[mac-kerouac]

I got my ibook last december and ive used it a ton going back and forth from school(s) (I'm a teacher and a graduate student). However, at home I've mostly used my trusty old iMac DV. So today I bought a 17" LCD with the intention of putting my iMac to pasture and going full time with the ibook.

At first I was bummed with the limited resolution and mirroring. I figured I would give the spanning hack a try and I couldn't be happier!! I wish I had done this 10 months ago!!!

If you have been waiting to do this, dont. You will be very happy with the change!!!

[yuanjuhn]

I just got myself a new 12" G4 ibook and I'm also happy with it.

I've always toyed with the idea of getting an external LCD so that I can work on and view documents side by side. Was looking at the Powerbook beforehand, but didn't think it warranted the extra 400 Euros (in Germany). The spanning hack got me very interested.

Mac-kerouac, what resolution are you running your LCD at? Any idea as to what is the max external LCD resolution that can be supported by the spanning hack and the Radeon 9200?

Would appreciate any insights/advice

[mac-kerouac]

the max resolution without the hack is 1024x768, which is a nice improvement in text size, but doesn't really get you anymore real estate. With the hack, I'm able to run the LCD at 1280 x 1024, wich is tremendous. However, the ibook screen is still at 1024x768, which is fine because any smaller and I wouldn't see anything!

[yuanjuhn]

Originally posted by mac-kerouac:
the max resolution without the hack is 1024x768, which is a nice improvement in text size, but doesn't really get you anymore real estate. With the hack, I'm able to run the LCD at 1280 x 1024, wich is tremendous. However, the ibook screen is still at 1024x768, which is fine because any smaller and I wouldn't see anything!

That's exactly what I wanted to know, excellent! I think the resolution on the ibook is nearly perfect for the size, but I'm glad to hear that a higher resolution externally is supported. It just so happens that a 17" LCD is within my budget in a few months, right around the time when I need to do lots of writing and editing.

Thanks again for the info, I'm glad that I will be doing much more with this modest but capable notebook.

[EmmEff]

I've got a Viewsonic 18" LCD connected to my iBook 12" 1GHz with the screen spanning hack. It works VERY well!

This display also has a DVI input, so I can connect two machines (my PC is connected with DVI) to the display without having to use a video switch.

[nJm]

I've been using the hack on my 12' G4 for the last 5 months. I use a 17" CRT at 1280x960 @ 85hz. However the list of supported resolutions for my screen goes up to 1600x1200. I've tried this and it works fine, although is only 66hz (limitation of my CRT, not iBook).

It is fantastic. I wish I had an LCD to plug in, as then I could actually have the two screens next to each other!

[EmmEff]

And to think I was going to buy a Powerbook for this feature...