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danaherd · Feb 11, 2005, 12:26 PM

Hi,

I just bought new ram for my Powerbook G4 550, and my roomate broke the hinge for opening and closing the screen about 2-3 weeks after I upgraded. I now have about $300 in ram that I could return and it looks like repair costs could run me as much as $700. Should I buy a new PowerBook or should I get the hinge repaired and wait? I could buy a G4 1.33 w/ combodrive for about 1,700 at the local retailer. I don't know what to do.

romeosc · Feb 11, 2005, 01:28 PM

Originally posted by danaherd:
Hi,

I just bought new ram for my Powerbook G4 550, and my roomate broke the hinge for opening and closing the screen about 2-3 weeks after I upgraded. I now have about $300 in ram that I could return and it looks like repair costs could run me as much as $700. Should I buy a new PowerBook or should I get the hinge repaired and wait? I could buy a G4 1.33 w/ combodrive for about 1,700 at the local retailer. I don't know what to do.

You did have Safeware.com insurance, didn't you?

tooki · Feb 11, 2005, 02:19 PM

There's a company now that will replace the hinges for $300, or with stronger stainless steel hinges for $350.

tooki

danaherd · Feb 11, 2005, 03:42 PM

I think that really what I'm asking is weather it seems better to put down the money for a new computer after 3 years or wheather I should contiunue to dump money into a computer that is no longer on warranty. When should you upgrade to a new Machine? 3years, 5years, never?

Thanks

SpaceMonkey · Feb 11, 2005, 04:04 PM

My two cents: if you can afford it without worry, then go for a new machine. You might be able to get some extra cash by selling the Ti (even with a broken hinge), or parting it out. 3 years is a decent run, especially for a portable. It would be a significant upgrade spec-wise, anyway. If a new machine would cause too much financial stress, then I think Tooki's suggestion (although I don't know of the company he's referring to) is best option.

Another thought: instead of going for a $1700 Powerbook, why not an iBook? It would certainly be faster than your Powerbook 550, and significantly cheaper than a new Powerbook.

AlfaMunky · Feb 11, 2005, 04:06 PM

eBay time. Seriously you could sell that thing for more than you might think. Sell the powerbook as is and be honest about the conditon. Return the RAM. I'm sure that the money raised from the sale of the powerbook and $300 from the RAM won't leave you to much farther from a newer/faster Alubook than the $700 left you from the same TiBook that is only 550mhz.

Not sure if your the type that really loves the Tibook but, having owned a 550 Tibook for a while and now having a late model Alubook I will tell you that the newer model is way faster, is better at video, has a much nicer screen, and the combo drive is better too. The older combo drive on the Tibook gave a bit of trouble.

Hope it turns out ok. If need be take your time saving up the dough. I had a friend use a powerbook with a broken screen for a while hooked up to an external monitor. Food for thought.

danaherd · Feb 11, 2005, 04:59 PM

Originally posted by SpaceMonkey:
Another thought: instead of going for a $1700 Powerbook, why not an iBook? It would certainly be faster than your Powerbook 550, and significantly cheaper than a new Powerbook.

Can't do an iBook. I'm working with Graphics and the real estate on the 15" is too small as it is. The extra inch is very precious to me right now.

I can't afford it without worry, but I'm thinking that I'm going to need a new machine sometime in the next year. So why not now rather than later?

romeosc · Feb 11, 2005, 05:37 PM

If you can't afford yet, get some JB weld and fix it till you get enough to buy new PB. It will look like a "geek with white adhesive on his glasses" , but It will work. I snapped the right hinge on a PB 500 and "repaired" it while on a trip until I could send it in for repair.

amazing · Feb 11, 2005, 05:58 PM

Originally posted by romeosc:
If you can't afford yet, get some JB weld and fix it till you get enough to buy new PB. It will look like a "geek with white adhesive on his glasses" , but It will work. I snapped the right hinge on a PB 500 and "repaired" it while on a trip until I could send it in for repair.

Cute, too!

I've even seen pictures using duct tape.

Guess the question is, what image you need to convey? Does anyone see your laptop? And how portable do you need to be? The mini is a great alternative, with a 19" CRT if you don't need to take it on the road with you.

There are pretty good laptop deals in the refurb "Special Deal" section of the Apple Store. And they come with 1 year Applecare, and you can then find the 2 year extension cheaper elsewhere.

danaherd · Feb 11, 2005, 06:07 PM

Originally posted by amazing:
There are pretty good laptop deals in the refurb "Special Deal" section of the Apple Store. And they come with 1 year Applecare, and you can then find the 2 year extension cheaper elsewhere.

Where can you find the extension for cheaper? I hadn't heard about this.

Has anyone ever gotten one of the rebuilt powerbooks through Techrestore? I was looking at that as an option. That would only run me about $700-800.