Powerbook 12" or 15"?

[allam89]

I've decided that I won't wait anymore till the iBook gets an upgrade. Instead I will get the Powerbook. I will be using the Powerbook for watching movies (widescreen would be good here), surfing the net, iTunes, word processing, and some light gaming. The question is should I get the 12" or the 15". Here in Switzerland it's a 600 franc difference (500$). Does it justify the the bigger screen and better video card among other differences? Those of you have tried both, does the 12" seem very cramped in comparison? Is the 15" that much bigger? I will be taking the laptop to school and will be watching movies there so portability and battery life is important but widescreen would be nice. Any feedback would be welcome. Thanks

EDIT: I know this thread has been discussed b4 but people use their powerbooks for different things. For example, I don't use Photoshop.

[flail]

Biggest thing here, IMO, is to try them out. Make sure you've actually seen the 15" in person. For me, it was a lot bigger than I imagined for some reason. For me the 15" would be more than I would want to carry around.

[Franz Josef]

Both the 12" and 15" are great. I use a 12", my wife uses a 15" PB. I like the 12" for portability - it is frankly astonishly light, unobtrusive but fully functional - particularly if you use it wirelessly you will appreciate the portability. The 12" screen doesn't seem at all cramped even with multiple applications - Expose gives a lot of flexibility. The 15" has greater upgradeability and graphics card. There is inevitably a trade-off between protability and having a wider screen - recommend you to view a movie on each. I prefer the protability but my wife prefers the larger screen for working with Keynote / Powerpoint. If you're taking it to school I'd tend towards the 12" but it's a personal choice.

[CobaltFire]

My 15" has a wonderful screen, and I love watching movies on it. I personally think the 15" is just the right size for a laptop. Like the other guys said, take a DVD to an Apple store and watch a few minutes on each screen. Another (slight) plus: the 15" can view 720p video on it's screen without scaling :)

[jbloodwo]

I was also recently in this debate myself. In the end i decided on a 12" and will probible get a 20"cinima display next year.
my factors were
1. 15" is a bit big to travel with. I am one of the strange ppl in southern Cal that does not drive and uses busses. so size was a biggie for me.
2. I would have felt silly getting the 15" if i did not do the BTO for teh 128 meg video. so i could run the "BFM"
3. $$$ I really wanted to get out of teh apple store for less than 2k USD.
I have been realy happy with this machine and am glad i got it.

[torifile]

There are a bunch of other threads on this very subject.

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=5606

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=3878

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=1762

That might help in your decision making process. Good luck.

[autodata]

I have an ibook and a powerbook and I can't handle the small 12" screen for most tasks. XVGA is basically the minimum for anything these days so it can be a real pain. That said, I love the small screen when doing basic work on it, particularly in a public setting.

Biking to work every day with the 15" in a backpack is also easier for me because the additional length makes it sit more comfortably on my back, particularly when there are other items in the bag. It's counterintuitive since it would seem the smaller size would automatically make it easier to travel with.

[allam89]

Ok thanks for replying. One more question, is the ATI 9700 that much better than the nVidia 5200go? In terms of gaming that is. Does Unreal Tournament run comfortably on that video card or is the 9700 the best choice. If I get the 12" then I will probably get a cinema display later next year and I need the horsepower to drive it. Thanks
EDIT: FPS results comparisons would be nice. Thanks.

[donniedarko]

I love my 15" my friend has a 12" which i have used and we take a 17" on the road all in all i like my 15" best, maybe because it is mine... but i love it none the less the size is perfect for what i use it for which is world domination. I have a 19" samsung lcd i use with it when it is at my house and the two together are golden, stay golden pony boy, stay golden.

[CobaltFire]

I can't give you an exact comparison on the video cards, but here is a little exapmle:

My buddy has an iMac G5 1.8GHz, 1GB RAM w/Geforce5200 64MB
I have a PowerBook 15" 1.25GHz, 512MB RAM w/Radeon 9600 mobile 64MB

Our framerates are pretty much even with the same options (WoW). Something to realize is that the iMac has the better version of the 5200 as compared to the PowerBook. Also, the 9700 is faster than my 9600. In other words, 9700Mobile>>5200Go. Especially if you get the 128MB RAM upgrade for it. On newer games you might see as much as a 50% performance difference. Hope that helps.

[allam89]

I've made up my mind. 12" Powerbook it is. I'll hook it up to a cinema display when I can afford one. I don't game that much and if I need the need, I will just use my sister's 3.4 Ghz PC monster. After all macs just aren't intended for gaming except maybe the Powermac. I will wait till after WWDC June 10th or something to make sure I get the latest revision possible. Thanks a lot for your input people.

[Satchmo]

There is inevitably a trade-off between protability and having a wider screen...

All the more reason I pine for the much rumoured 14" widescreen iBook. :)

[Franz Josef]

All the more reason I pine for the much rumoured 14" widescreen iBook. :)

:) You would still have a weight issue though - the 12" PB weighs in at 4.6 pounds, a 14" iBook is nearer 6.

[Gargoyle]

15"