[krux`]

Like my posts' before, i just bought a PB it hasnt arrived, but im wondering when it does, my 1.25GHZ PB with 1GB of ram.. Is it comparable to speeds of PC Notebooks today? In 5 months will it still be? Does Anyone have information on this ive seen no post on this yet..

[BlueCat]

This may help:

http://www.barefeats.com/al15b.html

[nagromme]

Raw CPU speed isn't where the PowerBook line is the top, at the moment. The fastest Wintel laptops are, I believe, faster than a G4. The PowerBook is fast, just not THE fastest.

The price you pay for the extra speed of a top Wintel notebook is typically:

a) losing other features--like connectivity (find a PC laptop with FW800, S-Video out, video spanning, and gigabit Ethernet), backlit keys, instant-wake-on-open, and most importantly, an incomparable OS: Panther

b) saddling you with a massive, heavy, thick brick of a laptop!

Look at other 1"-thick widescreen laptops with the ports and wireless and GPU to match your AlBook. IF you find any, see what they cost for a given price. I think you'll be pleased with your PowerBook choice.

PS I'm waiting for the same system

[terrancew_hod]

The PC laptops are faster but the Powerbook is way cooler, has more features, lighter and more user-friendly than it's PC counterparts. Also to get close to the same features, more times than not, the Powerbook is a little cheaper... especially when your talking about the Alienware laptop.

I'm very impressed with my PB (now that it's been a week without any screen issues) and with Panther; during my lunch hour at work, I managed to log into my work network, transfer some files from my desktop and get my Exchange mail from Apple's Mail application. I was checking my mail and I showed the owner what I was doing; he had to look twice because he though I was using a PC with a program to emulate a OS X interface.

The speed issues on the Powerbooks really won't be resolved until Apple puts the G5 into it.

Terrance

[hardcat1970]

Originally posted by terrancew_hod:
The PC laptops are faster but the Powerbook is way cooler, has more features, lighter and more user-friendly than it's PC counterparts. Also to get close to the same features, more times than not, the Powerbook is a little cheaper... especially when your talking about the Alienware laptop.

I'm very impressed with my PB (now that it's been a week without any screen issues) and with Panther; during my lunch hour at work, I managed to log into my work network, transfer some files from my desktop and get my Exchange mail from Apple's Mail application. I was checking my mail and I showed the owner what I was doing; he had to look twice because he though I was using a PC with a program to emulate a OS X interface.

The speed issues on the Powerbooks really won't be resolved until Apple puts the G5 into it.

Terrance

all pc(s) are faster to run begin with, but they are going to run s-l-o-w-e-r after few months of usage, maybe it is the OS?

[videian28]

I have a p4 2.4 1 gig ram desktop at work, and a 12" 1ghz g4 768 ram

in all the stuff I do, this does very close to my P4, granted most of it is web surfing, MS office work

that and it just works better

no speed complaints at all

[cambro]

I suspect that you won't be waiting on your processor very often.

What will you be waiting on??? Your HARD DRIVE. Portable hard drives blow chow when it comes to speed and the PB is no exception.

[elvis2000]

Originally posted by nagromme:
Raw CPU speed isn't where the PowerBook line is the top, at the moment. The fastest Wintel laptops are, I believe, faster than a G4. The PowerBook is fast, just not THE fastest.

BUT - find a PC notebook thats thin and light with the very powerful Radeon 9600 video chipset. With Bluetooth. With 802.11g. With widescreen.

jw

[schmoe]

Originally posted by elvis2000:
BUT - find a PC notebook thats thin and light with the very powerful Radeon 9600 video chipset. With Bluetooth. With 802.11g. With widescreen.

jw

http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st...catalogId=-840

Oh, it doesn't have a widescreen display.

Yet it has a far higher DPI (1400x1050), a better video card (Fire GL T2), far faster CPU (Pentium-M 1.7ghz, 2 megs L2 cache, 400mhz fsb), faster HD (7200 RPM), better wireless (802.11a/b/g), more battery life (6.3 hours) and is still only 1.0" thick and weighs 5.4lbs.

Would I trade my Ti 1ghz? Na, tried it, regretted it. WinXP is junk and I can't stand Linux. But the hardware is lightyears ahead of Apple, and with Intel's lead with the Pentium-M I despair of Apple ever again competing in the mobile arena.

[iomatic]

Yeah, BUT:
It's $850 more than a 15"!
--No FireWire 400/800
--No Backlit keyboard (nice feature)
(Playing devil's advocate)
--No mic in (?)
--Can't run Unix and major desktop apps in the same OS (couldn't resist).

Yes, nitpicky, but that's not a fair comparison, really. But I wouldn't say "lightyears [sic] ahead", or that the Bush administration isn't run by a bunch of self-enriching cronies...or wait, maybe that...

...do agree Apple needs to improve on areas where the perception/reality of a feature is key factor in getting some smart switchers... that's an issue.

Originally posted by schmoe:
http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st...catalogId=-840

Oh, it doesn't have a widescreen display.

Yet it has a far higher DPI (1400x1050), a better video card (Fire GL T2), far faster CPU (Pentium-M 1.7ghz, 2 megs L2 cache, 400mhz fsb), faster HD (7200 RPM), better wireless (802.11a/b/g), more battery life (6.3 hours) and is still only 1.0" thick and weighs 5.4lbs.

Would I trade my Ti 1ghz? Na, tried it, regretted it. WinXP is junk and I can't stand Linux. But the hardware is lightyears ahead of Apple, and with Intel's lead with the Pentium-M I despair of Apple ever again competing in the mobile arena.

[krux`]

i See thanks for all the help! So in other words when the next release of the powerbook comes out, assuming its still called the powerbook, my new powerbook i just bought will quite simply be obsolete?

[terrancew_hod]

Originally posted by hardcat1970:
all pc(s) are faster to run begin with, but they are going to run s-l-o-w-e-r after few months of usage, maybe it is the OS?

It's probably the hard drive needing to be defragged and the registry optimized.... gotta have those utilities handy on a PC and the norton antivirus. Definitely don't need as many utilities on OS X as on Windows.

Terrance

[mblchris]

Originally posted by hardcat1970:
all pc(s) are faster to run begin with, but they are going to run s-l-o-w-e-r after few months of usage, maybe it is the OS?

You can't blame Windows for getting slower over time, you have to remember how much crap the average user installs on their system. While a general "techie" user will keep their systems in good shape and keep an eye on what's going on, the general consumer will not. Most consumers haven't gotten past the idea that their computer isn't a toaster so they in turn treat it like a toaster (don't take the care you need to have a clean filesystem, etc).

Not that I'm defending Windows, my signature easily points that out.

[LfGrdMike]

Your PB will not be obsolete Krux. The G4 is fast enough for what most people do. However for video I imagine its not so sweet now that the G5 is out. Otherwise its more than enough to float most peoples boats.

[krux`]

Thanks for your help!

[elvis2000]

Originally posted by schmoe:
http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/st...catalogId=-840

Oh, it doesn't have a widescreen display.

Yet it has a far higher DPI (1400x1050), a better video card (Fire GL T2), far faster CPU (Pentium-M 1.7ghz, 2 megs L2 cache, 400mhz fsb), faster HD (7200 RPM), better wireless (802.11a/b/g), more battery life (6.3 hours) and is still only 1.0" thick and weighs 5.4lbs.

Would I trade my Ti 1ghz? Na, tried it, regretted it. WinXP is junk and I can't stand Linux. But the hardware is lightyears ahead of Apple, and with Intel's lead with the Pentium-M I despair of Apple ever again competing in the mobile arena.

Should have said *for the same price*. That sweet bitch is $3500.

Elvis

[nagromme]

All computers, from all brands, will have faster/better/cheaper successors out within months. That will always be true--and if you'd waited for the next PB, there'd be one after that.

But that's not being obsolete. My old PBG3 still gets the job done!

You'll have several key things that will keep your PB running apps well for a LONG time:

* OS X

* Velocity Engine

* A full set of ports plus Cardbus to add more

[hardcat1970]

Originally posted by mblchris:
You can't blame Windows for getting slower over time, you have to remember how much crap the average user installs on their system. While a general "techie" user will keep their systems in good shape and keep an eye on what's going on, the general consumer will not. Most consumers haven't gotten past the idea that their computer isn't a toaster so they in turn treat it like a toaster (don't take the care you need to have a clean filesystem, etc).

Not that I'm defending Windows, my signature easily points that out.

It's a good point. But the problem is that we did not install any crap on our machines. Sometimes some crap spywares installed behind your back and they just crap out your machine. I recently discovered a banner ad was installed in my colleague's machine even though she isn't even on an administrator account.

That's why microsoft's security is terrible.

[terrancew_hod]

Originally posted by hardcat1970:
It's a good point. But the problem is that we did not install any crap on our machines. Sometimes some crap spywares installed behind your back and they just crap out your machine. I recently discovered a banner ad was installed in my colleague's machine even though she isn't even on an administrator account.

That's why microsoft's security is terrible.

You can't blame MS for that either... woe to the fool that installs those "free" programs (Kazaa, Weatherbug, Bonzai buddy--the list goes on).

So many of my friends complained about the speed of their computers and I had to go over to their houses with a copy of adAware and clean up their systems, especially after I told them not to install that crap. Then when they see all the stuff those programs put there, the would say "ooohhh, now it's running faster"... the dummies...

But preventative maintenance on any computer is necessary. You just have to do more of it on a PC if you're installing everything under the sun...

Terrance

[romeosc]

Originally posted by krux`:
i See thanks for all the help! So in other words when the next release of the powerbook comes out, assuming its still called the powerbook, my new powerbook i just bought will quite simply be obsolete?

NO!

I still own and use old PBs & Ibooks!

IBook 300s for constuction foremen who can't hurt them!


PB 2300c duos for office staff mobility!

TIPB 400 & 500 for management


ALL used and very efficient!

Only major use for more speed is games & Video !

Most recent PBs are more powerful than most people need (except to be one up on the Jones!)

[Link]

Darn that IBM is a nice laptop, but for it's price you can get a nice 17" powerbook geez!

Your laptop won't be obsolete, it will always be as fast as it was the day you bought it, and from experiecne os x requires far less 'maintenance' then windows, whether or not you're a 'techie' and you don't even really have to keep an eye on your os x machine.

:shrug: even then windows has horrid fragmentation rates.

[Tomster]

Originally posted by krux`:
Is it comparable to speeds of PC Notebooks today?

Sure is. Drop both from a building and you will find they both accelerate at 9.8m/s^2!

Your question is quite general - what apps are you wondering about?

[nate_02]

My 15" AlBook is just as speedy as my friend's two PC notebooks (he only has them because he works for a city and it seems like he gets a new one every 2 months).

He has dealt with several different brands of PC notebooks and hasn't found one that he can even compare to the PB.

[krux`]

photoshop and possibly bryce! other than that, maybe some web design, nothing out of the oridnary ya know !

[SEkker]

I have to say, I really enjoy my PB17. There is much to like about it. But you cannot call it a speed demon.

I believe the 'year of the powerbook' is a classic Jobs audible -- summer of 2002, Motorola finally admits their G5 is nowhere near ready to go. IBM starts developing their G5 just in time for production from their new factory, and Jobs looks for a way to save Apple for a year until IBM comes on line (BTW, I believe IBM put the G5 together 3-6 months ahead of schedule).

So Jobs challenges his 'A' team to build the best G4 PBs they can design, as the G4 was not TOO far behind the mobile Pentium chips. The 'A' team already built the Al G5 enclosure, but didn't have anything to put in it. So they built the Al 12 and 17 PBs [I do NOT believe they deisgned the 15 Al PBs, so I have to believe they're building the new iMac for 2004]

Jobs announces these cool computers Jan 2003 ahead of the Centrino wave, much to everyone's surprise.

When the G5 PBs come out, there'll be 3+ GHz Centrinos, but at least the current mobile speed gap won't be getting worse, and maybe IBM can keep up with upgrades to the G5 path every 6-9 months to start besting Intel for awhile.

At the same time, I believe most current notebook speeds (Macs or PCs) are limited by the slow HDs found in most models, and the 1+GHz CPUs handle all but video tasks just fine, with little noticable difference from the top to bottom of the current lineups.

[Chemmy]

Originally posted by Tomster:
Sure is. Drop both from a building and you will find they both accelerate at 9.8m/s^2!

The PowerBook's thinner cross section means it'll have a higher terminal velocity. PowerBooks are faster than PC laptops!