[kmarketing]

Hi,

I'm really loving the 17" 1.33 that i just got. I even went to compusa today to look at the new ones, and I think it's so cool that I can't really tell the difference between the ones in the store and the one that i just got. My screen for some reason even looks brighter than the one in the store (then again lighting was different and I am of course biased). What I did notice, and I hope this is not true with mine, but the screen on the 15" next to it was quite a bit different. I'm not sure if it was brighter or that the pixels were denser, but the 15" screen was pretty impressive. I'm happy that I'm home now, because the 17" screen is simply gorgeous in its own right.

I was thinking of getting another 512 chip for the pb to make it 1gb. Are there heat issues with that? I am surprised how I can surf on the bed with the pb for a couple of hours (on battery) and the bottom is still not hot. Would that change if I add the memory?

Also, I always have hated when the trackpads on laptops get shiny or what looks like oil spots on them. Is there something that you do to prevent that... How do you clean it, or do you put something clear over that? The trackpad on the 17" is huge, so I would like to keep it as nice as possible.

I hope the form factor of the 17" does not change drastically, because it really is unbelievable. How thin it is, how relatively light it is, it's unbelievable. Looking at the other sony, hp, toshiba 17" laptops, there really is no comparison in forms. They weigh about 9-10 pounds, and then when you try picking them up, the plastics start creaking.

Long live 17"!!

[Hannibal221]

Hey,

I'm glad that your pleased with your 17" PB. I own a 15" and love it. I did upgrade the RAM to 1 GB shortly after getting my PB back in August. It's never unwise to upgrade your ram, but I would say with Tiger, that 1 GB is a pretty big difference compared to 512. Tiger requires more RAM for certain tasks, an example is Dashboard, a program that is always running. As for your trackpad problem, I agree that a oily trackpad will drive anyone nuts. If you would like a perfect laptop cleaner I would get iClear by Monster. It's sold at all Apple stores and also on the web. You can use iClear on the screen, keyboard and the trackpad, just follow the directions and it will never screw up your computer. Hope this helps!

Hannibal

[aricher]

I have a 17" PB 1.33 that I love so much. I upgraded from 512 to 1 GB and saw quite a difference. I saw an even bigger difference upgrading to 2 GB. I know some people here say 2 GB is excessive but when you're working with massive Photoshop files and rendering video on-location it makes a HUGE difference. It all depends on what your end use is - if you're a power user you might want to consider 1.5-2 GB otherwise 1 GB should be just fine. Enjoy your PB - best purchase I ever made.

[kmarketing]

Hi,

How's the heat with your upgraded memory?

Also, have you ever considered selling your pb to get a newer one?

Thanks!

[aricher]

The heat isn't too bad. I downloaded a freeware program called temperature monitor - it puts a constantly running bar at the top. Currently I'm ripping a CD, downloading 2 audiobooks from audible, writing this and converting an AIFF to MP3 using "Amadeus." The fan is on but is quiet and the temp shows:

Processor Bottom side: 136.8 F
Processor Topside 124.7 F
Battery 89.6 F
Hard Drive 98.6 F

Even at the 136.8 F heat level I can still hold it on my lap - sure it's warm but not scalding like the 1st gen Al PBs.

With minimal usage it hovers around 90-110 F for the processor. These laptops by nature get hot. I have never noticed a heat difference between 512 and 2 GB RAM.

As far as selling goes I don't see a reason to do so right now. A MINOR bump in speed isn't worth it to me. Sure, I only have 64 MB VRAM - oh well - works fine for now. I'll probably hang onto this for another 1.5-2 years and then either sell it, set it up as a server or pass it onto a co-worker.

I hope this helps.

[Randman]

I have a 17, the 1.5Ghz rev c model with 1.5GB of ram. Average temp is about 120 or less. For burning DVDs, it gets up about 128. Never had it past 135 ever.
With the extra real estate, it feels cooler though. I had an iBook G4 beforehand and that felt much warmer dong much less.

[aricher]

What are you using to measure temp? I just downloaded Temp. Monitor and am not sure how accurate it is. I quit a few processes since the last post and am now at 122.5 F