[AssassyN]

EDIT: CheesePuff had been kind enough to lend me some webspace, so rather than reading my review on this forum, just click on this: AssassyN's Extensive 17" G4 PowerBook Review! and make it much easier on your eyes. Thanks again CheesePuff!

Hey there everyone! Welp, the time has finally
arrived! I've been blessed enough to have received my
17" PowerBook back on 4/3/03 and now that I've had
several days to play with it, test it, tweak it, and
use it, I'm writing the "AssassyN Review" that I
promised everyone that I would! If you're somehow
unfamiliar with who I am, or the story behind myself,
I'll give ya a quick story. I debated between an
Alienware Area 51-m or a 17" PB since early Jan., and
I've been here the whole time asking/receiving help,
and the day has finally come when I can possibly be
instrumental to others, just as others were
instrumental to me in this decision!

So, here goes folks, the review I have promised! Grab
yourself a comfortable chair, a hot cup of coffee, and
your glasses, 'cause you're gonna be reading for
awhile.

The machine being tested/reviewed is:
17" Apple PowerBook G4
1Ghz G4 Processor
1GIG DDR RAM
60GIG Hard Drive
SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme

First off, please see swsteckly's review here:
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=152063
for a very thorough look at how the PB actually looks
when it arrives, descriptions of what comes in the
package, and an otherwise detailed observative view of
the 17" PB. I tried to write my review in conjunction
with his, and so as his is very outwardly observatory
in detailing the packedging and outright features of
the machine, I'll be going into the gritty details of
how it performs in every area I can.

Upon actually receiving the PowerBook, I opened it
with tons of joy just bursting out, and the first
thing I looked for was defects or abnormalities of any
kind. My PowerBook's lid, when closed, is even all
the way across; there isn't a larger gap on one side
than the other. Also, there's about a 2mm gap all the
way across that ensures that the keys do not come in
contact w/ the screen so not to cause marks on the
LCD. The release latch is a solid button in the
center in which a firm push in the center of it will
release the screen lid and the lid will pop open
approx. 1 inch at the time of release. This release
button is a bit small, and so angling your finger just
so to press it in is required, however, it's a nice
feature as common accidents are unlikely to be able to
press the button and open the screen without you
wanting it to. After the lid popped up, I
immediaitely prepared to take a feel to how the lid
opened. I must say Apple perfected this. The lid is
clearly counter-balanced so that is feels extremely
sturdy regarless of it's positioning, and the glide
that you feel while moving the screen upright is
marvelous. And when you place the screen at the angle
you want it, it stays there. The motion of the screen
moving forward and backwards by the force of your
hands is extremely smooth, but when you release, the
screen has an impecible ability to stay put and not
slowly fall one direction or the other. Too, the
weight of the machine is perfectly distributed. I can
securely grab it with one hand and wrap it under my
arm and feel safe about toting it around with me. It
doesn't feel heavy or burdensome at all, escp. when
you look at how large it is to be so light. And when
placed on a flat surface, such as your table or desk,
the rubber feet on the bottom stick like glue! So
you'll never have to worry about your 17" PB sliding
off accidentally, once you sit it down, it's planted
until you put equal pressure on both sides to lift it
back up.

Also, the screen is absolutely beautiful in every
aspect imagineable. It's clearly viewed from just
about any odd angle you can place yourself at, in
other words, multiple people can gather around your
LCD, and not everyone has to be "directly in front of
the screen" to see what's going on; the viewing angle
allowable is most impressive. On a side note, my LCD
has no dead/stuck pixels whatsoever (thank heavens!)
and I set the Display Options to allow the ambient
light sensors to adjust my brightness level at all
times, however, there are very nice keys (F1 & F2)
that allow you to override that and manipulate the
brightness settings at anytime. The screen also
closes very smoothly and stays firmly in place. The
screen is so massive...I mean it seems to span for
miles. It's beautiful, the colors are so rich and
defined at any brightness level, and the resolution is
perfect. It doesn't make text hard to read at all.
The screen, in every single aspect, is astounding.

The finish on the machine is incredible to say the
absolute least! The Aluminum look and feel is so
beautiful...I've already accidentally scraped the top
with my watch (too excited!) and there's not a single
scuff or sign of it happening whatsoever, so I feel
secure in saying it's much less prone to scratching
than the TiBook. It's slightly sucseptable to
fingerprints, but I say this in the lightest manner
possible. The only way you can even see them is to
look hard in specific lighting. I confidently feel
that this Al casing is by far the nicest casing
possible for this notebook, it's beautiful, stunning,
scratch resistant, and cool (which we'll get to
later).

Onto the keyboard/trackpad! With the screen open and
these the keyboard & trackpad visible, the machine
just looks great! But more importantly, it's how they
work. By default, the trackpad won't allow
tap-clicking nor tap & drag, but these are easily
turned on (recommended) in the System Preferences.
Too, the Mouse icon in there has 2 seperate settings:
one for the trackpad and one for an external mouse,
you can set your tracking speed & double click speed
for your trackpad/external mouse seperately. The
trackpad feels very, very smooth to the touch, however
it has a great prescense so your finger doesn't get
lost on it...it's tactile, yet refined, exactly like
it should be. The large single-click mouse button
works well also, and has a defined "click" to it that
requires just the right amount of pressure to
activate, however, I greatly prefer the trackpad
tapping for clicking, and that works wonderful as
well. They keyboard itself is magnificent. All of
the keys are clearly defined and wonderfully
positioned, in my opinion. I've always hated standard
keyboards (non-Ergo) to begin with, and escp. notebook
keyboards b/c they felt all squisky and unstable, well
the 17" PB changed all that. This keyboard is
remarkable, it's extremely solid upon each keystroke,
I had no problems whatsoever adjusting to it, and
within 5 minutes of use I could accurately speed type
on it. If I didn't like non-Ergo keyboards, I would
not purchase an external keyboard for this machine,
that's how good the keyboard really is. Each buttons
sinks perfectly and you feel confident about each
press, which is very important considering you can
lose valueable time stopping & looking down at
unstable keys every few seconds. Also, for in-home
use, I'd highly recommend purchasing an external
mouse. Although the trackpad works very well, an
external mouse makes things much more productive,
escp. with a 2nd mouse click and other possible
buttons. A very nice feature is that the computer
disables the trackpad when it sense you're typing, so
that your wrist doesn't accidentally hit the pad and
send your cursor flying. On a side bar, my Logitech
MX500 worked immiediately upon plugging into the
USB-port, and I configured the buttons exactly how I
wanted them by d/loading the latest OS X drivers for
it off their site; if you are looking for an external
mouse, look no further than the MX500 (wired) or MX700
(wireless). It's so comfortable and flexible, and
matches the color scheme quite well.

Beside the keyboard is the power button and speakers.
The Power Button is flush in the machine and takes a
solid push to activate. Again, this is helpful to
prevent accidental boot ups. The PowerBook's speakers
are EASILY the best notebook speakers I've ever heard
when it comes to sound effects and music both. Even
at max volume, the speakers do not distort whatsoever,
which is a rarity on notebooks. Given, they are
notebook speakers, so the bass is clearly lacking, but
the highs/mids are refined enough to make these
speakers listenable, which can't be said for most
notebook speakers.

(...continued to Part II below)

[AssassyN]

(....continued [Part II])

Now, in the front of the notebook, on the right side
of the screen release button, is the SuperDrive.
Slot-loading hasta be the coolest thing about it, lol,
you need to insert the CD/DVD about 4/5ths of the way
into it, and it will suck it in and make a brief loud
clicking sound, which is normal, to mount the disc.
After this 1 second click, it's completely silent for
the remaining operations it does. I mean, honestly,
I've never heard a quieter CD drive...it got
aggriavating at one point during a game installation,
as I couldn't even hear if the CD-drive was doing
anything at all!! I had to place my ear directly over
to ensure it *was* operating! It's THAT quiet! Upon
ejection, it again makes a very brief click sound as
it dismounts. The SuperDrive works flawlessly reading
CD's, data CD's, DVD's, etc. It plays DVD perfectly
smooth on the included Apple DVD Player, and the
quick-buttons are very nice! It doesn't fill the
entire screen, however, on widescreen DVDs as the
screen isn't a perfect 4:3 ratio. But, it does fill a
majority of the screen, and you don't feel like you're
looking at a squished movie at all, it's rendered very
well. I have yet to burn a CD-R or a DVD-R, but I'm
sure it'll continue to perform as it has in those
tests also, and from other's data the burner burns
CD-R's at 16x (rather than the states 8x) and DVD-R's
at 1x. My only gripe about the SuperDrive is that
when copying files from a CD onto your HD, the
transfer rates are rather slow in comparison to other
drives I've used, but aside from that, it's perfect.

The hard drive is also whisper quiet. I have the
Toshiba hard drive (dangit, wanted the highly
acclaimed Fijitsu!) lol, but I'll live. So far it's
performed great with installations and such, and like
I said, it's so quiet I hafta put my ear on the
machine to hear it even operating, even under
intensive tasks like unstuffing huge files.

On the left side of the 17" PB there's an Audio
Out/Headphone (whichever you plug in there) jack that
outputs crystal clear signals to my Monsoon
PlanarMedia 14s (2.1 sound system). Immediaitely upon
inserting a headphone/speaker cable into it, the
internal speakers cease operation and the signals are
sent out perfectly clear. It's also quiet secure, it
doesn't feel flimsy at all. The Audio-In jack right
behind is sturdy as well. The PC-card slot behind
that is very nice, and has a flap that covers it from
debris getting inside, and the flap folds out of the
way upon insertion of a PC-card. The eject button
requires just the right amount of force also. Behind
that is a single USB 1.1 port, and upon plugging my
Logitech MX500 into it, it immidately started working.
Both the trackpad and the external mouse can be set
as active, so you can switch between the two if you so
choose. Behind that port is a 56k modem jack. I
haven't used narrowband in years, so I have no way of
testing the internal modem. Behind that is the power
input, in which you can power the notebook by AC
power. When charging, the colored ring shines
yellow/amber, and when fully charged, the light shines
green...this is quite a nice external indicator of
your battery being charged or not. And behind that is
a notebook lock, in which I'm not using so I can't
comment on it's effectiveness.

On the right side of the PowerBook is another USB 1.1 port, which comes in handy for connecting your external mouse/keyboard, scanner, digicam, etc., and behind that is a FireWire 400 port, which you iPod users will visit frequently, and behind that is it's faster sibling, the FireWire 800 port. Behind that is the 10/100/1000-T ethernet jack (which I'll further comment on later), and behind that is an S-Video out for sending display signals to televisions and such, and behind that is a DVI-out, in which I connect my DVI-to-ACD adapter to so I can hook up my 23" HD Display. The ports are laid out very well, and are distributed very nicely as not to cause too much clutter on one side or the other, and it adds to the overall sleekness and beauty of the machine.

The 17" PB comes ready to connect to your AirPort/AirPort Extreme network, and as a Mac newbie I had my PC receving internet signals via a wired hub through the LAN-out of the AirPort Extreme Base Station and my PB receiving internet signals wirelessly in under 15 minutes...phenominal. Also, in further commenting on the ethernet jack, you can plug a CAT5 cable into that jack and it'll automattical re-route it's signals to follow the wire (which is the faster path) so you can transfer files via your LAN quicker, and then upon unplugging it automatically re-routes them back wirelessly, all without a single hickup, very nice. The range is most impressive, and I'm very satisfied with how well it overcomes blantant solid objects clearly in it's pathway. Too, I had absolutely zero problems when playing hours of constant online gaming (details on gaming performance later on) via AirPort Extreme. My ping on my cable connection was constantly in the sub-100 range, and lag spikes were never an issue. I was slightly scared of wireless gaming, as in first-person-shooters, every move counts, and I couldn't be more pleased with the rock solid performance and reliability of the AirPort Extreme setup on the 17" PB.

Onto installations and overall system performance. Installing my software was a sinch, and as a Mac newbie I found the "Applications" folder to be quiet useful in addition to all the other useful features of OS X. My only gripe is that on average, installing games and such take a bit longer on the PB, escp. those that require "UnStuffing" files...but again, it's only minor b/c on the PB you can easily multi-task while the installation is taking place, so it doesn't make you lose any productivity time. I'm thoroughly impressed at how well this machine can multi-task. It runs iTunes, Word, Acquisition, Mail, Messengers, and Camino all at the same time like it's nothing. Everything ran perfectly smooth and most importantly, stable. Too, boot-up times are relatively quick, averaging 80-90 seconds from "off" to "ready to use". Sleep mode is the most impressive, as it has an extremely low drain on the battery, yet it becomes ready to use in under 2 seconds upon awakening.

Onto Virtual PC performance. I was planning on using Virtual PC 6, but I was able to get an old school copy of VPC 5 for free, so I decided to at least try that before buying VPC 6...well, I'm floored. Even on VPC5, the results are amazing. The setup of the program is very nice & easy to understand. I have the DOS version, and from that I installed Win98, and then applied the WinXP Professional upgrade. I allocated half my RAM (512MB, that's the most VPC5 allows you to allocate) to VPC, and although it took quite a long time to install Win98 & the WinXP upgrade (due to VPC seeing a slower processor, etc.), once WinXP was installed, it has ran beautifully. There's no lag whatsoever, and it auto-configured it's Internet Explorer to get online immediately, which was very nice. It's ran all the minor applications I've tried on it as smooth as butter, and if VPC5 runs this great on the 17" PB, I can't imagine VPC6 being any better, b/c this version runs perfectly smooth. I am definitely impressed with how well it's running WinXP, which comes in handy knowing I've got a x86 OS right there on my HD just in case I need it. Overall, I'm estatic with the VPC performace on the 17" PB.

And in addition to its performance, the level of noise this machine emits it astoundingly low. Even under the most extreme tasks, data crunching, CD-reading/writing, etc., the machine never fails to operate amazingly qiuet. Let's put it this way, I almost got aggrivated with it during the installation of RtCW (the first software I installed on my new machine) because I thought the SuperDrive wasn't working! I actually had to place my ear directly on the right palm rest and listen closely to hear the laser moving in and out reading data, *that's* how quiet it all is...and the entire machine is this way, same with the hard drive. During boot-up I questioned if it was even reading the hard drive, so once again I placed my ear onto the PB, and sure enough, very quietly, the hard drive was working. I'm amazing at how quiet this machine is, it's the next best thing to silence. I would say calling it "quiet as a whisper", too loud...it deserves even better terminology.

Onto sending display signals to an external screen. The 17" PB pushes my 23" HD Display at it's high native resolution (1920x1200) flawlessly in mirroring mode, screen-spanning mode, or external display only mode. The PB can work it's own display plus the HD Display without a single hitch or slowdown, and the transition between screens when dragging programs across them in spanning mode is seamless in every way. In using screen-spanning, I'm able to utilize so much screen real estate it's just about impossible to find ways to use it all...the machine flat out runs an external display like a champion.

(....continued to Part III below)

[AssassyN]

(....continued [Part III])

In accordance of this, I'll now move onto the "heat issue". The 17" PB simply has no heat issue; in using the machine under heavy stress (running 7 programs at a time, installing a program, etc. all at once) the machine only got mildly warm to the touch, and even during constant typing, never caused anything NEAR discomfort to my wrists. I'm so pleased at how well this machine cools itself...I've put it through just about anything I can think of to tax it, and it simply refuses to get anywhere over minorly warm. I honestly stress "warm", because even under constant use, it never gets uncomfortable. As the machine in it's entirity runs abnormally quiet. I checked the fans off & on during intensive tasks to try and catch them on, but I never could, and if the fans have yet to come on, I haven't heard them the first time, but somehow this machine still manages to run cool even under heavy usage. The cooling design on it is amazing, you can be assured that it'll make a 4 hour flight in your lap w/o disabling you from having kids.
Also, as cool as the machine ran while having the display open, I was worried about how hot it'd get when I had it closed to play 3D games on the external 23" HD Display; my fears were crushed. After shutting the PB's lid and awaking it from sleep onto the HD Display, I played Quake III at a resolution of 1920x1200 with all settings maxed out for 2 hours straight, and at the end of this fragfest, the PB STILL remained only mildly warm, and not the LEAST bit hot! Magnificent!! I'm confident you can use the 17" PB to push an external monitor w/ it's lid closed all day without having to worry about overheating. And, mind you, it kept this cool on a flat table! When placing it on my iCurve, it kept even cooler! The iCurve allowed more air to flow around it, and you wouldn't have even known the machine was on unless you were purposely trying to feel a sense of heat from it, that's how cool it ran. I'm stunned at how cool this machine runs, even with the lid closed & doing intensive tasks...very, very nice. Also, when closing the lid to put the machine to sleep, it's always awaken and been ready for usage in under 2 seconds, and it has never failed to awake properly and promptly.

Now, in addition to my observative measures taken in reviewing the 3D gaming performance, I'd also like to add some frame rate tests to give a numerical point of view into how well it does. Please note that all tests were ran in 16-bit color, as by my observations, running in 32-bit color makes no real noticeable difference in appearance, yet taxes the system a great deal more. I feel that tuning the color depth down is a better tradeoff for turning settings/details up. Also, all 3 games are patched to their most recent version as of 4/5/03: SoF II updated to version 1.03, RtCW updated to 1.41 Beta, and Quake III updated to version 1.32. Also, all games were testing using an external mouse/keyboard. Too, no applications aside from the normal ones that OS X has running in the background were enabled.
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix Scores:
Like I said earlier, I found that playing at 1024x768 resolution was the most playable while retaining a smooth look on the LCD screen, so therefore I did my testing for SoF II at that resolution. With all settings maxed out, the game was quiet choppy, escp. in online matches. However, when toning the details/settings down to medium across the board, and getting rid of minor detials/sky particles/shell ejections, I was able to get the game looking very nice and maintaing a smooth frame rate throughout. I did my testing in online deathmatches, as they are the most taxing. At 1024x768 with all settings about medium, I got a steady 70-90 FPS, with mega explosions shooting it down to 40-50 at times, but very seldom did it jerk or become so laggy I couldn't aim or fire. For the casual gamer, the resolution could be dropped, or all settings could be set to low, and your game would be flawlessly smooth and still look satisfactory. Many suggest that SoF II was one of the poorer Mac ports, and although I feel it stresses the system a bit too much (could've been coded more efficiently, in my opinion), it still is extremely playable at the settings I used, and I am very happy with the results.
Return To Castle Wolfenstein: As in SoF II, I used 1024x768 resolution to play this game, as custom running it (which this game & Quake III can do) at full native resolution was simply too jerky for smooth play. I feel that 1024x768 looked marvelous on the LCD and allowed for settings to be upped. This game is a better port than SoF II in terms of system stress, as I was able to run Textures/Details on "High" and Character details "Medium", and keeping all the other minor sky/particles on Low since they're less important. After thorough testing, the above configuration proved to be the most beautiful, yet still 100% playable/smooth. With that configuration, I consistantly got 70-90 FPS, with mega explosions only sinking it down to ~50 FPS. RtCW failed to ever present me in a situation in which I lagged/jerked graphically during gameplay, even in a 20 man online fragfest. I feel this game was coded quite well, and it runs beautifully on the 17" PB. As stated above, gamers who are willing to sacrifice details can tone these things down, but I found RtCW to be extremely playable using the above settings. Higher resolutions and maxed out settings began to cause frame rates drops in which the game lagged up, but the configuration I used and found playable was astounding graphically.
Quake III Arena: Gold: If you're a gamer, and you have/are getting a 17" PB, get this game! This game runs absolutely beautiful at fullscreen on both my PBs screen AND my 23" HD Display. I'll give the custom commands a bit later so you'll know how to do this yourself, for those of you who don't know already. I ran this game at 1920x1200 on my 23" HD Display with Textures on High and Details on Medium, and I got a steady 50-70 FPS, and mega explosions sunk it down to about ~40 FPS sometimes, but never did the frame rates drop so low that it caused noticeable lag and hinder my gameplay, even in a large online deathmatch. Framrates were up on average about 10-15 FPS when playing fullscreen on the PBs 1440x900 resolution screen, with the settings at the same level. Of course, you could lower the frame rate and play with black bars and the settings just one touch higher, but in Quake III there's honestly no need to; play this one at fullscreen w/ the configuration I stated above, and you're in for some pure gaming bliss. The graphics were astounding, and the PB ran it flawlessly.
So after these testings, I'm convinced that the 17" PB is a more than sufficent gaming machine, escp. considering it's not even a desktop machine! Granted, it won't play Doom 3 when it comes out, but on that same hand, no one wanting to play Doom 3 will even want to play it on a Dual 1.42Ghz G4 machine. But for three of the most demanding (if not THE most demanding) 3D games that are currently out for the Mac platform, the PB handled them beautifully and respectably. I am more than satisfied with using my PB as a gaming machine also, hands down.

(....continued to Part IV below)

[AssassyN]

(....continued [Part IV])

CONCLUSIONS:
2 days and nearly 10 hours in the making, I've finally came to the conclusion of my 17" PowerBook Review. First, please understand that I had my machine almost entirely setup by Friday, and while transferring mp3s from my PC to my PB, both machines froze and it rendered the PB un-bootable, even through Disk Utility. I then had to completely reformat & re-install OS X and bring the system back how I had it. I'm unsure of the cause of this, but I will definitely use an alternate method the next time I transfer files (such as a direct CAT5 cable to both machines, or use an FTP) as what I did caused a fatal error on the boot sector on my HD. It really irritated me at first and I was pretty let down, but upon seeing how quickly OS X reinstalled in comparison to WinXP, and also how pretty much everything is already setup the way I want it in OS X, I was immediately smiling again, and though it took me over a day to get the computer how I had it when it first arrived, I had already learned so much about OS X in one day that 3 hours after the OS X re-install, I had absolutely everything exactly back how I had it. I find that impressive on the OS's part, and the PB stuck with me through all the cusomization/installation perfectly. So after that re-install, I started all the testing that you've read about above, and I'd just like to close this with some personal statements about the machine. Hands down, this is the most awesome computer I've ever owned. In taking a step back and really looking at it, if I had the chance to return this 17" PB for something else, I would not. And coming from someone who's used PC's all of his life and still continues to use them, and HATED Apple's up until OS X, I promise you this review isn't biased towards Apple in any way, it's all factual. Apple has simply done an outstanding job on designing this machine. It's extremely fast when it comes to opening apps, running multiple programs at the same time, recognizing/initialized USB/FireWire plug-ins, and even the tough notebook task of gaming. The machine feels very, very quick in all aspects. The only suggestion I have is to definitely get 1 GIG of RAM, escp. if you like multitasking, your computer will certainly appreciaite and utilize the extra memory. This machine is also so flexible...it's a notebook, and it can be a desktop. It's very portable, yet packs massive screen real estate. It can burn DVD's, or you can watch DVD's...the machine, for me, does it all. I'm so impressed by this machine that even all these words can't full describe my joy in owning it...it's truly an experience you have to have to believe. Everything I've done so far on it has been a breeze, connecting and setting up y AirPort Extreme, getting my cable internet working on multiple machines via the AirPort Extreme's built-in router that gives both machines identical IP's so that having internet on multiple machines is possible through my ISP, and even the games work flawlessly in connection with Windows/Linux users. The PB itself, and the OS X operating system, are nothing short of beautiful & incredible. My only cons of the system were the minor one's listed throughout my topic reviews above. For what the machine is, it was worth every penny, I just can't praise it highly enough, nor recommend it highly enough to anyone that wants a powerful and effiencent notebook that can two-face as a desktop replacement. If you're even remotely interested in this machine, definitely head to a local Apple Store and play with one, but whatever you do, get this machine if it fits the bill for you, I'm certain you won't be dissapointed.

I would like to say a very special thank you to all of my pals here at the MacNN Forums, as well as visitors from other forums in which we've coreesponded, and although I can't think of everyone, a certain few are seanypenz, badnewsblair, OSXFreak, and the dozens upon dozens of Mac veterans that guided me, helped me, and answered all my hundereds of newbie questions in my quest for the perfect notebook for me. This community has been so giving, and now I'm happy to be able to start giving back! I hope everyone that reads this review benefits from it, and if any reader has further questions about it, please feel free to post in this thread, or if you'd rather send a question via PM or email, just hit me up or send it to [email protected] and I'll answer anything I can as quickly as I can.

To view the dozens of pictures I took of this momentous event, please visit my SpyMac Gallery (in which you'll hafta Register or Login there to view them) by clicking here: Click HERE

Welp, that concludes my review of the 17" Apple PowerBook G4! I hope you've enjoyed reading it, and please feel free to post here or email me any comments/questions/etc.

*This review was created from 4-5-03/4-6-03 and spanned over 18 hours of testing & tweaking, and spanned over 10 hours of writing. Please forgive the mulitude of typographical errors that I'm sure are present in this. Thank you *

[tanhauser]

Whoa... awesome man, best review I've read thus far!!

Congratulations on your PB 17 and welcome to a new world!!

F

[CheesePuff]

About to read it... but you should post it all nicely formatted on a web page (if you need hosting ask me) with a tad bit larger font.

[Patcarla]

Wow!! that's A review..
I like your set up AssassyN.. But if you wnt an advice..: you need a bigger desk..
Anyway, congrats man and have fun..

[PBAddict]

Thanks for all the hard work putting the review together..excellent. I can't wait to get a 17 "

[OSXFreak]

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Absolutely fantastic review - but let it be on your concience that I won't sleep now until my comes later this week.

On the subject of RTCW, I'm disappointed to hear that it's not smooth at 1440x900 - is it really jerky?

[AssassyN]

Thanks for all the comments guys!

I'm sorry about the screwy formatting, argh, I'm gonna try to get it on some webspace so it'll be better formatted than just here on the boards.

And yeah, RtCW taxes the system, and while it may be playable in most cases at 1440x900 with all settings lowered, I don't think you'd want to, but hey, it'd be worth a shot to see if it pleases your eyes, but in my opinion, a raised resolution doesn't make up for lowered details.

[OSXFreak]

Thanks for the info. Well, thanks for all your efforts and keep us all informed on how you get along with your new baby - I'll do likewise.

I'm turning in for the night, but I don't expect to sleep. Thanks a bunch

[dreamBweaver]

Excellent, informative review, AssassyN. Also, as a former Mac hater until OS X, your experience interests me. I feel so impressed by Apple now. I can't wait to get my 17" powerbook for college! Please report more on how the PB17 is when moving it onto school desks or other small surfaces.

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by dreamBweaver:
Excellent, informative review, AssassyN. Also, as a former Mac hater until OS X, your experience interests me. I feel so impressed by Apple now. I can't wait to get my 17" powerbook for college! Please report more on how the PB17 is when moving it onto school desks or other small surfaces.

No problem!

And I'll definitely post updates once I move into college in August 2003 on how life is up there w/ the 17" PB.

[CheesePuff]

I suck at web site, I know, but here is a better formatted version of the review (with a soft yellow background to ease your eyes):

AssassyN's Extensive 17" G4 PowerBook Review!

[bpsmith]

Any sizzling from underneath the keyboard?

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
I suck at web site, I know, but here is a better formatted version of the review (with a soft yellow background to ease your eyes):

AssassyN's Extensive 17" G4 PowerBook Review!

Thanks a ton man!! Yeah, the formatting on this site it lots better than just reading it on the Forums, so definitely check out the link!

Again, thanks ChessePuff!!

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by bpsmith:
Any sizzling from underneath the keyboard?

Yeah, there is a slight sizzle from underneath the keyboard, but it's so faint that it hasn't even occured to me until you just mentioned it and I placed my ear against the keys.

[CheesePuff]

AssassyN - since both of our mailboxes are full (I have since cleaned out mine), I wanted to let you know if you want me to update the review page with pictures taken from spymac.com, resized and host them on my own server. Let me know... I can add them to the bottom of the review.

[parsec_kadets]

This is a good review. I espcialy appreciate the game performance details. However, I think screen shots are called for. Not that they're needed, just for fun

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
AssassyN - since both of our mailboxes are full (I have since cleaned out mine), I wanted to let you know if you want me to update the review page with pictures taken from spymac.com, resized and host them on my own server. Let me know... I can add them to the bottom of the review.

Wow! That'd be fantastic, that way people wouldn't have to be a member of SpyMac to view them, and SpyMac is horribly overcrowded with negative attitudes, argh, lol. If you would like to do that, I would have no problems at all with it, but please just do it on your free time, there's no rush whatsoever. Thanks man!

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Wow! That'd be fantastic, that way people wouldn't have to be a member of SpyMac to view them, and SpyMac is horribly overcrowded with negative attitudes, argh, lol. If you would like to do that, I would have no problems at all with it, but please just do it on your free time, there's no rush whatsoever. Thanks man!

Done.

I did not get all of the photos yet, but quite a few (opening it up, the desktop, one of you, and the final set-up).

[finalfantasy]

christ...

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by finalfantasy:
christ...

...saves

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
Done.

I did not get all of the photos yet, but quite a few (opening it up, the desktop, one of you, and the final set-up).

Thanks a ton man!! MUCH appreiciated!!

BTW, I'm playing SoF II online right now pushing my 23" HD Display & posting on my PC...ahhhh this is TOO SWEET!

[swsteckly]

COOL man! You've got my review beat.

So glad you've finally got yours.

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by swsteckly:
COOL man! You've got my review beat.

So glad you've finally got yours.

Nah man, yours sparked mine! Glad you enjoyed it!

[sworthy]

AssassyN: Maybe put that link to the website at the top of your post?

Damn good review by the way

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by sworthy:
AssassyN: Maybe put that link to the website at the top of your post?

Damn good review by the way

Done, and thanks man!

[djjava]

Very nice review... couldn't have said it better. i too had a small issue affter transferring files (even through cat-5 direct connection) where programs were beachballing. I restarted and it never got that far. I had to push to power button for a few secs to turn it off. since then, everything is fine. I worried before about my lid issue (not being even), and as well as you reviewed I kind of have to angle my finger just right to push the butotn enough to get it open--but the over greatness of the machine makes you forget about the little things. Apple will fix the little things in newer models... and 3+ years from now maybe I'll be out of the red from this purchase to buy one.

one suggestion to apple... i need a freakin' wrist pad.. my carpal tunnel sydrome is killing me!!

Mazel tov on your powerbook... enjoy! I am.

[AssassyN]

seanyepez, I replied to your PM but your inbox was full, but my answer was:

Yeah! That'd be splendid! Feel free to edit all that you need to!

[Lateralus]

Let's see some more... SEXY pictures...

[ngrundy]

I think that is the review to top all reviews. Now if i could just have your address so I can swipe the 23" HD and the iCurve please (you can keep the powerbook, I'll use my Ti

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
Let's see some more... SEXY pictures...

Hehe, 30 something pictures not enough for ya!?

Those grouches at SpyMac were getting angry because I uploaded so many 17" PB to "MY" gallery...as if someone was forcing them to view them, lol.

[Patcarla]

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Hehe, 30 something pictures not enough for ya!?

Those grouches at SpyMac were getting angry because I uploaded so many 17" PB to "MY" gallery...as if someone was forcing them to view them, lol.

Yeah, I saw the spymac guys comments..They can be pretty harsh sometimes..

[AssassyN]

LoL yeah, but it's all good...all in the name of the review!!

[Lateralus]

...SEXY PICTURES!

[AssassyN]

Just want to send out a very big "THANK YOU" to all of you that have complimented on the review, and I hope all of you have enjoyed the read & got something out of it!


I just want to say that 5 days after getting my very first Mac, the 17" PB, it's just getting better and better. I can't stop using it...I find excuses to hold off on the pizza waiting in the kitchen to play one more round of SoF II online, I've been working on homework that's due in 2 weeks for 5 hours straight just because using the Mac is so much fun, seriously. I've got an iTunes list in the background constantly rolling (btw, the automatic fading in & out of songs in incredibly cool to me for some reason) and I'm completely addicted!!

And as an addition to the review, ever since Saturday I have had my PB's lid closed & connected to the 23" HD Display. I've been running it like this all day and putting the machine to "Sleep" at nights (no shut downs) and the machine always wakes up perfectly and never lags up upon waking up. And the heat generated by the machine running with it's lid closed all day (even through hour long deathmatches of SoF II) is very very minimal; it refuses to get past "mildly warm" under any usage at all, even w/ the lid closed all day long...impressive!!!

Just wanted to thank everyone and give a little update about those worried about using the notebook as a closed-lid desktop replacement for an extended period of time...no issues whatsoever in doing so.

[tanhauser]

Originally posted by AssassyN:

And as an addition to the review, ever since Saturday I have had my PB's lid closed & connected to the 23" HD Display. I've been running it like this all day and putting the machine to "Sleep" at nights (no shut downs) and the machine always wakes up perfectly and never lags up upon waking up. And the heat generated by the machine running with it's lid closed all day (even through hour long deathmatches of SoF II) is very very minimal; it refuses to get past "mildly warm" under any usage at all, even w/ the lid closed all day long...impressive!!!

Isn't that great? I haven't shut off my TiBook in over a year and a half of use... I always put it to sleep when carrying it home, and even when I travel (through airports even).

F

[beanman]

I have to say that I am quite happy with my PowerBook. It is awesome and took it out for a test drive with the campus wireless network today. I love this thing.

On a side note, I now realize how crappy my other monitor was with my old computer. Graphics are sharper(of course), but looking at my old machine...well, there is just no comparison. This also means that I need to do some revisions to my web site, but that's in the future here.

I will post pics of my PowerBook adventure on my web site and post the address there when I get the time. Which who knows will be.

Holy crap...this thing is so COOL!

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by tanhauser:
Isn't that great? I haven't shut off my TiBook in over a year and a half of use... I always put it to sleep when carrying it home, and even when I travel (through airports even).

F

Yep! The things drains so little power and runs ice cold while in sleep mode...there's just no need to shut it down! Awesome!

Originally posted by beanman:
I have to say that I am quite happy with my PowerBook. It is awesome and took it out for a test drive with the campus wireless network today. I love this thing.

On a side note, I now realize how crappy my other monitor was with my old computer. Graphics are sharper(of course), but looking at my old machine...well, there is just no comparison. This also means that I need to do some revisions to my web site, but that's in the future here.

I will post pics of my PowerBook adventure on my web site and post the address there when I get the time. Which who knows will be.

Holy crap...this thing is so COOL!

Awesome to hear man!!! Glad you're enjoying it so much...I know it'll be a blast having my machine on a college campus when I go this fall!

[AssassyN]

Another small update guys...I noticed another "neat" feature of the 17" PB. There's a tiny blueish/white LED on the lid released latch on the notebook, and when you close that lid and the machines goes into sleep mode, that LED comes on and slowly pulses from bright to dim constantly as it sleeps...it's a pretty neat effect in the dark!

[JakBeatZ]

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Another small update guys...I noticed another "neat" feature of the 17" PB. There's a tiny blueish/white LED on the lid released latch on the notebook, and when you close that lid and the machines goes into sleep mode, that LED comes on and slowly pulses from bright to dim constantly as it sleeps...it's a pretty neat effect in the dark!

Bah, that's old news buddy!!

TiBooks have one aswell but it's in the middle of the display hinge.

'tis cool though, no doubt!

I WANT MINE!! Boo hoo!

[tanhauser]

Yup... that feature was introduced when the G3's first came out. It is pretty neat to say the least... :o)

I'm glad you are discovering all these little things!

F

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by tanhauser:
Yup... that feature was introduced when the G3's first came out. It is pretty neat to say the least... :o)

I'm glad you are discovering all these little things!

F

Heh, shows I'm a Mac newbie I guess! But it's definitely a nifty feature!

[Mohammed Al-Sabah]

thx for the review!!! was really cool and made me droool for one lol

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by Mohammed Al-Sabah:
thx for the review!!! was really cool and made me droool for one lol

No problem, glad you liked it!

And I see that you have one on order, awesome! Hope it arrives soon so you too can enjoy it!

[AssassyN]

Just an update everyone!

Yesterday I went to see my grandfather in the hospital and happened to ride by a local Target and suddenly thought about the reports here that some Target stores were selling the 10GIG iPods for $339, so I stopped in, and sure enough they had 3 remaining, so I picked one up! Considering it used to be $399, it was a pretty good deal! I didn't plan on getting an iPod until later this year after the possibility of the new models being released, but with that price in my face and also facing the fact that I really could use an external FireWire hard drive, I broke down and got it!

Just wanted to comment that it works flawlessly with the 17" PB. Plugs right in, iTunes launches, and drag-and-drop works like a charm. Transfer rates were blazing...I filled up 8 gigs already and it took no time, I was very impressed with it. The 17" PB mounted the iPod on the desktop so I could access it as an external HD, everything worked beautifully.

And on a side note, I *LOVE* the iPod! Wow, I thought I could deal without one, but now that I've got one I could't live without it. It's so...amazing to see work! It organizes everything perfectly and does so much in such a tiny package. I've ordered an "iSee" case for it so the chrome doesn't get all scratched up.

Just wanted to post that I've now done an iPod test w/ the 17" PB and it works like a charm, and if you don't have an iPod and do have a nearby Target, you know what to do.

[tanhauser]

Congrats!

The iPods are indeed very cool... I have a 20 Gig one and I love it, couldn't live with out it. Not only for music, but as a backup drive.

I had the 'iSee' and while it does the job well, I much prefer the iSkin, which is made of rubber, fits in perfectly well and look way way cool... take a look here:

iSkin Protect

F

[AssassyN]

Originally posted by tanhauser:
Congrats!

The iPods are indeed very cool... I have a 20 Gig one and I love it, couldn't live with out it. Not only for music, but as a backup drive.

I had the 'iSee' and while it does the job well, I much prefer the iSkin, which is made of rubber, fits in perfectly well and look way way cool... take a look here:

iSkin Protect

F

Yep!! I've spent numerous hours just organizing playlists in a fashion that'll suit me, and I've finally got all of them setup & transfered so it's now good to go! As soon as my iSee arrives I'll start taking outta the house! LoL, I wanna keep that chrome back perfect!

[AssassyN]

Welp, my iSee arrived today (btw, www.maclaunch.com is a WONDERFUL site...excellent prices, and my order was shipped the next day and I had it in 2 days!) and I love it!! I'm extremely happy w/ the fitment of the iPod w/ the included rubber feet which allow for extra airflow on the backside of it, and the scratch protection is superb! It'll be taking it's first trip out tomorrow!