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14''Ibook or 12''PB?


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14''Ibook or 12''PB?
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Johnkid
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2005-02-21, 18:56

Hi there!I'm a swiss guy that is willing to buy a laptop for college. My question is, what would you rather buy, an upgraded 14'' Ibook (512RAM, 60HD, bluetooth) or a 12'' standard PB?
I'll use the laptop for paper-writing, surfing the web, games sometimes, but not any kind of "design" work. It's going to be my first apple purchase and I want to be sure I do the right choise so it would last for a couple of years... thanks a lot for your help!
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autodata
hustlin
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-02-21, 19:13

I don't know how the features compare, but I wouldn't even consider the 14" ibook. The only reason to deal with the low resolution would be to save space, which the 12" powerbook does wonderfully. IMO, the 14" defeats the purpose.
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Doe
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-02-21, 19:16

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnkid
Hi there!I'm a swiss guy that is willing to buy a laptop for college. My question is, what would you rather buy, an upgraded 14'' Ibook (512RAM, 60HD, bluetooth) or a 12'' standard PB?
I'll use the laptop for paper-writing, surfing the web, games sometimes, but not any kind of "design" work. It's going to be my first apple purchase and I want to be sure I do the right choise so it would last for a couple of years... thanks a lot for your help!
You should look into getting a student developer account if you already are in school. It will save you some extra money compared to the regular student discount. You dont need to be taking any computer science classes.

Now for gaming you will probably want to go with the powerbook because of the video card. Dont be scared of by the screen size also. I had a 14'' windows notebook before I got my 12'' powerbook and I have had an easy time adjusting to the smaller screen.
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Johnkid
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2005-02-21, 19:20

Between

OPTION 1 14'' IBook

• 512MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 256MB SO-DIMM)
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive
• Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 14-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory

Subtotal $1,424.0

OPTION 2 12'' PB

512MB DDR333 (256MB built-in + 256MB SO-DIMM)
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive @5400rpm
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 1.5GHz PowerPC G4
• NVIDIA GeForce FX GO 5200 with 64MB DDR Video Memory
• 12.1-inch TFT Display


Subtotal $1,499.00
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curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2005-02-21, 19:46

Grist for the mill, but the 14" iBook does have the best battery life of any Apple laptop.

But if you plan to use if for a few years, the 64MB VRAM in the PowerBook might be the dealmaker (plus mini-DVI out for external digital display vs analog-XGA-out on the iBook).
If you plan on using it with an external display, the VRAM in the PB has double to share.

VRAM is not upgradeable later, and the minimum spec for many games may move to 64MB VRAM by next year...

For future proofing reasons in the graphics end, I'd consider the PB, but if you're leaning towards lounging student surfer use, the extra juice in the iBook might mean another half hour between charges (depending on tasks and energy saver/brightness settings).

Not sure how much that helps.
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autodata
hustlin
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-02-21, 20:02

If I was given those choices it would be a no-brainer: 12"
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flail
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
 
2005-02-21, 20:22

Yeah go with the 12"

I have a 12" PB and it is the perfect size, I wouldn't want anything bigger, especially if I didn't get any better resolution (The two you're comparing have the same res.)
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Doe
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-02-22, 00:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnkid
Between

OPTION 1 14'' IBook

• 512MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 256MB SO-DIMM)
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive
• Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 14-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory

Subtotal $1,424.0

OPTION 2 12'' PB

512MB DDR333 (256MB built-in + 256MB SO-DIMM)
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive @5400rpm
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 1.5GHz PowerPC G4
• NVIDIA GeForce FX GO 5200 with 64MB DDR Video Memory
• 12.1-inch TFT Display


Subtotal $1,499.00
I got the student developer account and bought the 12'' PB SD for $1554 total including 7% MN sales tax. Also if you get a student developer account you get Tiger for free when it comes out.
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Johnkid
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2005-02-22, 01:52

Thanks for your help... one last question, how do I get the student developer account? How do I register for that? Is it avaiable in Europe?
I Know how to shop with the edu disc. but no idea where this develop. thing is. Thanks a lot in advance...
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-02-22, 05:02

We have a whole thread that discusses the educational discount and student developer accounts. Not surprisingly, it's titled:

Student Developer vs. EDU Discount ?'s

Short explanation: go here to find out if you're eligible.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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