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atomium · Jan 23, 2003, 03:49 PM

The 12" PBook is finally the one that is going to replace my aging but beloved Pismo 500. I have a few questions about monitor spanning for those who already have the new 12".

1) Is the performance hit with monitor spanning noticeable? Spanning with my Pismo reduces my machine to a crawl. I'm assuming it won't be as bad with the better video card, but is it noticeable?

2) Is running it in lid-closed mode with an external keyboard still an option? I can't imagine they'd 86 this feature, but I wanted to make sure first.

3) If yes to the above question...when the left side palmrest gets hot, is that a concern for a closed Powerbook or its LCD when running lid-closed?

4) And Since nobody seems to have asked yet, do the keys touch the LCD, or do I still have to carry a piece of paper around with me to separate the two?

Thanks.

-atomium

all2ofme · Jan 24, 2003, 06:05 AM

I can't help with regards to how the 12" will handle a second monitor, but if it's any help, my Ti550 has the same problem. It was a breath of fresh air when I unplugged it and took it on holiday - noticeably faster.

I'll be interested in finding out too.

icruise · Jan 24, 2003, 06:20 AM

I don't know of anyone who actually tried this yet, so we are just guessing, but the 12" powerbook does have 32MB of video RAM, so that will be 16MB for each screen. Seems like it would be enough for decent performance (the Pismo only has 8MB and the Ti 550 16MB if I recall).

corp miler · 11:37 AM

atomium -- I'm considering the same thing. I have a Pismo 500 and love it, but I need to get a better set up for all the times (such as today) when I need to work from home. I am looking a purchasing a monitor (19" probably), keyboard and mouse and using the Powerbook like an old DuoDocks. I've never hooked the Pismo up to an external. What problems have you found with doing this? Up to what resolution does the Pismo's video card support externally? You can in fact close the lid without sleeping the system? I'm also considering upgrading to a new G4 PB. I like the price on the 12 superdrive because, compared to the 15, it would allow me to purchase a monitor. However the it sounds like the 12 may not be available for a while. Will the 12 or the 15 do a better job running a monitor than my Pismo? I'm trying to decide if it is financially smart to upgrade the system or just go the monitor, etc for now.

atomium · Jan 24, 2003, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by corp miler:
I've never hooked the Pismo up to an external. What problems have you found with doing this? Up to what resolution does the Pismo's video card support externally? You can in fact close the lid without sleeping the system?

Well there aren't really problems, other than performance. It's easy enough to do. Just put the Pismo to sleep, attach a monitor, and wake the Pismo up. It just really slows things to a crawl. The Pismo does indeed have an 8MB video card. I can support my 17" at 1024x768 @ millions of colors. It's too painful to work with, though, unless totally necessary. Absolutely everything invokes the spinning rainbow.

To run an external with the lid closed, I believe you just close the lid, attach the monitor and wake it up from the external keyboard. IIRC, you used to have to shutdown, close the lid and power up from the external keyboard to run lid-closed. Perhaps somebody else on this baord has more insight. Up until now, I haven't run this way much. I have a feeling that I might want to more often with a 12" screen.

Will the 12 or the 15 do a better job running a monitor than my Pismo?

That's how this whole thread started. The assumption is that the Al 12" will be much better. With 4x the VRAM (8x for the Ti) it had better be. I'm just reluctant to assume, and would like an opinion based on experience instead of numbers on paper.

I'm trying to decide if it is financially smart to upgrade the system or just go the monitor, etc for now.

Only you know what you need, but here's my take...The mirroring/spanning on the Pismo is a nice bonus, but not a feature I can really count on. I like that it's there, but only use it when I have no other choice. The performance hit is just too great.

If your motivation is more real estate, and you don't care at all about speed, I guess the Pismo and a new monitor would work for you. If you need more performance, and just WANT more real estate, a new machine is a better way to go.

I take my Pismo with me every day. Portability is VERY important for me. That's why I want the 12". At my office, though, I want to have the external monitor for less strain on my eyes. If the 12" doesn't handle it very well, I might need to consider a 15" Ti instead.

-atomium

BTW, corp miller: are you from a national capital city? We had a pretty good run going there for a bit.

icruise · Jan 24, 2003, 01:22 PM

I'm a little surprised at your performance problems with the Pismo and a second monitor. My pismo has a G4 upgrade, so that might be affecting things, but I don't notice a big difference when using the external monitor and not. I do have to use thousands of colors, since the Pismo won't support millions on my external display, but aside from that performance is good (or as good as it ever is with the Pismo, if you know what I mean).

atomium · Jan 24, 2003, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by Icruise:
My pismo has a G4 upgrade, so that might be affecting things, but I don't notice a big difference when using the external monitor and not.

I've always thought the video was more sluggish on this machine than it should be. Now you're just getting me all paranoid.

I do have to use thousands of colors, since the Pismo won't support millions on my external display...

What resolution are you running? I can get millions up to 1024x768. Anything over that and it's thousands for me. Granted, at millions the refresh rate is crap. But it'll do it.

I'd run thousands to see if the performance is better, but my work is just color intensive enough to rule it out.

-atomium

icruise · Jan 24, 2003, 01:41 PM

My external monitor is a 17" LCD running at 1280X1024 (or whatever -- close to that anyway).

corp miler · Jan 24, 2003, 04:28 PM

Originally posted by atomium:
If your motivation is more real estate, and you don't care at all about speed, I guess the Pismo and a new monitor would work for you. If you need more performance, and just WANT more real estate, a new machine is a better way to go.

Actually the performance of the Pismo is pretty good, but the 14" monitor is too small for page design. My need, really, is for the same set up as I have at the office -- 800DP with dulal monitors (15" and a 20"). However cost prohibits and at home I can't stand to sit at a desk when I'm on "my time". A Powerbook with enough guts to run a 19" monitor probably is the best for me. Does this mean I may need to upgrade the Pismo if I use an external monitor and don't want to slow system?