[ChillieMac]

Hi all,

I just purchased a PB 1.5 GhZ 15" last night with 128MB GPU, 5400 rpm HD, an Airport Express hub. Very f###ing excited about getting it ASAP.

But I have a few questions posed to current PB Aluminium owners...

1) It looks like according to the specs page on Apple's web site that it comes with a connector to get video out to a VGA monitor, but the "store" asked me at "checkout" if I wanted a DVI to VGA connector? What video cables does the PB Aluminum come with.

2) Any PB user buy the NewerTechnology PB battery...the one that claims to have 42% more capacity than the one Apple ships (for the 1.5 Ghz 15"). I'd love to know your experience in the purchase and it's actual bennefits.

3) Anyone who bought recently (in the past 30-40 days) who ordered any build to order, what was your actual ship time, with or without expedited shipping?

4) Any recommendations for a laptop case/bag? My MAIN concern is durability (thick padding, suspended laptop sleeve 'that fits the intended laptop', tear resistant, water resistant, big self-repairing zippers)
Second priority for a bag/case is adequate, intelligent storage, pockets for pens, flat sheets of paper, PB battery, power brick, cables, security chain, iPod/headphones, magazines, cell phone, etc.

5) Concerning RAM types for PB Aluminums; On Otherworld Computing's web site...there are 2 different 1 Gig chips with 2 different prices with appartently the same specs...the prices $199 and $289 respectively.

6) Superdrive vs getting the combo drive...anyone REALLY use Superdrive to make DVDs?

7) Any "MUST HAVE" PB accessory that was helpful or cool?

Answers, especially from recent, Alum PB buyers would be helpful.

Thanks, all!

[teknopimp]

1. http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html

2. n/a

3. it was delayed once and ended up being 7 business days from time of order to arrival at my doorstep

4. Brenthaven

5. check out this deal at Outpost.com: http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4158153

6. i haven't yet, put plan to use it for archiving data

7. Podium CoolPad and iSkin ProTouch PB

[chrisx]

Mine came with the DVI to VGA cable and also a S-Video to composite cable (I think that's what it is. Basically, I was able to hook it up to my VCR/TV.)

[f1000]

Originally posted by ChillieMac:
7) Any "MUST HAVE" PB accessory that was helpful or cool?

1. Extra power adapter.
2. A car/airplane power adapter.
3. Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, cell phone.
4. Belkin F8V072-SLIM retractable RJ11/RJ45 extension cord.
5. Some good headphones.

[Maflynn]

Originally posted by ChillieMac:
2) Any PB user buy the NewerTechnology PB battery...the one that claims to have 42% more capacity than the one Apple ships (for the 1.5 Ghz 15"). I'd love to know your experience in the purchase and it's actual bennefits.

4) Any recommendations for a laptop case/bag? My MAIN concern is durability (thick padding, suspended laptop sleeve 'that fits the intended laptop', tear resistant, water resistant, big self-repairing zippers)
Second priority for a bag/case is adequate, intelligent storage, pockets for pens, flat sheets of paper, PB battery, power brick, cables, security chain, iPod/headphones, magazines, cell phone, etc.

5) Concerning RAM types for PB Aluminums; On Otherworld Computing's web site...there are 2 different 1 Gig chips with 2 different prices with appartently the same specs...the prices $199 and $289 respectively.

6) Superdrive vs getting the combo drive...anyone REALLY use Superdrive to make DVDs?

7) Any "MUST HAVE" PB accessory that was helpful or cool?

2. I think that's for older PBs not the Aluminum models.

4.Waterfield Racer is an Excellent Bag, quality is top notch and the company was great to deal with. I just orderd a Backpack from Tom Bihn I haven't gotten it yet but the research I did shows a lot of satisfied customers. Finally Check out the sticky in this forum for bags for a PB

5. I went with Crucial and I've never been disapointed (*knocks* on wood).

6. I do for making DVDs ala iDVD and also for backing up. Makes life a lot easier to back stuff up when you can stuff 4 gigs worth on a disc.

7. Get a wireless mouse (not the MX900 it does not work well with OSX no way to program it out of the box). Pick up ScreensavRs from Radtech Check out Unsanity Such as MightyMouse, (change the cursor) and ShapeShifter (theming software)

That should do it for now.
Mike

[ojnihs]

I can answer one right now, I have about 5 minutes.

6. Yes! Get the superdrive! I burn so many DVD's after renting them from Blockbuster. It's also great for using when you need to backup materials or you need to make movies with iDVD or iMovie.

[manero]

I ordered a 15" BTO PB, it was a week ago last Thursday morning, and I got it the Tuesday after. I sprung for the expedited shipping, too.

It ended up showing up a day early, BTW.. it was supposed to show up on Wednesday.

[vita_kk]

Congratulation on your order!
1. It comes with a DVI to VGA cable.
2. N/A
3. The actual time taken for shipping for my BTO PB, iPod and APP is less than a week. I ordered on Wed, then I got my iPod on Monday of the following week, PB on Tues, APP kit on Wed
4. Sleeve: Shinza's zeroshock or Macware sleeve.
Bag: Crumpler
5. The type of RAM that you'll need is: PC2700 DDR 333 200 Pin SO-DIMM. Doesn't matter about the brand. I just installed an extra 512MB by Kingmax on my PB and it works great.
6. N/A. Never try the SuperDrive
7. Coolpad - iBreeze, iLap or Traveller coolpad
Keyboard protector - iSkin Protouch PB
Bluetooth Wireless mouse

[ChillieMac]

Hi all,

Thank you for the posts so far...they have been helpful and look forward to even more responses.

To those that responded that question 2 regarding Newertechs battery not being applicable...it just became available for Aluminum Powerbooks, but no one can really comment on "those" specifically since they just came out. What about people who have Titanium Newertech batteries? What's your experience been? Signifigantly longer use, any problems?

Any more suggestions on bags? Durability/laptop protection is #1 concern (drops and rain protection). Then smart storage. Thanks for the advice from those who responded so far.

Also, does any Powerbook owner of Titanium or Aluminum have any PC cards they use with their PB's? The only PC cards I've heard of are ones that add ports (modem, ethernet, USB/USB2, Firewire etc.). Is there a TV tuner PCMA card? A radio tuner? GPS? Any other catagory I haven't mentioned?

One new question: Apple's spec page mentions a peak altitude to use their PB at (10,000 feet). Does this mean one has to be careful when to use their PB on a flight? Any seasoned air travelers w/Powerbooks care to share experiences?

Thanks again everyone.

"To those that think they can have their cake and eat it too...I poisoned the cake."

[f1000]

Originally posted by ChillieMac:
One new question: Apple's spec page mentions a peak altitude to use their PB at (10,000 feet). Does this mean one has to be careful when to use their PB on a flight? Any seasoned air travelers w/Powerbooks care to share experiences?

Airplanes are pressurized.

[MrForgetable]

Originally posted by f1000:
Airplanes are pressurized.

yep.

[BenN]

Originally posted by f1000:
Airplanes are pressurized.

So in other words, don`t take your PB with you when you go climb Mt. Everest.

[nate_02]

Originally posted by ChillieMac:
Hi all,

I just purchased a PB 1.5 GhZ 15" last night with 128MB GPU, 5400 rpm HD, an Airport Express hub. Very f###ing excited about getting it ASAP.

But I have a few questions posed to current PB Aluminium owners...

1) It looks like according to the specs page on Apple's web site that it comes with a connector to get video out to a VGA monitor, but the "store" asked me at "checkout" if I wanted a DVI to VGA connector? What video cables does the PB Aluminum come with.

2) Any PB user buy the NewerTechnology PB battery...the one that claims to have 42% more capacity than the one Apple ships (for the 1.5 Ghz 15"). I'd love to know your experience in the purchase and it's actual bennefits.

3) Anyone who bought recently (in the past 30-40 days) who ordered any build to order, what was your actual ship time, with or without expedited shipping?

4) Any recommendations for a laptop case/bag? My MAIN concern is durability (thick padding, suspended laptop sleeve 'that fits the intended laptop', tear resistant, water resistant, big self-repairing zippers)
Second priority for a bag/case is adequate, intelligent storage, pockets for pens, flat sheets of paper, PB battery, power brick, cables, security chain, iPod/headphones, magazines, cell phone, etc.

5) Concerning RAM types for PB Aluminums; On Otherworld Computing's web site...there are 2 different 1 Gig chips with 2 different prices with appartently the same specs...the prices $199 and $289 respectively.

6) Superdrive vs getting the combo drive...anyone REALLY use Superdrive to make DVDs?

7) Any "MUST HAVE" PB accessory that was helpful or cool?

Answers, especially from recent, Alum PB buyers would be helpful.

Thanks, all!

2. I haven't purchased a Newer Tech battery, but I would like to because maybe it could play an entire DVD on one battery.

4. I've been very happy with my Timbuk2 bag. www.timbuk2.com
Doesn't sound like exactly what you are looking for, but my next bag will definately be a timbuk2.

5. happy with Crucial

6. No, I use my superdrive to make coffee...of course I burn DVDs on mine. If you're not into making DVDs, just get a combo, you can always get an external DVD burner in the future.

7. Bluetooth mouse. Peripherals forum has a list of good BT mice. I'm happy with my Apple one, but some people want more buttons.

Congrats on your purchase!

[urrl78]

If you have the patience, this comes out in about a month.

http://www.macmice.com/themousebt.html

My Microsoft BT mouse keeps quitting unexpectedly, so I will probably get that mouse.

I use the DVD burner a lot, being in the part time wedding video business. iDVD takes too long to burn. Here's a tip; once you burn a DVD with iDVD just make a disk copy of it and burn the rest at 4x with the proper DVD blanks. The thought crossed my mind to save wear and tear on my internal and get an external DVD burner though...
Even if I did not do weddings part time, the DVD burner is a must in my opinion. Making your own movies is just too much fun. The only thing more fun is making music with Garageband and burning your creations to CD.

[MrForgetable]

Originally posted by urrl78:
If you have the patience, this comes out in about a month.

http://www.macmice.com/themousebt.html

My Microsoft BT mouse keeps quitting unexpectedly, so I will probably get that mouse.

I use the DVD burner a lot, being in the part time wedding video business. iDVD takes too long to burn. Here's a tip; once you burn a DVD with iDVD just make a disk copy of it and burn the rest at 4x with the proper DVD blanks. The thought crossed my mind to save wear and tear on my internal and get an external DVD burner though...
Even if I did not do weddings part time, the DVD burner is a must in my opinion. Making your own movies is just too much fun. The only thing more fun is making music with Garageband and burning your creations to CD.

they look like they have some good mice. just what i want. an apple mouse with 2 buttons and a scroll button. are they a reputable company?

[rytc]

Originally posted by ChillieMac:

6) Superdrive vs getting the combo drive...anyone REALLY use Superdrive to make DVDs?

I ummed and ahhed about the SuperDrive and finally got it and am glad I did now! The space saving when archiving things c.f. CD is phenomenal (i.e. 7 CDs = 1 DVD) plus I had several big Schhol projects each ~3 GBS which were able to be backed up in their entireity rather than being split up. And yes I have made several DVD movies using it too, good way to give friends a copy of a film you *cough* legitimately sourced.

Cheers Ry

[f1000]

Originally posted by BenN:
So in other words, don`t take your PB with you when you go climb Mt. Everest.

Or when you skydive.

[Ruahrc]

I wonder about that 10,000ft thing- what about the thin atmosphere hinders the usage of a PB? It does not consume oxygen or anything...

Anyone here from Colorado? There are many places there to drive above 10,000ft, including Mt. Evans at over 14,000ft. Take your PB up there and see if it works?

Here's my take on the superdrive: if you are willing to pay for it sure, but I really don't see the use. If you pirate or are really into making movies then it is a good thing. If you want it for backup, get an external HD. Backing up onto optical discs is not very reliable- much better going with an HD. It is faster, more reliable, and much easier to update than optical media. Besides if your computer does crash you can boot from an external HD and be up and running again in a matter of minutes, whereas with DVD backup you would need to copy many gigs of data to your HD first.

Congrats on your new machine! I just got a PB1.33 15" one myself a few days ago. I would have liked the 128MB GPU and the 5400rpm HD but they were too expensive for me Maybe later I can slip a 7200rpm HD into this thing and really hum along! I am also interested in how those new batteries work out. I think you'll need to wait a little longer as I think they are brand new yet, and so people have not yet gotten a chance to order/recieve/use them. In fact I think that OneWorld only has them for preorder at the moment.

Oh and I ordered my PB on sunday afternoon, it came on Friday, 5 days later. I paid the $15 fast charge shipping for it.

Ruahrc

[tooki]

Originally posted by Ruahrc:
I wonder about that 10,000ft thing- what about the thin atmosphere hinders the usage of a PB? It does not consume oxygen or anything...

It's the hard drive. All hard drives require air to function. (Contrary to common belief, they're not vacuum-sealed. They have a little "breather hole" to allow air in and out.) When the disks spin, the head hovers over them on a microscopically thin cushion of air. At very high altitude, the air may not be dense enough to support the head, and it could crash, causing severe damage to the drive, resulting in substantial (and irreversible) data loss.

tooki

[Lancer409]

1) It looks like according to the specs page on Apple's web site that it comes with a connector to get video out to a VGA monitor, but the "store" asked me at "checkout" if I wanted a DVI to VGA connector? What video cables does the PB Aluminum come with.

specs already posted by another member.

2) Any PB user buy the NewerTechnology PB battery...the one that claims to have 42% more capacity than the one Apple ships (for the 1.5 Ghz 15"). I'd love to know your experience in the purchase and it's actual bennefits.

i'd like to know that about the 12inch. also, unless you are going to need a second battery, dont buy one just to have it sitting with a charge. i heard that the battery will die out eventualy or degrades over time so buy one when you need one .. not just because it has more capacity.


3) Anyone who bought recently (in the past 30-40 days) who ordered any build to order, what was your actual ship time, with or without expedited shipping?

n/a

4) Any recommendations for a laptop case/bag? My MAIN concern is durability (thick padding, suspended laptop sleeve 'that fits the intended laptop', tear resistant, water resistant, big self-repairing zippers)
Second priority for a bag/case is adequate, intelligent storage, pockets for pens, flat sheets of paper, PB battery, power brick, cables, security chain, iPod/headphones, magazines, cell phone, etc.

booq, crumpler school hymn ... i love my modified crumpler, and the 15 is supposed to fit like a glove. my friend uses waterfield but i dont think it's as durable..

5) Concerning RAM types for PB Aluminums; On Otherworld Computing's web site...there are 2 different 1 Gig chips with 2 different prices with appartently the same specs...the prices $199 and $289 respectively.

there's a link from outpost.com floating around .. 1gig chip is 149!

6) Superdrive vs getting the combo drive...anyone REALLY use Superdrive to make DVDs?

i dont see why i'd use a slower superdrive on powerbooks instead of a faster dvd rewrite on my gaming pc for a much cheaper price. i\t would be good to use it to back up mac files

7) Any "MUST HAVE" PB accessory that was helpful or cool? bluetooth mouse, IPOD, hehe ... screen protector (radtech.us) some sorta mouse if not bluetooth, usb jumpdrive/minicruzer or some other usb storage device.

congrats. now find someone to show you the secret handshake =)

[DeathToWindows]

1) You should get a DVI-VGA adaptor in the box

2) nope

3) nope

4) I love my timbuk2 bag... $100 at any appleStore

5) That'll be an effect of the ram latency... the lower the latency the higher the price... buy what you can best afford.

6) Nope. That is what the G5 I've got is for...

7) A small portable mouse - doing hours of photoshop is much easier this way

BTW, I've got a 12" Rev C AluBook

[brentsg]

I absolutely love my Brenthaven backpack for my 12" PowerBook. I didn't look at their line for larger models. The padding, storage, and durability are great.

For memory, I had great success using Mushkin RAM. The code DDRDEAL got me 10% off when I ordered too. They make enthusiast RAM for PC overclocking - good stuff.

B

[wuzup101]

Just wanted to say congrads on the new powerbook purchase. I got my BTO PB in mid july and it came pretty damn fast. I think it was made and shipped in under a week and i got it like 3 days after the shipping date w/ normal shipping (from china no less). I personally don't have a use for the superdrive, and being a student, I saved that money and bought a gig of ram instead. I have a 4x dual format DVD burner in my PC that I got an external enclosure for. I haven't had to use it at school yet; however, it works nicely (I did use it at home about 10 times to make some backups so I didnt' have to bring my origionals to school).

For a bag I use my North Face daypack... a Borealis (sp?) and I put the PB in a padded sleeve from radtech.us. I also use a screensavRz from the same place.

I just ordered one of those batteries you're talking about and it should be here by friday so I'll be able to give you some good evaluations by monday as I always have my powerbook with me and it runs on the battery quite a bit.

As for accessories... extra battery if you're on the go, iPod, something to wipe the screen down with (ie: screensavRz or similar product), www.safeware.com insurance, applecare, bluetooth or nice wired mouse, nice pair of comfy headphones, um... stock in apple...

I'm also thinking about buying a crumpler bag but I'm still not certain that I want to carry 2 bags around. The 15" in it's sleeve is still much smaller than any of my binders or text books so it's not such a big deal.

[MrForgetable]

I almost kind of regret not getting the 12 inch with Superdrive instead the 15 inch with the Combo. Almost