So, as I mentioned in my previous thread, my first gen 17" powerbook has gone off to the big supercluster in the sky. The power connector's busted, the airport card's dead, the molding above the superdrive is broken, and the laptop can't get enough juice to even boot (because of the busted power connector).

So, now I'm in the market for a new powerbook. I'll probably get a 15" model this time, just to save on the weight a bit. However, I was thinking...

I've already got a Gig of ram (two 512MB sticks) ready to go, so is there anyway to get Apple to sell me a powerbook w/o any ram? I could always sell the extra 512MB stick, but it'd be cheaper in the long run if Apple could just leave it out to begin with.

Also, I've got a brother that's a senior at UMass, so if I can convince him to sign up for the student ADC membership, I can save on a new powerbook that way as well.

Other than that, what are my options for taking a bit of money off the price of a new powerbook? Are there any non-Apple resellers that sell any cheaper than Apple? Are there any trustworty eBayers that sell new Apple products for below retail? If I buy via some other source, do I still get the 1 year warranty?

thanks for any info

Wow, sorry to hear about that.

Apple won't sell you a Mac without RAM. I know someone who talked them into it once, this was about 4 years ago, bought it with no RAM or HDDs, but only because he made a very convincing argument. He said it took about 3 weeks talking to various people at Apple before he got what he wanted. He had to go very high up on the ladder. He suggests nobody try this again, it's not worth it really.

Your brother can sign up for the Student ADC and get a discount through that.

Other sites like MacMall.com sell Macs for a little bit under what Apple does, not much, but some. They also throw in a lot of extras, like free RAM, printers, etc... but they're all through rebates. You pay full cost first, but you'll get the cash back through rebates.

Don't know about the warranty, I've only bought my Macs through Apple or MacWarehouse.com (now part of CDW, wasn't before) but I would say yes. eBay? I don't know.

You could part out your 17" on eBay. The screen alone should net you several hundred dollars. The SuperDrive might get you $120 or so. The keyboard maybe $20 or 30. The hard drive would be worth a good bit too, depending on the size. Hell, you could probably get enough for a Mac mini just from the usable parts of your PowerBook.

ah. interesting. i hadn't thought of that.

considering all those parts (LCD, superdrive, hdd, keyboard) work fine, selling them on eBay would definitely help soften the blow of a new system. have you seen any completed auctions for a 17" screen? If so, what did they go for? There are only two on eBay right now, and they both still have almost a week left.

Do an advanced search and select "completed listings". That will give you the information you seek.

I don't see any for a 17" at the moment, but there are plenty for 15" powerbooks in the range of $80 for the bare screen to $220 or so for a screen with the bezel and hinges. I'm certain that a 17" would go for more.

Nice. So selling off parts, plus using my brother to get a student ADC discount, that'll definitely help a bit.

thanks.

one other question. I applied for an apple credit account and got one with a $3,000 limit. It says that any purchase i make (or the first one...either way doesn't matter) has a 90 day period of 0% interest.

However, on the apple store, it has the blurb "as low as $53 per month using apple credit"...that's not interest free, right? That would just be the minimum monthly payment, all the while accruing interest, right?

The way I understand it, if you were to pay it off in 90 days, you would pay no interest. If you simply pay the monthly bill, you will be paying interest.