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sikkinixx · Jul 12, 2005, 05:31 PM

I was dead set on getting a 15" 1.67 w/ 128Vram and that was that. BUt after tax and after student discount that is $3008.46 (canadian) which is so bloodly expensive but oh so nice. But after reading some opinions and asking around it seemed that a lot of people would go with a dell 6000 or a sony vaio for over 1000 bucks less and get a monitor or upgrade my desktop (which i wont bother until dual core AMD's are down below 400-500 US) But after looking at those brands i have decided to remain with Apple (Dell's are big, havea poor reputation for lasting a long time and i just dont like them and Vaio's are just as much as an Apple with a lame shared Gforce graphics card and $379 dollar batteries that only last 3 hours)
BUT! (sorry if im rambling) I was wondering if it may be better to go with the 12" powerbook which after tax is almost a 1000 bucks less and buy a samsung 913P+ 19" LCD monitor that i can share with my desktop and laptop? I have heard very mixed opinions on the 12" pb (mostly regarding screen quality and noise). I dont want to go with the 1.5Ghz 15" because if i got that i would rather get the more expensive version for more power. I'm a university student (isn't everybdody on here? ) so size is an issue but the 15" looks like a nice size to lug around. I do picture editing and some movie stuff and gaming (but since it is a mac I will have to use my desktop for my gaming needs....*sigh*) SO I beg of you, my much more apple educated friend than I, help!

iomatic · Jul 12, 2005, 05:51 PM

That's what I'm doing even professionally, and if I were you, saving money would be a priority. Technology ends up being outdated anyway; you want to set it up to lease or buy your equipment to amortize so you don't eat it so bad, and upgrade your equipment every couple years, while not paying a premium. I'd stick with cheap.

brettcamp · Jul 13, 2005, 01:43 AM

I went the 12" + monitor route and it works great. At my desk, I wind up with a bigger monitor than a 15" PB, and when I travel, I get a much more portable machine. However, the 15" is a better choice if you need to do a lot of graphics intensive work on the road, or need its extra power and higher resolution. but if you're not using a lot of graphics apps on the PB, and if you plan on toting the PB around a lot, then the 12" route might work better for you. I don't do "movie stuff" and gaming, though, so I don't know if the 12" PB's lower resolution would be too limited.

ender2002 · Jul 13, 2005, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by brettcamp

I don't do "movie stuff" and gaming, though, so I don't know if the 12" PB's lower resolution would be too limited.

its really not that bad. i edited six hours of raw footage into a feature length film on 1024 by 768 and the process was fine. having an extra screen or larger one at least would have been better.

iomatic · Jul 13, 2005, 01:58 PM

As others have said, it's not bad, but not great. You should also consider your work habits and how that would play out (do you always sit at a desk to work, or are you at a cafe most of the time?)

Still, even an iBook with the spanning monitor hack will save you many bones. I've seen iBook G4s for as little as $800. Such a steal! Think of the money you'll save towards your second-generation 'professional' PowerBook (G5? Pentium M?).