[365]

I am considering whether I should buy a new 15" Powerbook now or wait and buy a new G5 desktop after WWDC in June. The thing that makes me want to wait and that swings me to the G5 is the slower drive in the PB which can cripple the machine on some tasks. Most of my work is done at the desktop but needn't be so the PB would give me choice.

Then I got to thinking, why not order one of the latest Lacie 80GB PocketDrive's which has a 2.5" 7200RPM drive and FW800 as well and when I've got the Powerbook plugged in on the desktop and want premium performance, I can boot from this. I could use something like SuperDuper to synch the internal drive and the Lacie so that when I'm away from the desk and absolute speed isn't really needed, I can use the machine with the internal, it also gives me a secure up-to-date backup should either drive fail.

Is this feasible and has anyone got this type of setup and can offer some feedback on performace etc..

[flypenfly]

You could get it installed at a Apple Authorized Serivce center

[jstein]

What are the primary tasks that you think you are going to perform with your laptop?

[iREZ]

I dont think Apple techs can install a 7200 HD without voiding the warranty, and I was thinking about booting off of a faster external HD for "power use" at home as well but I don't have much experience using external HD's so I have to read up on how it works and what the pros and cons are. For now 4200 is ok for me but I'm very interested in how the external would work with a PB as well.

[365]

Originally posted by jstein:
What are the primary tasks that you think you are going to perform with your laptop?

I use my machine for web development, WebObjects and Java software development mainly. Other applications that I use on a regular basis include Photoshop, ImageReady and Illustrator CS.

Thing is I work for myself and spend anything from 14 to 16 hours a day sat at my desk and I'm getting tired of being tied to the desk for this length of time so a Powerbook appeals but balanced against this is the fact that the G5 desktop is going to be a lot faster, I just wondered how much difference the faster drive on FW800 would make.

[chris v]

I recall that upgrading from the 5400 drive that came with my Cube to a 7200 gave me a pretty noticable speed bump. Mostly things like launching apps, and opening large tiffs in Photoshop.

If you do go external though, I'd definitely make it FW 800. I've booted my Powerbook off of a FW 400 7200 RPM drive, and it felt slower than on the internal 5400.

CV

[365]

In that case, perhaps a better question would be..

How many of you own a 1.33 or 1.5ghz Powerbook AND a Power Macintosh G5 dual 2Ghz machine and how do both machine compare. I realise that the latter will be much faster in computational terms but what about the perceived responsiveness of each. is there a noticable difference

[flypenfly]

The apple store guy told me service CAN install the HD and maintin your warranty.

[iREZ]

No doubt they can, but only the 5400 if I'm not mistaken. They don't offer the 7200HD in any recent PB models, so I doubt they'll install a 7200HD on a PB (except if it's a TiBook of course).

5400=keep your Applecare
7200=kiss Applecare bye bye

[Target Practice]

Originally posted by iREZ:
No doubt they can, but only the 5400 if I'm not mistaken. They don't offer the 7200HD in any recent PB models, so I doubt they'll install a 7200HD on a PB (except if it's a TiBook of course).

5400=keep your Applecare
7200=kiss Applecare bye bye

This is not true.

I had my 7200RPM drive installed into a 15" AlBook by TekServe in NYC. An Apple authorized repair shop can install the drive without voiding the PowerBook's warranty. Of course the new drive will not be covered under Apple warranty or AppleCare, but it will be covered under the manufacturer's warranty.

[iREZ]

I find this highly unlikely and I'll need a few more posts from others to give me faith in your statement. All I know is that Apple will use any excuse to not fix your PB under warranty, and I wouldn't be surprised if you sent in your 'book and they gave you the run around because of your HD, god forbid anybody should have to send their PB in for repairs.

If I'm wrong....great!!!!! Time I go get a 7200 for my PB.

[iDORK]

Are you assuming or did you contact an Apple/Apple authorized center yourself?

I contacted a local Apple Service Center in Orange County (TechRoom) about installing a 7200RPM hard drive in my 17" 1.5GHz PowerBook and they said I would still be able to retain the 1-year warranty.

Originally posted by iREZ:
I find this highly unlikely and I'll need a few more posts from others to give me faith in your statement. All I know is that Apple will use any excuse to not fix your PB under warranty, and I wouldn't be surprised if you sent in your 'book and they gave you the run around because of your HD, god forbid anybody should have to send their PB in for repairs.

If I'm wrong....great!!!!! Time I go get a 7200 for my PB.

[jstein]

Originally posted by 365:
I use my machine for web development, WebObjects and Java software development mainly. Other applications that I use on a regular basis include Photoshop, ImageReady and Illustrator CS.

Thing is I work for myself and spend anything from 14 to 16 hours a day sat at my desk and I'm getting tired of being tied to the desk for this length of time so a Powerbook appeals but balanced against this is the fact that the G5 desktop is going to be a lot faster, I just wondered how much difference the faster drive on FW800 would make.

Hmm,
I was in the same boat a few months back. Except for me, it is audio production, video production and graphic design. The only I reason that I am bringing this up is because in situations like this I think it is better to go with an external firewire HD. One you are going to have the option to boot from the HD which is 7200 RPM. Plus this way it gives the option to back up your material as well. Some people do not like the idea of external drives because they feel it interferes with portablility. I guess, but with me, I usually have my M-Box for audio in the bag with me and sometimes even a camara or mini DV so a little external HD is nothing. All in all I do lose portablity. The days of the
word processing, spreadsheet and e-mail using road warriors are over with.

Welcome to the world, of portable studios and desgin labs

To be honest you really can not go wrong with your pick. Faster internal or adding an external HD.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by 365:

Then I got to thinking, why not order one of the latest Lacie 80GB PocketDrive's which has a 2.5" 7200RPM drive and FW800 as well and when I've got the Powerbook plugged in on the desktop and want premium performance,

Why do you want to buy a 2.5inch drive for external use? Its cheaper to have a 3.5inch drive that spins with 10.000rpm (or more) in a firewire 400 case (which is fast enough for these drives).

I have this solution for backup purposes. And I can tell that booting from the extenal drive speeds up the Powerbook significantly. But the hassle to manage two big drives is not worth the extra speed. Sooner or later you will lose control over your data. At least you will be completely dependend on the quality of your sync software and give the management of the most valuable things you have (data) in external hands.

I prefer a clean solution: Powerbook - work. External drive - backup. Or, if you mainly use a desktop: desktop - work, powerbook - running system that gets the data you need on your next trip, external drive - backup.

What could also work: External drive - main system with all the data and programs, powerbook - running system that gets the data you need on your next trip. With a little dicipline and good folder organisation this should work well.

But see that you get a quiet external drive.

[365]

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
Why do you want to buy a 2.5inch drive for external use? Its cheaper to have a 3.5inch drive that spins with 10.000rpm (or more) in a firewire 400 case (which is fast enough for these drives).

The Lacie PocketDrive is a tiny thing and would easily fit in a laptop bag, it also powers itself from the Firewire bus, all of which means that you could carry it around with you when you've got to the lazy stage and you're two days behind with synching etc..

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
But see that you get a quiet external drive.

I already made that mistake, I bought a Lacie 160GB external with FW800, what a NOISY drive! it resonastes through my desk and the drive is as noisy as the old SCSI drives. I had a Maxtor one touch before this and it was almost silent. I only sold it because the Lacie had FW800 and I think it may have been a big mistake although like everything else, you eventually get used to it. The thing is it's like when you put your desktop Mac to sleep at night and you get that.. ah peace and quiet moment

[amazing]

Originally posted by 365:
In that case, perhaps a better question would be..

How many of you own a 1.33 or 1.5ghz Powerbook AND a Power Macintosh G5 dual 2Ghz machine and how do both machine compare. I realise that the latter will be much faster in computational terms but what about the perceived responsiveness of each. is there a noticable difference

This is a subject that is covered in detail at barefeats.com so you should browse that website in depth. barefeats.com has done speed comparisons between the dual G5s and PBs with different software etc.

The decision between laptop and dual G5 is very subjective. Obviously, if speed and productivity were the only criteria, the G5 would win hands down. Personal satisfaction is something quite different, and the value of doing your work on the patio or on the couch, maybe even on the kitchen table so that you're not isolated from family, those considerations are something that only you can answer. The compromise would be to get the G5 for most of your work, and an iBook for the rest and for your enjoyment. (ooh, how I love spending someone else's money...)

[365]

Originally posted by amazing:
ooh, how I love spending someone else's money...

I'm itching to spend money myself but the words "buy in haste repent at leisure" keep coming into my mind I can tell you though, I nearly pull the trigger every day and then a little voice says wait just a few more weeks to see what WWDC brings. I'm tempted to get a 12" PB now and then a mid range G5 when they arrive but 1024 x 768 is hard work for design work especially withh apps having a myriad of palettes, saying that, for years I used a 20" Trinitron at the same res I never moaned.

I suppse we expect so much these days.

[saltines17]

Tekserve in NYC says I can buy the Hitachi 7200 rpm 60 GB drive from them and have them install it without voiding the AppleCare warranty for a total of $370.

Seems ridiculously pricey...

I hate how we have to pay someone to do a hard drive install if we want to maintain our warranty...

[iREZ]

My apolo-geez for being wrong on the whole upgrade thing, but I remember seeing a post in this forum that stated what I had wrote previously, I guess they were wrong or I remembered wrong. Sorry for the mistakes, and I guess from now on I know the truth on the whole upgrading the HD.

[mrmister]

Tekserve will do the upgrade for you, as should any Apple Authorized dealer. is it worth the cash? That's something you'll have to investigate yourself.

Me, I'm hanging onto my TiBook until they send down a PowerBook that makes me drool uncontrollably...and when there's a 7200rpm 80GB drive commercially available, I'll be upgrading.

[Superchicken]

I just talked to a techie at my local Reseller and they said they could install it, but they said they don't sell them, so I asked how much it would cost if I bought one and they installed it, and he was like... well you'd have to talk to the guys doing it uhh... at which point since it became apparent he wasn't bright enough to know that I wanted to actually FIND OUT because I WANTED to do it, I said OK thanks and hung up... moron...

So I'll call the U of M tomorrow and find out if they'd do it and for how much... since they generally seem a bit more bright.