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abundrefo · May 26, 2003, 12:39 PM

I am reading almost everything that people say about these last generation Ti-books.

People are buying the 1Ghz because, of course, it's the last one released.

But I could check out the 1Ghz review at: www.macworld.com/2003/02/reviews/tibook1gig/

...and the 1Ghz did not seem so much better than the 867Mhz Ti-book. Yes, you have superdrive, you have some extra 133Mhz but is worth spending the "extra money" ????
(and for non-american buyers, believe me, it's a LOT "extra money")

So, what do you guys think?

Andre.

dar77777 · May 26, 2003, 02:21 PM

Hi, I just got a 2 month old 867mhz on eBay for about $1800 which is a lot cheaper than what the 1ghz model goes for. Under reduced power battery operating mode, both the 867mhz and 1ghz run at 667mhz. I think the 867mhz model offers more value.

dar77777 · May 26, 2003, 02:23 PM

Also, the Superdrive burns CDs slower than the Combo drive.

Eug · May 26, 2003, 02:29 PM

If you need a SuperDrive, then get the 1 GHz. Every little bit of extra CPU speed helps with DVD authoring. Also, if you play video games, then get the 1 GHz.

Otherwise, the 867 TiBook should be fine. It's still faster than the 867 MHz 12" PowerBook (because of the L3 cache).

iWrite · May 26, 2003, 02:35 PM

Good choices.

I love my TiBook.

I had the yearning to go buy a 17-incher today but when I got to the Apple Store I found out that it's running Airport Extreme cards (of course) and they told me that they're not compatible with the older Airport Base Station. Does that sound right?

Since my local ISP is not compatible with the new Airport Extreme Base Station (and a LOT of people are having problems -- we're talking about 12 PAGES of complaints about AEBS over at the Apple Discussions Site for Airport Extreme) I guess I'm not upgrading anytime soon.

The more I think about it the more I think the current crop of Titaniums is well worth the investment. I have the 1Ghz with the Superdrive and I love it and think it was well worth the money. I added AppleCare extended warranty and it runs stock 512mb ram and it's speedy.

Unlike every other Titanium I've owned, this one has never had paint problems (peeling or chipping).

It's also extremely cool to run. Since we live where it's warm we frequently have shorts on and the Titanium is always on my lap and it's never hot. Ever. I've heard some reports that the aluminum systems are running a lot hotter than the last generation of Titaniums.

That's the beauty of the current generation of Titaniums: They've been perfected. The problem with buying brand new systems is that they have a lot of problems initially. Apple no longer has quality control and depends on customer experience and feedback to make fixes or retroactively repair problems.

So, that makes a Titanium a good buy right now, no matter which one you buy.

Eug · May 26, 2003, 02:48 PM

I had the yearning to go buy a 17-incher today but when I got to the Apple Store I found out that it's running Airport Extreme cards (of course) and they told me that they're not compatible with the older Airport Base Station. Does that sound right?

As far as I know, that is wrong. It will run, but just at the slower 11b speeds.

Personally, I don't think it is a good idea to go from 15-->17" at the same MHz, unless you really need the extra screen real estate, and don't mind the extra weight and size. If the 15" TiBook and the 17" AluBook were my only choices, I'd still get the 15" TiBook.

It would be nice to have a 15" AluBook, but it will be quite some time before the 15" AluBook arrives though.

MusicalTone · May 26, 2003, 06:29 PM

I too love my 1Ghz and voted for it above. But the truth is I dont really know how much of a noticable difference there is between it and the 867 as I have not used one. The larger disk space is welcome and the superdrive is nice, if rarely used. I am told the extra video ram is only nocicable on games. So what does that leave? Oh yes, the processor. Who knows. Try and get a demo and see. I remember searching around on this topic when I bought my machine and there was very little out there in terms of info. I guess ultimately it comes down to what can you afford/preparred to pay for?

Appleman · May 26, 2003, 06:37 PM

Originally posted by Eug:
It would be nice to have a 15" AluBook, but it will be quite some time before the 15" AluBook arrives though.

This is based on what?
Isn't it about time they will come out?
Somewhere I read they are waiting to ship, just waiting for old inventory go down?

Eug · May 26, 2003, 07:12 PM

Originally posted by Appleman:
This is based on what?
Isn't it about time they will come out?
Somewhere I read they are waiting to ship, just waiting for old inventory go down?

This is based on my own guesstimates and on Apple history.

It is also based on the fact that the new G4 7457 will be here in a few months.

I'd think it'd be more likely that the new PowerBooks would use the 7457 than the PPC 970 for the time being, partially because of power reasons.

Time will tell.

Appleman · May 26, 2003, 07:17 PM

Originally posted by Eug:
Time will tell.

Yes indeed.

Finrock · May 26, 2003, 07:24 PM

Just an FYI... the AirPort Extreme card in my 17" does indeed work with my AirPort Base Station. I have a v2.0 in my house and a mix of 1.0 and 2.0 at school. The AirPort Extreme card works flawlessly with all of them.

-Finrock

iWrite · May 26, 2003, 09:33 PM

Thanks for the Airport info. Just goes to snow ya -- I mean show ya -- that some of the Apple Store folks don't really know what they're talking about. I even argued about it a bit. The guy was kind of rude which is another reason the itch in my fingertips to pull out a credit card went away.

Anyway, I agree with everyone here. I was thinking that if I got the bigger system that a lot of baggage goes with it: Worrying about the screen...extra weight...less battery power length...extra heft...not as portable...and a Rev. A machine, which is the worst thing of all.

I'm not trying to knock anyone's purchase here. I'm just not at the "gotta have" stage for that thing.

About the 867Mhz vs the 1Ghz well, we've got both right here in the house. They run the same. They look the same. The only discernible difference is that I can burn a DVD in one if I wanted to. I have to admit, I have never burned a DVD since I bought this thing back in February.

I'd say that if you're not going to burn DVDs then by all means save your cash and buy an 867Mhz. I'm seeing some of those things on eBay for unbelievably low prices. Just make sure to get all the information on the seller that you can and I highly suggest buying it via a C.O.D. FedEx cashier check payment: They send it to you via C.O.D. and you pick it up and pay for it at the local FedEx counter.

Anyway, have a good one!

mixtup · May 27, 2003, 12:03 AM

The 1Ghz because I just bought one

But, seriously I don't know if there's much of a difference between the 1Ghz and the 867Mhz. I would bet that the increase in gpu memory will do more than the increase in processor speed. (An increase in RAM would do more than either of those, for that matter). So the 867 might be a better value.

I totally agree:

Originally posted by Eug:
If the 15" TiBook and the 17" AluBook were my only choices, I'd still get the 15" TiBook.

ngrundy · May 27, 2003, 06:02 AM

1ghz here. more grunt and i don't plan on replacing it for a few years..

A few people here mentioned stuff about "go the 1ghz if you want a superdrive". What's the deal with that? I BTO a 1ghz with a Combo Drive nad 40gb hdd because of the following reasons.

1. didn't want a super drive
2. wanted a single stick of 512 not 2x256.*

* The saving by pulling the 60gb out and putting the 40gb in was the EXACT same amount it cost to switch from two 256meg modules to 1x512 meg module.

Eug · May 27, 2003, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by ngrundy:
A few people here mentioned stuff about "go the 1ghz if you want a superdrive". What's the deal with that?

Because if you're going to be using iMovie and iDVD, you are going to want as much CPU power as you can get.

BrunoBruin · May 27, 2003, 09:29 AM

Originally posted by ngrundy:
2. wanted a single stick of 512 not 2x256.*

To me this is the only real knock on the 1GHz model. If it came with one stick of 512 I'd say it's definitely worth the extra cash. I personally would still go for the 1GHz Ti because it's a BIT more future-proof -- bigger HD, twice the VRAM and a faster CPU.

You could also CTO a 1GHz with a combo like ngrundy and save $200.

cambro · May 27, 2003, 11:06 AM

I think either machine is great, but I think the 867 is the better value. That said, I have a Giga book with a combo drive! Why? Well, I don't really need the SD, and if I do, it's target-time with somebody else's SD mac!

The MAIN reason I have a Ghz Ti is because I got it back with the double your RAM for $40 thing that Apple offered...going to the max RAM and max hard drive right out of the box was worth the little extra over the 867 (throw in some VRAM and a little extra CPU to spice it up).

Anyway, if this promo wasn't going, I would have picked one of the 867s up.