What should i get for my first mac?

[Stratrix]

i will have about 1600$ after selling my Toshiba Laptop (from Prize), and i want to make a switch to using Macs, what should i get for my first mac?

All prices in Canadian

12" iBook - $1660

- No bluetooth, crappy video card, 30gb. no video spanning (without hack)

12" Powerbook - $2174

- No backlit, "better" video card, lighter, thinner ($500 extra)

15" Powerbook - $2850

- backlit, 1.33ghz, no superdrive. Expensive. Good res, great video card.

i'm so lost. what should i get? :unsure:

whats the best choice for me ( CompSci student )?

[giga Veteran]

I would suspect that you would need the screen real estate of the 15" because youre a comp sci student? Maybe...

Depends on what else you'll be doing with it (Photoshop, movies, editing, etc?) and your budget.

[SkyFox]

That third one, you'll want the backlit screen for all those late night "study" sessions.

[NY1]

That third one, you'll want the backlit screen for all those late night "study" sessions.

lmao all them have a backlit screen. You mean the backlit keyboard :laugh:

[dieterich]

Computer Science....you a programmer? Then stick with a PC.

[SumoHamster]

I like to program in Perl a lot, and I find that much easier with my Mac than my PC.

[krmathis]

One of the PowerBooks, depends what screen size you need and your budget! :)

[Stratrix]

whats the use of a powerbook over an ibook?

just ram speed and stuff? do i REaLLY REALLY need to excess speed? (i'm just lost, help me out.)

[giga Veteran]

Well that's for you to decide. Will you "really really" need the excess speed?

[Stratrix]

i certainly want the 333mhz ram, but, to me, it's NOT worth the extra 500$ i guess.

i've used a laptop as a desktop for two years, i hate how heavy my "desktop replacement" laptop is . (its just a thin desktop with a battery.). i think i'm gonna go for mobility this time.

will ibook do good? (probably not intense gaming, at most burning DVDs (using external enclosure)), run warcraft 3, will it lag ??

[giga Veteran]

It has only 32mb video ram, probably will lag. :/

[msg43]

I like to program in Perl a lot, and I find that much easier with my Mac than my PC.

Use linux!

[NinjaMonkey82]

The reason to get the Powerbook is not only do you get a better vid card but also has bluetooth and airport extreme built in.

You'll want the better vid card for Tiger. It will take better advantage of Core Image/Video. The screen on the 15 is also better not only higher res but has much better viewing angles.

[Stratrix]

anybody wanna donate me money so i can afford a 15" ? i so wish i can afford the 15".

>.<

i want a pb 15" backlit!!!

[esco]

**edit** misread...canadian prices ;)

get the powerbook, i love my 15". If you need a RAM upgrade, don't buy it from Apple.

[NeoXY]

actually....the 12 is quite nice.....it really put "mobility" back into mobility. But of corse, you will lose some of the features but those stuff are still expendable....it relaly depend on your budget....

[Stratrix]

i would LOVE To have 15" powerbook, but at the moment, i have no money to afford it, at all.

i can get an ibook easy, but probably not a 15" powerbook. the 15" powerbook means i have to spend 1000 dollars extra. i really want that machine, but at the moment, its kinda depressing how dual core is gonna "beat" it in a few months time, and the "Good" stuff will soon be "not so good" stuff.

with the ibook, it will probably be "usable" as long as the powerbook? the only restraint that the ibook really has is the videocard, other than that, a slower bus won't affect it "that" much. will it ?

[Mac-It-Up]

12" PB....

Great for portability... thats what u need the most as a student... i had a larger one, didn't like carrying it... but just my personal pref

Are new dual core PBs gonna come out in early 2005?? :huh:

[firebud]

Depends on what you're working with. The iBook is for more mild users, and the Powerbook is for rich people and people who do more advanced work with it.

[Stratrix]

i think i'm going to save the money now, and spend it when dual core comes out. (i hope in jan)

MONEY !! COME MY WAY!!