[turk.o]

I've been rocking my tiBook 867 for almost two years now and absolutely love it. i've watched all of the powerbook revs since then with little interest, trying to hold out for the eventual G5 PBs, but i've hit a wall, so to speak: the 40 GB hard drive just simply isn't cutting it anymore. when you have to delete something every time you want to add something, and there is not any fat left to loose, you know it is time for an upgrade.

rather the spend a couple hundred on a hard drive upgrade, i am considering just getting a new machine. i am a graphic designer and publisher and spend a large part of my time in Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop when i am on the road, which is about 7 days each month. i could definitely use the extra screen real estate for the design apps, and having almost double the processor speed (and double the ram, from 768 to 1.5) will certainly be welcome in terms of performance. and it sure will be nice to have double the hard drive space. this will NOT be a desktop replacement as i will still use my dual 2ghz G5 with dual 19" trinitrons as my primary work computer.

but before i commit to this whole process i wanted to hear how current 17" owners feel about their machines and see if there are any other who migrated from 1 15" Ti to a 17" Al, and if so if they could share their experiences with me. i am slightly concerned about the size of the 17" but i also could really use the screen real estate, so . . . also, i've never considered it on my ti, but is it possible to play UT2004 on the 17" with 1.5gz and 128 of vram? that would be great.

also how noisy is the 17"? i have my laptop right by my bed and like to listen to music when i go to sleep and sometime watch movies in bed. the ti is pretty noisy, with the first fan almost always on, and the second one kicks in during almost any exteneded use and is especially noisy when watching dvds for a few minutes. but more that the fans, i'm worried about the processor sounds--in a quiet room my tibook's processor makes these click-like sounds in a slow rhythm, which i could really do without--has anyone noticed similar sounds on their 17" (to my understanding the tiBook i have is from the peak of loudness of apple's portables, my previous ibook was stone silent, where does the newest rev of the 17" fit in the spectrum?).

thanks in advance, and if anybody wants a used 15" 867 tibook, let me know

t.o

[SEkker]

This is a regular topic question on these boards.

I went from a 667 G4 Ti PB to a 1 GHG4 PB17 (revA). This was the best upgrade I've purchased from Apple in a long time. It really is better IMHO in almost all aspects.

The main issue with the larger size is the computer bag, my TiPB bag was not large enough in width. I prefer the width -- right now, it's on my lap and it fits. I found the TiPB to be too narrow for my taste (I used to use a wood board to add the width when using my Pismo and Ti predecessors).

My revA PB17 is almost silent. You'll be amazed at how quieter it is compared to your airplane of a TiPB.

The keyboard is MUCH better than the TiPB IMHO. Sturdy.

Airport reception is hugely improved.

Those changes were the most significant for me.

[ladyglencora]

The size issue has been discussed a fair amount on these boards; personally, i don't travel with my machine so I can't comment on that aspect. I love the large size and high resolution of the screen though. For the first time, I actuallly have mutliple windows open at the same time on my screen. I can put two nice nice windows side by side and still size the type so that my middle aged eyes can read it.

I can also vouch for the fact that the machine is very, very quiet. At least mine is. Also, I have seen a lot of posts about heat, but I do not find this to be an issue. Yes, the machine is a little toasty when I use it on my lap but all of the heat is on the bottom and it's no different from any other fast laptop in that regard. The speakers are also quite bearable, given that it's a laptop.

The keyboard is paradise.

[MrForgetable]

As my friend says:
The G4 is a toasty processor.

But Apple does a very good job in designing a design that will vent out the heat and to stay thin and sexy.

[t4r1q]

So does the processor/harddrive in the 17" make those clicking sounds? I hear them in my 12" all the time.

[RayX]

[turk.o]

thanks a million to all have replied so far. yes, i know other threads talk about these topics, and trust me, i read almost all of them before posting my topic. but, it can never hurt to get more opinions, and i also wanted to get the the most up-to-date experiences, especially with the newest rev.

so, more opinions and experiences are welcome, i'd really appreciate any information that y'all have to add.

also, i'm still anxious to hear of anyone's experience running UT 2004 on the aforementioned machine. thanks!

also, ladyglencora: which rev do you have?

[wiregen]

I have a RevC? [1.5Ghz 128MB RAM 5400rpm HD]

It gets hot, I will tell you that. My biggiest gripe is finding a nice travel/urban messenger bag. You will notice how hard it is to find a bag for a laptop this "wide"

But its worth it, sometimes I wished I had a 15" but the more I mess around with my 17" the extra screen space for me is a big help.

I migrated from a 1.25 15" al book to the 17" powerbook.

No regrets

[HasanDaddy]

my fav bag is the TimBuk2 laptop carrying tote

check it out at -

www.timbuk2.com

[LiquidSnake]

My new 17 inch(Rev C 1.5 standart/1gig ram) is slightly quiter than my old (RevA 1ghz 17 inch)Also slightly quiter than my wifes 1 ghz 12 inch rev b.Yes it'll get a little hot sometimes.A friend of mine haves a 15 inch and let me say that :The extra screen space is very noticable.I love my 17 .More than my G5.Hope you'll enjoy your new PB

[ladyglencora]

I have 1.33 with 512 Ram and the regular hd (not faster one). I bought it recently from a store that knocked down the price in preparation for the 1.5, so I assume it is Rev. B.

there are certainly no clicks from the hard drive (it's a fijitsu, if that matters).

I use my computer every day for about eight hours of work and then again in the evening for an hour or two on my lap, reading email, etc.

During the day, it rests on an iCurve. I have a powered usb 2 hub with various peripherals (printer, keyboard, mouse, external usb hd and key drive).

I do feel the heat on my lap but, obviously, with my iCurve setup, heat is not an issue when I am at my desk. This machine is particularly well suited to the iCurve because of the size of the screen.

It's a nice looking setup, very few cords, doesn't take a lot of space.

(by saying this topic had been covered, i did not mean to imply you shouldn't have posted...just wanted you to know there were lots of other opinions out there...)

I posted in apple support for the 17 before I put down the money. There is nothing like hearing from real users.

[jstein]

Well Turk.o you cannot really go wrong with the 17 inch Al. Though I am more into film every now and then I will crack open Photoshop CS or Quark for some a small layout or something of that nature. The screen size is amazing. I have an 15 Al, but a family member of mines is on vacation and left the great 17 inch Al in my hands. Talk about jealousy whew. To sum it up the 17 inch Al is a monster. A technological masterpiece that is a monster. Keep in my mind this is a Rev B model that I am referring to, so just imagine the Rev C in your hands. As far as traveling is concern, your main issue should be the mode of how you travel. Planes, trains, automobiles or however that slogan goes.


Since you do this quite regularly you already know, the confines of the space that you are force to travel in. A quick observation can tell you if the 17inch Al will be too much for that. Having my hands on this 17 inch Al for more than a week now, I can honestly say the size is not an issue for me. Then again I am 6�5. I am hook on this machine if I was not in the process of attaining a Panasonic DVX100a DV cam. I would be definitely on the market for a 17-inch Al.

As everyone stated noise has not been a problem for me, and I am not light on applications at any moment I can have Bryce, Studio Max3ds on VPC of course and Poser running simultaneously so the HD gets a workout with me. Turk.o you are right on the verge having a powerful machine in your hands. Get the 17 inch Al and enjoy����..

[Xisiqomelir]

Heya, went from a Tangerine iBook (YES!) to a 17" in May (Stock). I absolutely adore the machine, it runs blazing fast, and o god the screen is to DIE FOR. Putting it side by side with my old iBook (which incidentally runs Debian now) it's dazzling bright even on 1/2 max. Needless to say, it turns lotsa heads too.

I think I'm going to add another 1 GB of RAM, but apart from that, I'd say go for it!

p.s. About portability I really don't find 7 lbs that heavy a weight, and in any case whenever I travel I'm not actually CARRYING it for distances more than 1/10 mile or times of more than 15 mins.

[Randman]

What about the closeness factor. I've been thinking of moving up (from a 1GH, 14 iBook) but one thing has me a little wary of the 17 (well, two things). One, I like to surf with the Book on my lap, or in bed/on the couch at times. How is the 17 on doing this?
And is it really worth the extra cost, compared to a 15 with similar specs, or even a 12 with the 80GB hard drive option?

[turk.o]

OK, thanks to everyone for their input (though i'd still like to hear from someone who has tried playing ut2004 on one of these). I ordered mine yesterday (and got a sweet little deal for a 40GB iPod for $170 with the Cram & Jam promo). It should be here next week. Now, to sell the TiBook, and try not to cry when i let it go (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5115483696)

thanks all,

t.o

[MrForgetable]

congrats!!

[brapper]

Does the rev. A have USB 2.0? I'm getting conflicting answer from Google.

[SEkker]

Originally posted by brapper:
Does the rev. A have USB 2.0? I'm getting conflicting answer from Google.

revA PB17 has USB 1.1