View Full Version : How long can this PB last?
Righty-O Guys,
I have a 1.25 Ghz 15" Powerbook, the model with 64 MB Radeon 9600, 80 GB HHD (4200 RPM) and Superdrive (forgot speed). I just realized that my powerbook is nearly 3 years old, so my question is, how long will it last? When should I buy a new one? In your opinions of course.
You should buy a new one when....
(choose one)
...it suffers a major hardware failure.
...it no longer runs your desired software sufficiently.
...you have vast sums of money overflowing your bank account(s).
If you're currently suffering from option number three, I believe I can help you with that. :)
5 years roughly. That's about how long Apple supports machines. My screen started acting up a little when it turned 5, but nothing I can't live with. My laptop still runs pretty good.
400Mhz Pismo.
60GB hard drive (originally 6GB I think)
640MB RAM (up from 128 and I paid extra for the single stick)
14.1" screen still bright. One tiny bright spot but almost invisible unless you know where it is.
Something strange with the color blue now & then.
Bought in 2000
You should buy a new one when....
(choose one)
...it suffers a major hardware failure.
...it no longer runs your desired software sufficiently.
...you have vast sums of money overflowing your bank account(s).
If you're currently suffering from option number three, I believe I can help you with that. :)
to expand on number 2, don't include games in this list.
System life cycle is a continuous assessment, the system will last as long as:
A: It meets your user requirements
B: It physically functions.
So if it continues to meet your needs, and still functions then its a keeper. Wehn your needs change, or you feel that it no longer serves all your requirements then it's time to consider a new one. Thats the assessment I have always used :)
My typical system life cycle is between 3.5 and 5.5 years.
I feel like everything is slow. I could put more ram in it, but then when I wanna get a new powerbook, the ram might no longer work. I'm worried that I'll drop money on something I"ll end up replacing anyway.
Well, the drive is big (though slow) and the GPU isn't too fancy (although it has more than enough VRAM for normal use). You haven't, afaict, said how much RAM you have.
RAM is easily the cheapest upgrade for more power. If you can wait, it usually drops a bit after the holiday season.
I have 512, and ram is not cheap. I have tried buying all sorts of ram, 1 gig chips for 130$ from New Egg, all the way up to Crucial, Viking, and other top named brands. I can't find anything that works.
The fact is not that I'd be dropping money to improve the speed, I'm worried about buying the thing, and only using if for 3-4 months.
I suppose I should simply wait until the new iBooks or PowerBooks come out, otherwise I might get screwed with ram I can't use. I'd rather buy faster ram than is necessary (but that will work w/ next rev of laptops) than buy too slow of ram and end up having to buy more within a couple of months.
Another thing for speed on an old-ish machine...get the latest OS (perhaps, but not really required) and do an Archive and Install to your machine. This'll zap any bad settings and clutter, but save the stuff in a separate folder so you don't lose data. I saw this in action last week with a 700MHz G3 iMac, and it really helped.
Righty-O Guys,
I have a 1.25 Ghz 15" Powerbook, the model with 64 MB Radeon 9600, 80 GB HHD (4200 RPM) and Superdrive (forgot speed). I just realized that my powerbook is nearly 3 years old, so my question is, how long will it last? When should I buy a new one? In your opinions of course.
Hi Maciej,
My main work machine is one of the first 17" G4 PBs off the production line.
It now has 1GB of ram and a 5400RPM 100GB drive... But other than that it's standard.
This is the longest I have held onto one machine and I use it every day for a minimum of 12 hours a day.
I am waiting for the screen to start giving me problems and then I'll relegate it to the spare room with a monitor as a movie / music system and wireless backup server.
Running the latest OS and mostly the latest software I really cannot complain about this machines performance. It's not as snappy as my Dual G5 (obviously), but I still use the 17" more than the G5 by a long shot. I guess I am just a portable kind of guy.
I really think that swapping out youur harddrive and adding some ram should solve *all* of your problems for at least another 12 months, minimum.
I have 512, and ram is not cheap. I have tried buying all sorts of ram, 1 gig chips for 130$ from New Egg, all the way up to Crucial, Viking, and other top named brands. I can't find anything that works.
The fact is not that I'd be dropping money to improve the speed, I'm worried about buying the thing, and only using if for 3-4 months.
I suppose I should simply wait until the new iBooks or PowerBooks come out, otherwise I might get screwed with ram I can't use. I'd rather buy faster ram than is necessary (but that will work w/ next rev of laptops) than buy too slow of ram and end up having to buy more within a couple of months.
Yes, you should wait. (Speculation) A revised PB will in all likelihood use DDR-2 memory, which I believe is not backwards compatible with DDR.
Alrighty.
1) I have the latest stuff.
It's not that I'm complaining about it being slow, I guess I'm just looking at an excuse to buy a new one. And I was looking for some opinions on whether its worth it or not to upgrade it RAM wise.
2) I've had problems with this 'Book since I first bought it. Screen issues, logic board issues, and an inability of any tech to fix it properly.
I keep the thing in tip-top shape - software wise (running permissions, upgrades, most of the stuff in the sticky over at the Genius Board), as well as hardware wise.
I really think that swapping out youur harddrive and adding some ram should solve *all* of your problems for at least another 12 months, minimum.
I can't argue with that statement, its 100% true. At this point I'm simply weighing the options - its still an Apple Care for a month or so too - whether I wanna drop around 300-400 bucks on it. I figure $100-125 for HHD, and about 150 per chip of 1 gig RAM. I think I'd rather invest that in a new one.
Ahh well, I got my answer nothing gets changed unless I come across a real cheap chip that happens to work.
Thanks guys.
mulletman13
2005-12-18, 13:43
Once you get a new stick of RAM in there you'll notice a GIANT difference. Plus, when/if you sell it, you can always take the RAM stick out and get rid of that, so you really aren't going to be losing a lot of money on that.
Another stick of 512mb's would suit you very well... my friend had a Rev b. iMac 20"er with 512... it didn't run all too well, but then I sold him a stick of 512mb's (I had 1.5gb RAM in mine so I figured I'd sell him 512), and now his runs sooo much better.
Definately a worthwhile upgrade.
Radarbob
2005-12-18, 21:10
Put it off till it hurts. You'll get more bang for your buck when you do.
For example, just this week I replaced my original iBook after 6 years. I bought a used 900MHz iBook. Despite being "obsolete" look what it has that my Precious does not:
*CD burning
*DVD reading
*higher screen resolution (800x600 vs 1024x768)
*significantly better video memory (4MB vs 32MB)
*faster buss and memory
*USB 2
*firewire
Now, think about the difference between the my "obsolete" 900MHz iBook and the current model. The current model is faster. But that's about it. A little bit extra speed just is not worth a thousand dollars, IMHO.
Another stick of 512mb's would suit you very well... my friend had a Rev b. iMac 20"er with 512... it didn't run all too well, but then I sold him a stick of 512mb's (I had 1.5gb RAM in mine so I figured I'd sell him 512), and now his runs sooo much better.
Yeah, RAM makes all the difference in the world with these things. But I don't have a single 512 stick, its 2x 256, so... that makes a little difference. I think I've told you that before.
Put it off till it hurts. You'll get more bang for your buck when you do.
Its starting to hurt, especially copying DVDs.
mulletman13
2005-12-19, 01:35
Its starting to hurt, especially copying DVDs.
3rd degree burns on your lap get old real fast.
I'd tell you to hold out until the second Rev of Intel PB's... or you could just go first rev if they get good reviews and there are no serious flaws 8-)
Just as a side note... Every machine I have ever bought from Apple is a hot off the production line 1st gen piece of kit... This is as recent as the first Dual G5 and as far back as the IIFX. I have never had a problem with any of them....
Yeah, I think the whole Rev A thing is a stupid stigma that people need to get over, cause by a curious coincidence of events.
In any case that is what Applecare is for right? ;)
In any case that is what Applecare is for right? ;)
Right. But having to send your computer away every 2 weeks is a real pain in the ass, I know.
True, but its better than paying for a new one, and after three problems they should replace your machine, just hope it lasts untill Rev B comes out. ;)
I really think that swapping out youur harddrive and adding some ram should solve *all* of your problems for at least another 12 months, minimum.This is exactly what I'm planning on doing these holidays for my Ti550. Swap the 20GB drive for a 100GB (5400RPM if I can get it) and try and locate 2 pieces of 512MB SDRAM @ 133/100 bus speed (again, if I can find it!). I have 2*256 sticks, but I'm going to wear the cost. I plan on keeping this baby 'til she dies.
Maciej - Fwiw, this old beast is still plugging away and I think I bought it toward the end of 2001. Sure, I'd love a faster proc, greater bus speed, a QE capable video card, a combo (or super) drive, AE and Bluetooth - but for what I'm doing currently this is still OK. Especially for general home and office work: music, email, surfing, reports, spreadsheets, the odd presentation, etc. I'm lucky, though, because I have access to the school's dual 2.0GHz G5 which I can use for making movies and DVDs.
However, come the new year, I'm going to look closely at the upgraded Mac mini or an iMac for personal use - primarily music editing. I'll keep this PB for mobile recording though.
You can get PC 133 RAM sticks for your machine at OWC, its not cheap around $95-110 to get a single stick, but they do have it. You can always try ebay, but its risky.
OWC is the only place I haven't tried yet, and thats just because lack of funds. I've heard great things about them, even from various people at work.
Furthermore, yeah I know I can really drag this thing out, especially since I'm usually patient with it. But I'm considering the whole thing since its more like "if I can, why not?" Ya know?
Anyone have any idea what it would fetch on eBay? I would possibly like downgrading to a 12"-er?
Models like yours catch a far price. There are a few there now I just took a peak at since you asked. There are two listed right now, same specs, between $850 all the way up to $999.More RAM seems to drive up the price since models with 1.25GB RAM go for around $200 more, but thats still a lot for a three year old Powerbook, IMO.
Yeah, I might have to take a look at the completed auctions really soon, just get a little bit of a gauge as to where I stand.
At this point I'm considering throwing in some ram, and just giving the laptop to my parents when I need to buy a new one. They're still using some old POS Toshiba with a 333mhz Celeron or something - and this would definitely be an upgrade if they were willing to deal with the new OS.
The numbers I gave you are from completed auctions, not currently running ones.
The numbers I gave you are from completed auctions, not currently running ones.
I figured as much, just didn't want you guys to feel like you're doing all of the work for me. Thanks though!
Took two minutes, and your welcome. :)
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