[NeXTLoop]

Until recently I was using a Rev B Aluminum 15" PowerBook with completely maxed out specs. Loved the speed and the SuperDrive, but increasingly hated the size. A couple of years ago I had owned a 12" and loved the portability. But in reading user reviews of the recent 12" PB's, it seems that not only is the battery life shorter than an iBook, but the overall lifespan of the battery seems to go downhill faster.

So here's what I did...

1. Bought a 12" iBook (the most recent revision with Scrolling Trackpad & SMS)
2. Maxed out the RAM to 1.5GB
3. Sent it to MacResQ to have....
a. A Dual-Layer SuperDrive installed and...
b. A 120GB 5400RPM Seagate HD installed

So now the machine has the following specs...

1.33 GHz G4
1.5GB RAM (Kept from my PB)
120GB 5400RPM Seagate HD
Dual-Layer 24x, 24x, 24x, 8x, 2.4x SuperDrive (100% bootable and compatible with Apple's iApps and pro Apps)

Price:
$1400 (or the same as a 12" PowerBook)

Advantages of this route vs getting 12" PowerBooks:

- Better battery life
- Better Airport reception
- Rubber mounted HD (which according to the specs I've seen, the PB does not have)
- Slightly better durability (polycarbonate vs aluminum)
- Runs cooler (definite plus when it's on your lap)

Disadvantages:

- 1.33 GHz vs 1.5 GHz
- 133MHz bus vs 167MHz bus

Conclusions:

At least for me personally, the pros FAR outweigh the cons. Performance-wise, I can't tell ANY difference between this and my 15" PB using the Adobe Creative Suite2, REALbasic, NeoOffice, Pages, XCode, BBEdit, etc.

[Dog Like Nature]

The PB does has rubber mounts on the HD -- there are four of them screwed into the holes at each corner.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by NeXTLoop

Until recently I was using a Rev B Aluminum 15" PowerBook with completely maxed out specs. Loved the speed and the SuperDrive, but increasingly hated the size. A couple of years ago I had owned a 12" and loved the portability. But in reading user reviews of the recent 12" PB's, it seems that not only is the battery life shorter than an iBook, but the overall lifespan of the battery seems to go downhill faster.

So here's what I did...

1. Bought a 12" iBook (the most recent revision with Scrolling Trackpad & SMS)
2. Maxed out the RAM to 1.5GB
3. Sent it to MacResQ to have....
a. A Dual-Layer SuperDrive installed and...
b. A 120GB 5400RPM Seagate HD installed

So now the machine has the following specs...

1.33 GHz G4
1.5GB RAM (Kept from my PB)
120GB 5400RPM Seagate HD
Dual-Layer 24x, 24x, 24x, 8x, 2.4x SuperDrive (100% bootable and compatible with Apple's iApps and pro Apps)

Price:
$1400 (or the same as a 12" PowerBook)

Advantages of this route vs getting 12" PowerBooks:

- Better battery life
- Better Airport reception
- Rubber mounted HD (which according to the specs I've seen, the PB does not have)
- Slightly better durability (polycarbonate vs aluminum)
- Runs cooler (definite plus when it's on your lap)

Disadvantages:

- 1.33 GHz vs 1.5 GHz
- 133MHz bus vs 167MHz bus

Slower RAM
No DVI output
4 generation old 32MB graphics
15% thicker

[dn15]

Originally Posted by mduell

Slower RAM
No DVI output
4 generation old 32MB graphics
15% thicker

FWIW, both machines take PC2700 DDR memory. In the last PowerBook refresh only the 15" and 17" models were switched to DDR2.

(Not that I would have done an "upgrade" like that myself, thanks to the lack of DVI in the iBook.)

[teknopimp]

Originally Posted by NeXTLoop

...At least for me personally, the pros FAR outweigh the cons. Performance-wise, I can't tell ANY difference between this and my 15" PB using the Adobe Creative Suite2, REALbasic, NeoOffice, Pages, XCode, BBEdit, etc.

now all you need is silver spray paint to finish the job.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by dn15

FWIW, both machines take PC2700 DDR memory. In the last PowerBook refresh only the 15" and 17" models were switched to DDR2.

*scratches head* So they did upgrade the iBook to PC2700... but with the FSB still at 133Mhz, I wonder if it changes the benchmark performance.