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Robster1958 · May 12, 2003, 12:48 AM

I posted this reply in the iBook forum in response to "is the iBook faster...."
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=160092

---------------------

I was just gonna put up a new thread on this topic.

I just did that exact comparison at the Apple Store. i am thinking of upgrading my 12" iBook 700mhz to either the new 900 iBook or the 12" PB. The iBook had 384 MB ram while the PB had 256MB; both had the combo drives. Here's my analysis:

The PB is MUCH faster at the following tasks that i tried:

Installing a video game (Max Payne).

Loading a video game; and loading between levels, etc. Actual gameplay was noticablably smoother.

Launching eXcel and Word; copy/paste within Word.

Burning an audio CD from MP3 files within iTunes. This was prob. due to G4 chip doing the format conversion rather than the speed difference (if any on the CD drive).

There was a slight performance boost using both machines on the local airport network, at least as measured through the website toastnet. On most tests the PB measured about 10% faster (1.5 Mb/sec vs. 1.3 Mb/sec), but the speed of the connection may have been the limiting factor. Also I'm not positive how that test measures speed and whether bus speed or video processor has any impact. Safari was used on both machines.

Sound quality through speakers was materially better on the PB.

Form factor nicer on the PB: slightly smaller in all dimensions and lighter; overall look of the machine is one of high tech precision. iBook on the other hand--the newest white models--look cheap to my eye. going from that silvery finish to the plain white for the plastic on the palm rests and screen bezel substantially cheapens the look, imo. and the new iBook logo...pathetic.

Based on the current deals around, a 12" PB w/ airport and 640 RAM (combo drive) will cost around $1900 shipped. A similar iBook is about $1500 (since most RAM deals are for 384).

I believe the $400 price is well worth it performance-wise.

The downside: while the PB was only slightly warm when i got there, having been on, but
idle for 2 hours. Once I got it working however, it got pretty toasty. This might be the deal killer. Also, unplugged the PB from AC power and the battery seemed to drain pretty fast...like my gigabook.

===================
Anyone with experience can confirm or deny my conclusions?

And more importantly: anyone who made a switch from newer iBook model to 12" PB happy? Again, the one thing i'm afraid of is heat/fan noise...as i type this post silently in bed

cobra7869 · May 12, 2003, 07:48 AM

There is no fan noise. It NEVER turns on. Ok, I think it's turned on once since I have owned it. Regardless, once in 2 months aint bad.

As for heat. It depends how much you are on it. If you are on the 12" PB for like 9 hours a day. Heat may become a factor. For me, I use a different computer for work, at work, so this is my personal computer. You'll notice it, but it's not ridiculous.

If you do use it all day, I'd get the 17. No fan, not much heat, and big screen.

My .02.

PeterKG · May 12, 2003, 10:09 AM

Originally posted by Robster1958:
I posted this reply in the iBook forum in response to "is the iBook faster...."
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=160092

---------------------

I was just gonna put up a new thread on this topic.

I just did that exact comparison at the Apple Store. i am thinking of upgrading my 12" iBook 700mhz to either the new 900 iBook or the 12" PB. The iBook had 384 MB ram while the PB had 256MB; both had the combo drives. Here's my analysis:

The PB is MUCH faster at the following tasks that i tried:

Installing a video game (Max Payne).

Loading a video game; and loading between levels, etc. Actual gameplay was noticablably smoother.

Launching eXcel and Word; copy/paste within Word.

Burning an audio CD from MP3 files within iTunes. This was prob. due to G4 chip doing the format conversion rather than the speed difference (if any on the CD drive).

There was a slight performance boost using both machines on the local airport network, at least as measured through the website toastnet. On most tests the PB measured about 10% faster (1.5 Mb/sec vs. 1.3 Mb/sec), but the speed of the connection may have been the limiting factor. Also I'm not positive how that test measures speed and whether bus speed or video processor has any impact. Safari was used on both machines.

Sound quality through speakers was materially better on the PB.

Form factor nicer on the PB: slightly smaller in all dimensions and lighter; overall look of the machine is one of high tech precision. iBook on the other hand--the newest white models--look cheap to my eye. going from that silvery finish to the plain white for the plastic on the palm rests and screen bezel substantially cheapens the look, imo. and the new iBook logo...pathetic.

Based on the current deals around, a 12" PB w/ airport and 640 RAM (combo drive) will cost around $1900 shipped. A similar iBook is about $1500 (since most RAM deals are for 384).

I believe the $400 price is well worth it performance-wise.

The downside: while the PB was only slightly warm when i got there, having been on, but
idle for 2 hours. Once I got it working however, it got pretty toasty. This might be the deal killer. Also, unplugged the PB from AC power and the battery seemed to drain pretty fast...like my gigabook.

===================
Anyone with experience can confirm or deny my conclusions?

And more importantly: anyone who made a switch from newer iBook model to 12" PB happy? Again, the one thing i'm afraid of is heat/fan noise...as i type this post silently in bed

Your conclusions are pretty right on. I made a switch from an iBook 800MHz to my 12" Powerbook and am glad I did. The heat was an issue but it seemed to not be one after 10.2.5. The fan barely ever comes on so don't worry about that.

The battery life is different for everyone but has been fine for me too.

I also agree that Apple really blew it with the new iBook 900MHz. It looks very cheap now that they made the whole thing white. It looked great when the inside surface was silver on the 800MHz.

The Placid Casual · May 12, 2003, 11:13 AM

Yep, the heat issue is gone with 10.2.6...

Battery life is for me, comparable to a new iBook... about 4 hours with normal usage (Although my G3 466SE Clamshell does, not unsurprisingly have it beat

)

Peace,

Marc

wallinbl · May 12, 2003, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
Yep, the heat issue is gone with 10.2.6...

How did software fix the fact that the hardware was hot?

fisherKing · May 12, 2003, 11:41 AM

i dunno...my friend has the 12", we see no heat differences now that he's running 10.2.6.

for me, this is critical, being left-handed (as the heat is concentrated to the left of the trackpad).

i use my pismo sometimes 12 hours a day (more or less); so...am looking at the ibook;
a 900mhz G3 is still better than my current 400mhz G3.

the 12" alubook IS pretty nice. i borrowed it for a day; made my pismo look clunky...

Shaddim · May 12, 2003, 11:43 AM

Power Manager controls almost everything regarding the PB. So by further optimizing and tweaking Power Manager Apple is able to change the PB's hardware charateristics, ie. HD spindown times, fan interaction, CPU cycling, and battery recharge rates. Things have gotten much better since 10.2.3, especially heat. Now the only time my PB gets fairly hot is when I'm accessing the HD alot while the battery is charging. But that doesn't bother me.

Robster1958 · May 12, 2003, 12:05 PM

excellent....thanks a lot.

i do have a TiBook (1ghz) for work-related use, so my current iBook is more for fun.

heat is not as big an issue compared to fan, so i'm happy with your posts....of course unless it puts my bed up in flames!

iBook, prepare for eBay!!

PeterKG · May 12, 2003, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by Robster1958:
excellent....thanks a lot.

i do have a TiBook (1ghz) for work-related use, so my current iBook is more for fun.

heat is not as big an issue compared to fan, so i'm happy with your posts....of course unless it puts my bed up in flames!

iBook, prepare for eBay!!

Rob,

I forgot to say the biggest selling point on the 12" Powerbook is the keyboard. That alone seperates it from the iBook.

Good luck in selling your iBook!

PowerTower Fan · May 12, 2003, 12:57 PM

Don't forget the PB also will have bluetooth preinstalled. This may not be something critical for you, but its still something that isn't possible internally with the iBook.

The Placid Casual · May 12, 2003, 03:09 PM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
Rob,

I forgot to say the biggest selling point on the 12" Powerbook is the keyboard. That alone seperates it from the iBook.

Good luck in selling your iBook!

Great post, listen to this guy speaks, he speaks the truth... The keyboard on the Alu is absolutely stunning.

Peace,

Marc

hengx · 07:09 PM

Originally posted by fisherKing:
i dunno...my friend has the 12", we see no heat differences now that he's running 10.2.6.

There is an article at Apple.com that describes the precedure for fixing the heat issue. It's something about deleting/restoring files. This also includes 10.2.6 users, I think. Take a look in the support section.