[wally22]

Hey everyone... new user and prespective buyer here.


Being the user of a new dell inspiron 700m im not a unhappy pc user. Though, i do know that pcs are bogged down by adware and have many viruses. Next year ill be heading to college and i am going to buy a new powerbook g4, most likly a 15",

because ive never really used a mac im wondering what the best configuration of the new g4 powerbook is pretaining to ram, graphics and HD. I am also wondering about apple care and the ability to buy from third parties in the area of RAM upgrades for less than apple can provide.

thanks alot

[Commodus]

If by "next year" you mean 2006, anything we say today is more or less irrelevant; there will be newer models with new features by then.

If you mean fall of this year, it's still up in the air a bit: Apple could well announce a PowerBook G5 in the summer. But if the lineup stays the same by the time you have to buy, here's what I'd do:

First, the "best" configuration depends on what you think the most important. If portability is the most important, the iBook or 12" PowerBook is what you want. If not, go with the best 15" PowerBook you think you can afford. The 17" has the bling factor, but in college you'll wish you had something smaller when you carry it or use it at school.

The 15" is what I'd get if it were my only system. Extra resolution is important, and it also gives you the maximum number of connection options (gigabit Ethernet, Firewire 800, PC Card slot) to keep your expansion options open. Get the Superdrive in the system if you can - you'll appreciate it if you ever have to do a large backup or edit video.

As far as RAM, do get it from a 3rd-party but also be sure to get it from a reliable 3rd-party (i.e. no generic RAM) so that you don't get burned. Crucial.com and Mushkin.com are good places to go. Don't worry about having a total of more than 1 GB of RAM unless you're doing some very heavy work.

Finally, one last bit of advice: get a good case or sleeve, preferably one specified as fitting the 15" PowerBook. There's a thread here dedicated to finding a good case that you can peruse, although off-hand I'd point you to Booq (for durability).

[cpac]

Welcome to Macintosh (well, once you make your purchase anyway).

RAM wise, 512 is a good amount, although more can only help.

You can buy it from third-parties (most people do) but you'll need to make sure you don't get a bad stick of RAM as OS X is not very tolerant of bad RAM. (Buying from a reputable source should guarantee that you get a working stick).

As for best configuration, it's really up to you. You can bump up the graphics card and hard drive if you like/think you'll need it. The extra expense isn't all that much and it means your machine will be functional for that much longer.

That said, there's nothing wrong with saving a few bucks if you don't think you'll ever use the extra space/graphics.

I'd recommend, especially for college use, getting an Apple Care protection plan - it wont cover accidental damage, but 3 years down the line if your superdrive starts acting up you wont have to shell out for the repair. (Usually one significant hardware problem more than makes up the cost, and Apple has a good reputation about "making things right" eventually - even giving people updated machines when nothing else works).