[iCraig]

Basically as the title says I want to replace my current macs with one.

I currently have an eMac G4 1GHz which is getting a little slow for my needs and a Powerbook G3 which has a few problems one of which is a dead battery and the other is a loose power socket.

I am wanting a mac that can replace both, and I have no clue what to go for, I want speed and something up to date and with a fairly large screen, but I only have £1000 to spend. Plus I'd like something fairly portable.

I use my macs mainly for web browsing and the usual stuff but I also record tunes too.

What can people recommend?

I am thinking an iMac or a Macbook but I can't decide!

[Mugge]

Well, then it basically depends on how much you need that portability.

[iCraig]

Originally Posted by Mugge Well, then it basically depends on how much you need that portability.

I don't need it that much but its nice to have the option, when my powerbook was working properly was nice to sit in the garden with it or take it away with me.

[Sketch]

Originally Posted by iCraig I want speed and something up to date and with a fairly large screen

Originally Posted by iCraig I am thinking an iMac or a Macbook

Well I hope you don't mean 13.3-inch screen is a fairly large screen do you?

MacBook
13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo1
512MB memory (2 x 256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive 2
Combo drive (DVD-ROM, CD-RW)
£749.00

iMac
20-inch widescreen LCD
1680x1050 resolution
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
4MB shared L2 cache
1GB memory (2x512MB SO-DIMM)
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
£999.00

iMac
17-inch widescreen LCD
1440x900 resolution
2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor1
4MB shared L2 cache
1GB memory (2x512MB SO-DIMM)
160GB Serial ATA hard drive2
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD+R DL, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Apple Remote
£799.00

Since the portability is not a major issue, go for the iMac. In the long run, I think you'll be happy with it.

[Fahrenheit]

Hi Craig. I think a 17 inch PowerBook G4 1.67 maxed out will be right up your alley. You can't get them on the Apple refurb store anymore, but you will find them on eBay.

In fact, here is an average going price:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Powerboo...QQcmdZViewItem

I think for your web surfing and basic needs, this will be ideal, plus you will have some spare change for some accessories such as the iCurve and a mighty mouse!

http://www.johnlewis.com/Computing/A...0/Product.aspx

[Sketch]

Originally Posted by iCraig I want speed and something up to date

Originally Posted by iCraig I am thinking an iMac or a Macbook but I can't decide!

Well according to his post, I guess he wants to have an intel processor based system.

[Fahrenheit]

Yeh I considered that, but based on his needs, I don't see the point, when its a high end PPC system (with big screen and portability) vs. a medium spec Intel machine with either small screen and portability or big screen and weight.

Need to compromise in that case, Craig!

[iCraig]

Thats the thing, I don't consider PPC upto date anymore, infact they're fairly passed it in my eyes, would have to be Intel only.

I want to keep this next machine atleast 3 years, like this eMac, so want something as fast as I can get.

Screen size I think I can compromise on after all I can buy a large TFT for say a macbook if I went for one.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Farenheit when its a high end PPC system (with big screen and portability)

The 1.67 GHz PowerBook G4 is hardly a high-end PPC system, even at its release, despite what Apple would have had us believe a year ago.

[GladToBeHere]

My position is to buy as much as you can afford. An iMac will last longer in terms of performance than a laptop. So, if you don't need portability, I'd suggest going iMac.

Personally, I always anticipate that future OS upgrades by Apple are going to make me want to do something I haven't yet anticipated. So, more power=better.

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by GladToBeHere My position is to buy as much as you can afford. An iMac will last longer in terms of performance than a laptop. So, if you don't need portability, I'd suggest going iMac. Personally, I always anticipate that future OS upgrades by Apple are going to make me want to do something I haven't yet anticipated. So, more power=better.

Agreed. But are you going to be happy with tiger? or are you going to want Leopard. Will you wait for Leopard untill January? or need to upgrade if purchase before it's released. Just a Thought.

[Kraetos]

MacBook and external 20" LCD widescreen screen. Surprised it hasn't been brought up.

You would be pushing £1,000 but I bet you could swing it. I mean, I looked on the UK store just now - 1.83 with 1G is £820. Here in the states, a good 20" LCD is about $300 so which my unit converter tells me is £160. You could also deck out the MacBook now and get the screen later.

That's what I would do if I were in your position. Big screen, which is wonderful (24" Samsung here) at home and portability on the road.

Also, 1.67 G4 PB is a bad idea... my roommate has one and it is slow. No two ways around it. The G4 line was really showin' its age in the later generations.

[Fahrenheit]

Won't get 20 inches this side of the pond for that price. Get a nice 19 incher though.

[Windowsrookie]

Originally Posted by Brad The 1.67 GHz PowerBook G4 is hardly a high-end PPC system, even at its release, despite what Apple would have had us believe a year ago.

Isn't that true. I paid $1500 for my 12" PowerBook and $500 notebooks outperformed it. G3's with Altivec should have been replaced many years before they were.

[chucker]

"G3s with AltiVec"? You mean the 750vx that Apple never put in any machine of theirs?

[Luca]

The original G4s (7400-series) were essentially G3s with AltiVec. Any G4 above 533 MHz, though, was a different processor entirely, and very different from the G3. In fact, I think there's more difference between a 7450-series G4 and a 7400-series G4 than there is between a 7400-series G4 and a G3.

Obviously the point is that Apple stuck with the sinking ship of Motorola for way too long. PPC was an innovative architecture, but in practice there just wasn't anything good made for it after about 1999. My "six month old" 12" PowerBook is actually very outdated. Even though I bought it refurbished at a time when it was still being sold new, it's actually a several year old machine. It does what I want, sure, but it sure doesn't feel like a new computer.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Luca The original G4s (7400-series) were essentially G3s with AltiVec.

And SMT.

And a CPU design far closer to the 604, whereas the G3 (740, 750) was more close to the 603.

Obviously the point is that Apple stuck with the sinking ship of Motorola for way too long.

Undoubtedly.

[iCraig]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Still deciding whats to go for, am swaying towards the iMac at the moment due to its superior specs compared to the Macbook, plus I kinda have bodged my Powerbook to work which will do me for now!

[Robo]

I would wait for the Core 2 MacBook and pick up a 20" (fine, 19") LCD with it. You'd get (closer to) the specs of the iMac, but it'd be portable. I don't know how long you want to be using the PBG3, but rumors seem to indicate that Core 2 MacBooks are right around the corner, at least in Pro form.

[iCraig]

Thing is with the Macbook is the intergrated graphics that worry me!

Just how good is the Intel GMA950 Chip? Is it going to be faster than my ATi Radeon 7000 I currently have in my eMac which has 32Mb dedicated V-RAM.

Dare I say this as I need a decent chip to run a game or two as I may intend to run windows on an Intel Mac.

[PB PM]

The GMA950 should out do a Radeon 7000, reports put it on par with the Radeon 8500 in terms of performance (at least from what I have seen). Just make sure you have at least 1GB of RAM installed if you want to play any games.