new iBook for college

[remlemasi]

hey all,

i'm pretty much set on my decision for the 12" iBook over the 12" PB after weeks of arguing with myself. the iBook won mostly because of the recent upgrade and the better spec:$ ratio.

i'm going to get an extra 512 stick to put in the iBook giving it 1GB RAM total.

in general, would the iBook (1.33 with 1 GB) or the PB (1.5 with 512) be faster?

another question, i am debating whether to upgrade to 60 or 80 GB hard drive. i am really concerned whether 40 GB will do it. i have about 10 GB of music and 4 GB of pictures. i also have a 30 GB iPod that i could use as an external drive if it becomes necessary.

do you think that i should upgrade t the 60 or 80 or would the 40 be enough?

the main reason i am asking is because when my folks give me the final OK to purchase, i'd have to wait "a long time" to get the upgrade done online, where i could just go to one of the many local stores and grab the 40 GB iBook.

as you can tell, i am not a patient guy. =)

is the hard drive upgrade necessary and worth the "wait."?

[rasmits]

I would think the iBook with a gig of ram would be faster, those few extra Mhz don't make much of a difference.

As for the HD, you can never have too much space. Using the iPod as an external drive is not practical, it's not meant for much more then an easy way to transport some files quickly, not as a second HD.

I'd recommend the 60 gig, but if you can afford the 80, then go for it.

edit: You've got 14 gb of photos and music, add about 3 gb for the OS, and 5 gb for applications that's already 22 gb. As you add more music and apps, it'll fill up. The 40 gb drive actually comes out to 37 gb as well.

[Franz Josef]

Welcome to 'Nova :). In general under Mac OS X, the iBook (1.33 Ghz with 1 MB RAM) is more likely to be faster than the PowerBook with less RAM. I see less impact of slightly higher clock speed and more impact of RAM - so getting the extra 512MB for the iBook is absolutely the right thing to do.

It is worth saying that the PowerBook has a faster harddrive (5400 rpm v 4200 rpm) and hence harddrive intensive apps may run faster on the PB. The PB also has more video RAM (VRAM - 64 v 32MB) but that probably isn't really going to make too much difference except for very graphic intensive apps, and even then I believe the graphics processor (GPU) in the iBook is actually more powerful than the PB's but Apple have simply given it less VRAM.

Re HD size. Buy the 80 GB or 60GB but not the 40GB. 40 is really just a little low these days and you will find your HD fills up quickly. You can get an additional external HD later or use the iPod if the capacity is still there but much better to have the extra capacity under the hood. Best not to rush for the 40.

[remlemasi]

wow, thanks for the fast replies and the warm welcome.

yeah, i think i'll just have to hold my horses and "wait" for the upgrade.

i'm probably going to go with the 80 GB to be safe and it doesn't cost too much more.

as for the iBook vs. PB speed, thanks for the reassurance. ;)

I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY FIRST MAC! AHHHH!!!

[remlemasi]

one more thing!

i went to oOWC for memory prices, and the prices are all over the place.

does higher price necessarily mean better RAM?

what is the difference between the different brands?

thanks

[Franz Josef]

No higher price doesn't necessarily mean better RAM. Just make sure you get compatible RAM. Apple is usually pretty expensive, many people like Crucial or Newegg. Haven't used them myself. Do a search in the toolbar for "Crucial" and you will find a number of threads on 3rd party RAM :)

[switchr92]

iBook will be noticeably faster than the powerbook, 1GB is great help. HD speed deosn't make a big difference, not does processor speed. upgrading HD is great idea. if u get the iBook, fare warning, u'll LOVE it.

[Brad]

I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY FIRST MAC! AHHHH!!!
:lol: Man, you totally just reminded me of when that Petie kid got his first Mac.

Petie Gets His First Mac (http://homepage.mac.com/bradster/.Movies/Petie_Gets_His_First_Mac.mov)

I hope you enjoy your new iBook. ;)

[staph]

:lol: Man, you totally just reminded me of when that Petie kid got his first Mac.

Petie Gets His First Mac (http://homepage.mac.com/bradster/.Movies/Petie_Gets_His_First_Mac.mov)

I hope you enjoy your new iBook. ;)

God, I'm scarred for life. That was obscene.

[onlyafterdark]

:lol:

Wow, that movie had everything. Over the top acting, System of a Down, Star Wars theme music, Kronos Quartet, and nice hardware.

That is one lucky kid.