17" Analog LCD monitor even though it is not from apple?
7) I keep hearing about PB versions, I assume mine is a C?
8) Warranty, is the battery under warranty since that is what normally dies first in a laptop.

Sorry for the long post but I would like to thank everyone for their reply in advance.

1) I like MacNN, MacFixit, and Macintouch. I'm not sure what you mean by a beginner site. David Pogue's Missing Manual book series is a really good place to start. Highly recommended.
2) Define how you beat your Centrino. Powerbooks are quite sturdy. Obviously, you don't want to drop it. If you're hoping for a Toughbook that's waterproof and won't dent, a Powerbook won't fit that bill.
3) The 15" has two DIMM slots, no soldered RAM, with each slot filled with 256 MB, as you indicated you ordered. PC3200 is DDR2 RAM. Powerbooks are only DDR and require PC2700 (PC333) memory. PC3200 won't work and will not fit in the PB's slots.
4) I'm guessing you mean Virtual PC. Don't even try to play 3D PC games with it. There is no 3D acceleration (currently), so most modern games will provide severely disappointing results. Productivity apps and anything else that is not graphics intensive work quite fine in Virtual PC, but it won't be even nearly as fast as a PC.
5) You can run anti virus software if you'd like, but chances are you won't need it. Set up the built in firewall in Mac OS X and you don't have to worry about hackers either. Yet one more reason why Macs are better.
6) Yes and yes. USB is USB and all devices work, with or without a driver. The PB can attach to any DVI or VGA display (with included dongle).
7) The 15" is currently at what people are calling rev B. The 12" and 17" are at rev C.
8) Don't know about that. The whole machine is included in the warranty. I doubt your battery would die within the warranty period, though. If you are concerned, purchase Applecare.

Steve

[shortyes]

For sturdiness I mean, I will not have to tippy toe and use extreme care with the PB right? After a long day I can toss it on the bed kind of thing, not drop it by any means.

PC3200 is DDR, just faster aka ddr400 instead of ddr333

Thanks, someone said something about soldered Ram into the motherboard.

Confused about the video accelerator. Isn't that what the 9700 video card is? Not sure how the Virtual PC work but I thought it might let me do everything I use to with a PC so I can save money on software like Adobe, Office, Visual C++ and so forth for school. Thought it was better to buy the virtual PC and use my software than buy each version in the mac flavor.

Thanks for replying

[gsxrboy]

Originally posted by ibook_steve:
...... PC3200 is DDR2 RAM. Powerbooks are only DDR and require PC2700 (PC333) memory. PC3200 won't work and will not fit in the PB's slots.

Are you sure about this? cause if so.. oh no I just ordered a PC3200 1gb stick! its all 200pin so-dimms so why wont it fit? the speed should fall back down to DDR333 speed.

[macaddict0001]

normal number of pins for powerbooks is either 168 or 184 can't remember but its one of those. As for throwing it on your bed I don't know why you would want to do this but it will survive it without a scratch ar anything assuming its in sleep mode or off.

[gsxrboy]

Negative, 200 pins for current G4 iBooks and pBooks

[ibook_steve]

Both DDR and DDR2 SO-DIMMs have 200 pins. The only difference is the exact position of the key. Trust me, PC3200 is DDR2. It won't fit. Even if it were DDR instead of DDR2, the maximum memory bus speed of Apple's non-G5 based machines is 167 MHz so there would be no advantage to the extra speed.

Steve

[sworthy]

Originally posted by shortyes:
For sturdiness I mean, I will not have to tippy toe and use extreme care with the PB right? After a long day I can toss it on the bed kind of thing, not drop it by any means.

PC3200 is DDR, just faster aka ddr400 instead of ddr333

Thanks, someone said something about soldered Ram into the motherboard.

Confused about the video accelerator. Isn't that what the 9700 video card is? Not sure how the Virtual PC work but I thought it might let me do everything I use to with a PC so I can save money on software like Adobe, Office, Visual C++ and so forth for school. Thought it was better to buy the virtual PC and use my software than buy each version in the mac flavor.

Thanks for replying

You shouldn't have to use extreme care, but I'd be a little nervous tossing it around (or maybe I just baby mine).

As far as running your PC apps: I haven't had direct experience, but I would assume that basic apps like office should be fine (though look to see if your school has a discount in the bookstore, mine has it for $60), but apps like photoshop might not be very pleasing. Just try it out and see how it goes, but you might want to look into buying a native mac version if you can (especially if you can buy it used from someone, or again at your bookstore). The 9700 video card won't do you any good as the latest version of Virtual PC does not allow native graphic support in the emulated environment. This was a feature that was supposed to go in, but in the typical microsoft way it has been delayed. Certainly expect this in future revisions however.

Oh, the RAM that is soldered is for ibooks and for the 12" powerbook only.

Just ask if there are any other questions, you'll find MacNN to be a great beginner's resource. Just let people know you just switched! As you seem to know a decent amount about computers, I'm sure you'll be alright.

[MilkmanDan]

I occasionally write easy little 'how to' guides for Mac users on my campus. They're all on my webpage, and go through all the popular 'iApps' that you'll be using. Check them out if you have the time.

http://www.joshuazimmerman.com/tech/tutorials.php

Please note that the quality of the spelling is directly related to the quality of the Iowa education system. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you find yourself treating your Powerbook like its your baby, thats normal. I love mine to bits.

[Lancer409]

you'll do fine. i didnt know jack about macs when i got my pb12. i came on macnn and everyone here is very helpful. you might want to look into the 1gb ram deal to see if that's still going on. i got one for approx 150?!? it was dirt cheap. it works fine, no probs so far. (as far as i know)

good luck. and .. while u dont have to baby yours ... i baby mine. it's sturdy, but i think the aluminum is a bit easier to show scratches on compared to some other materials.

[MrForgetable]

I still don't know jack about the OS Learn something new everyday.

[tooki]

4) Virtual PC is OK for things like MS Project, but the speed penalty compared to a Mac app is massive. I'd guess that you get about 1/8 the speed.
5) There are currently no viruses for Mac OS X. However, Macs can be used to forward infected emails, and there are MS Office Macro viruses. There is no spyware for Mac at the moment, and as such there is no software against it.
6) Yes on all counts.
8) No and yes. Officially, no, it's not covered. But if the battery is clearly defective (i.e. it holds no charge at all after just 6mos), Apple will still usually replace it. AppleCare (which you should not even consider going without) does not change this.

tooki

[wuzup101]

The missing manual to OSX is a good resource for the operating system if you find that you need to know some stuff that's not readily avaliable on the internet. Though, there's a vast amount of knowledge around here it might be easier to get the book than speend a lot of time looking around for it. OSX is a lot easier to setup the way you want (as compared to windows). This is also my first mac and I'll tell you that you'll figure out everything you need to know relatively quickly. If something stumps you then ask it here (as you have already).

Another comment on the ram. Powerbooks tend to be a bit picky, but as long as your pc3200 is ddr and not ddr2 you wont have a problem (assuming it's not defective). It is backwards compatable and has the same pin layout.

You'll get a dongle to attach an analogue monitor to your powerbook (as the actual adapter on the pb is for a digital monitor).

No spyware or viruses to worry about. My school has free copies of norton av that I run so that I don't pass anything to my windows loving friends

As far as how delicate they are... they aren't. As long as you're careful and realize that you're carrying around an expensive piece of equipment you'll be fine. Do yourself a favor and buy a nice laptop bag (I like www.crumpler.com) or a nice slip case (again crumpler has some nice ones... I have one from www.radtech.us) if you want to throw it in your backpack. I also recomend a ScreensavRz from radtech to help keep your LCD looking nice.

[shortyes]

Thanks all the for post. You have helped a lot. Wish there was a better Virtual environment for the mac in the future but that is mostly non school related between classes

As for the extra ram I will not be able to buy it in a few months. Being a college student with a minumum wage job and part time at that, after spending 2800+ dollars for the PB I will be eating can beans for awhile. Although the Public sale for Porter House Steak and T-Bone steak for 6.99 is too good to pass up. 1 lb steak last me 2 days,

I have a notebook bag already from my previous laptop. It is a Targus Port Notebook backpack