[Spidey79]

Hey guys I am a college student and a member at macmentor.org. I have asked for advice, but never have I seen a forum as big as this one. I have cusotm built wintel machine with a 17' neovo flat panel. I have been intrigued with apple for the longest time, hell it has become an obsession... haha... So I am on a budget sort of, but I am thinking about a powerbook. It has been a heated debate to go for the 12' pb and the 15'pb... I need mobility, but I need something that is powerful. The primary use would be school to type, surf the net, but also to inspire my creative side. I just purchased a dv and I have been able to use it on my peecee with adobe premiere. I want to keep editing videos... SO that is a brief background. My consideration is the pb 12' with a 20" cimena display that cost about the same price as the 15" powerbook with 128 megs of vram and applecare. What do u guys think will be more beneficial and I do need power, maybe to replace my peecee. Thank u!! :O

[Cheetah223]

I'd say go with a 15". If you're going to be editing video, the power will be nice, even though it's not a whole lot better...There's room for more RAM (up to 2 gigs, where a 12 is only 1.25 max) which will really help in rendering, the extra screen space will allow for a better resolution obviously, and with a 20" display it'll be that much prettier. I don't know of many people who've had troubles transporting their 15s where a 12 could have fixed the problem...So I'd say bite the bullet and jump onto the 15"

[SpaceRockness]

This topic has been done a million times, cost vs performance the 15" always mops the 12" which is crippled by a lousy GPU and near useless resolution equal to a old CRT iMac. Considering most 20" monitors have higher resolutions exceeding anything the 15/17" PB could dream of, I'd say this would be a great setup. On the road/classroom editing the 12" PB as is would be awful... I can't deal with using Final Cut Express and InDesign on my 12", too cramped for comfort.

While I own two PowerBooks(12"-1.33Ghz & 15"-1.25Ghz), portibility for classes I love my 12" since 1 lb less of weight and ~5hrs of battery life is perfect. The 15" battery was over-rated by Apple, every revision people usually report somewheres 3:30-4hrs with/without APE and some moderate cpu usage by applications.

Overall if battery life and value is important the 12" PB is a great choice.

[x user]

I currently have a 12" Rev. B (1ghz, Combo drive)

I started out with iBooks, and bought this unit when it was introduced almost 2 years ago now. I'm looking at upgrading and had similer questions, but I still love the 12" package enough to deal with the Crappy nVidia GPU. I've done some light iMovie work, with no complaints. So I'm planning on a 12" Superdrive model. Now I'm wondering whether to wait for a new rev. or just buy the current 1.5ghz. My dad owns a 15" and it's nice, but I really like the 12".

[s_ton]

If it were my choice. i'd get the 12" PowerBook with the 20" Cinema display. The portability of the 12" is perfect for college, and the 20" Cinema display will give you the extra real estate.

[ism]

If you can transport a 15" ok I'd get that. From a video editing point of view you'll (at some point in the future) find FW800, Gigabit ethernet, PC card slot (for extra firewire bus) useful.

I got a 12", primarily for cost reasons, but also because I use it mainly on the train where I really could not use a 15", it's a squeeze with a 12".

[Lesterm10]

I would get the 12 inch powerbook for college. Simply because the footprint is much better suited to bring with you to class and place on your desk. My Friend had a Ti 15'' Powerbook, and he had no room to place papers on. In terms of portablity, the 12inch is perfect, and 4.6 and 5.6 though one pound, makes a big difference on your shoulders after a long hard day. If you really need a more powerful graphics card, then get the 15inch, but only if it's with 128mb of VRAM, if not, then just get the 12 inch, the screen though cramped will be made up with the 20'' ACD. In my opinion, portablity wise the 12 inch is a perfect choice, and also doing what you said you were going to do, video editing, email would be more than enough for what you ask for. But since you said "I do need power", then get the 15 inch. It's all about what you're really going to do and how you want to go around doing it.

[f1000]

Unless you're a huge guy (e.g., Yao Ming), the only truly portable PowerBook is the 12". The 15" and 17" are more like luggable desktops.

That said, if you absolutely need a more powerful CPU and larger screen while on the road, then get one of the bigger PowerBooks. If you mainly want a travel computer, then get a 12" PowerBook.

[driven]

Originally Posted by f1000

Unless you're a huge guy (e.g., Yao Ming), the only truly portable PowerBook is the 12". The 15" and 17" are more like luggable desktops.

That said, if you absolutely need a more powerful CPU and larger screen while on the road, then get one of the bigger PowerBooks. If you mainly want a travel computer, then get a 12" PowerBook.

I don't know if I'd go THAT far. My previous 15" Dell Inspiron 8200 was a lugable desktop, but comparision this 15" Powerbook is an ultraportable. (Less than 1/2 the weight ... I had two batteries in my Dell which only barely gave it more battery life than my Powerbook.)

The 15" is very portable, especially in comparision with anything on the PC side with a 14 or 15" display.

That said: The 12" is a sweet package for portability. (Just don't write on the 15" yet.)

[f1000]

Originally Posted by driven

I don't know if I'd go THAT far. My previous 15" Dell Inspiron 8200 was a lugable desktop, but comparision this 15" Powerbook is an ultraportable. (Less than 1/2 the weight ... I had two batteries in my Dell which only barely gave it more battery life than my Powerbook.)

What can I say? I've been spoiled by PowerBooks.

[tie]

How much does the GPU really matter? For say Photoshop, not video editing or games.

[driven]

GPU? Depends on what you are doing? If you are doing word processing or database work it doesn't make any difference. Graphics work? Huge difference.