RSSReview: Apple's 800MHz PowerBook G4
By Joe Wilcox | Published June 20, 2002, 1:25 AM
Many computer manufacturers are hawking thin-and-light notebooks as the next big thing. Dell Computer, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Sony and Toshiba are some of the big name companies delivering small portables, some weighing under 3 pounds. But none of these companies has achieved notebook nirvana, a slim-and-light model with a beefy display and enough power to replace a desktop computer. Consumers that want desktop power must buy heavy-set portables, many weighing as much as 8 pounds or more. Those people looking for true portability have had to accept less computing power and smaller displays.
Until now.
Apple's 800MHz PowerBook G4 meets the demands of the consumer looking for a svelte design that's light on weight but not light on features. You think one size can't fit all? That's because you haven't seen the Titanium PowerBook in action.
Apple launched the trendsetting PowerBook G4 in January 2001, introducing a smaller, one-inch design and 15.2-inch display, but weighing a scant 5.3 pounds (5.4 pounds now). For comparison, Gateway's Solo 600 weighs in at a hefty 8 pounds with a 15-inch display and 8.65 pounds with a 15.7-inch display. The Titanium PowerBook measures 1 inch by 13.4 inches by 9.5 inches compared to 1.77 inches by 13.86 inches by 11.4 inches for the Solo 600. Side by side, the PowerBook G4 is tiny by comparison to Gateway's notebook.
But the original PowerBook G4, while cool looking wrapped in its Titanium case (yeah, the same stuff used in jet fighters), lacked the power to take on Mac or PC desktop computers. That really remained the situation until April 2002 when with the introduction of an 800MHz PowerBook and an updated 667MHz model, Apple added 1MB of L3 to the system. Earlier models featured 1MB of L2 cache, which was dropped to 256KB with the update. There's a lot of debate about what the true value of extra cache is, particularly L3. If anything, Intel has ratcheted down the cache on many processors. But in casual testing, the performance boost is quite noticeable.
Other changes also make a big difference. Apple boosted the graphics memory to 32MB from 16MB, using ATI's Radeon 7500 accelerator. But Dell and Gateway offer up to 64MB. Screen resolution is better, too, 1280 x 854, up from 1152 x 768. The display is crisper now and noticeably brighter, the latter change being a significant improvement over older PowerBooks and some PC portables. The higher resolution works out to about 23 percent more viewable area than earlier models.
Monitor Me
Many top-end Pentium 4 notebooks serve up higher screen resolutions--in some cases 1600 x 1200. That's great if you like to squint and see bifocals in your future. The Titanium PowerBook's 1280 x 854 is more than adequate, although it's not a typically used resolution. That's because Apple's 15.2-inch display is more rectangular than square. Measured down, the size is about the same as a normal 14.1-inch display. But the width, which serves up a nice 3:2 ratio at the higher resolutions, is 15.2 inches as measured diagonally. The greater width and ratio mean better DVD movie watching. Good for a second reason: DVD movies viewed on a Mac tend to be sharper and colors more true to life, particularly flesh tones, than on a PC, regardless of graphics card or processor.
But the impressive display features don't stop there. The Titanium PowerBook packs a digital video out port for connecting to flat-panel monitors. But Apple's DVI to ADC (Digital Video Input to Apple Display Connector) Adapter is needed for hooking up to Apple flat-panel monitors. The brick, as I affectionately refer to the Adaptor, is a necessary evil. Apple displays use a proprietary connector that delivers power and USB support to the monitor as well as the normal graphics output from a computer. This scheme makes Apple displays easier to set up than other flat-panel monitors, as two chords have been eliminated. But powering an Apple display off a notebook doesn't make a lot of sense. So Apple opted for a standard DVI port, which is supported by most other digital flat-panel monitors, and an extra-cost adapter--the brick--with power and conversion to ADC.
As if this wasn't enough, the Titanium PowerBook supports dual displays and external display resolution up to a whooping 2048 by 1536. Don't expect either from your Dell notebook. I tested the brick with a 17-inch Apple flat-panel monitor to see how the dual-display feature worked. I'm not sure whether to describe the experience of dragging an open folder beyond the edge of the PowerBook display and watching it appear on the external monitor as cool or odd.
The 800MHz PowerBook also comes with fully-functional 802.11b wireless networking, which can be added to the 667MHz model for an extra $100. Apple introduced wireless networking more than a year before Dell promised it and IBM delivered it, and the Mac maker's experience shows both in hardware and software. Apple also is the only company to offer integrated wireless networking across its entire portable or desktop lines.
But you will need a wireless networking hub, preferably Apple's AirPort Base Station, to use this feature. AirPort wireless networking serves up nearly unfettered access to your portable, with rates typically ranging from 2mbps (megabits per second) to 11mbps. Distance from the base station reduces throughput, which is faster than most broadband connections even at slowest rate; I've found 11mbps is no problem in the same room as the base station, or even the next.
Doohickeys and Dings
Other PowerBook niceties: Big bandwidth for those who need it, as the integrated networking supports up to a gigabit of throughput; like PC notebooks in this class, a CD-RW/DVD combo drive; two USB ports, each with up to 12mbps throughput; and one powered FireWire port. The latter two features are worth elucidation. Most PC notebooks offer shared USB ports. While there might be two ports, total throughput between them is 12mbps. Both PowerBook USB ports deliver 12mbps. In terms of FireWire, which can be used to transfer data with peripherals at up to 400mbps, Apple offers a true 6-pin port that is powered by the notebook. Almost all PC notebooks use the 4-pin port, which won't deliver power to the device. For people hooking up digital camcorders to their portable, 4-pin is OK, because the device typical has its own power. But in the case of external pocket-size hard drives, 4-pin ports create problems for the consumer, who must carry an extra power supply to use the device. This isn't a problem for those folks using the PowerBook, which can power the hard drive through the 6-pin port.
But Apple has yet to boost the speed of the system bus, which slogs along at 133MHz compared to 400MHz for Pentium 4 portables. Factor in 133MHz SDRAM vs. 266 DDR SDRAM on P4 notebooks and you have a recipe for slower performance. And yet, Apple does a remarkable job squeezing great power out of Mac OS X 10.1.5. In fact, in casual testing the 800MHz PowerBook performed as well as or better than a 1.7Ghz Pentium 4 Gateway 600XL or 1.6MHz P4 HP Pavilion zt1195. So much for the idea more is better.
If the 800MHz PowerBook has one failing it's price. At $3,199, this is no cheap portable. Gateway's 600XL serves up faster memory, a speedier system bus and double the graphics memory for less than the price of the 667MHz PowerBook. On the other hand, the Titanium PowerBook is much smaller, weighs in three pounds less but with desktop replacement performance, offers better video and graphics options and sports a sturdier case and more attractive design.
Apple offers two 800MHz models, although users can custom-order other configurations direct from the online Apple Store. The standard model packs an 800MHz PowerPC processor, 15.2-inch display, 512MB of SDRAM expandable to 1GB, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500 graphics accelerator, 40GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD drive, integrated USB, FireWire, 56kbps modem and 10/100/1000 networking, 802.11b wireless networking and Mac OS X 10.1.4 or .5 for $3,199. The $3,799 high-end model doubles the memory and boosts the hard drive capacity to 60GB.
The budget conscious might opt for the $2,499 PowerBook, which packs a 667MHz processor with that same hefty 1MB of L3 cache, 256MB of SDRAM and 30GB hard drive. With the exception of wireless, the sibling model is identical to the 800MHz PowerBook. If you can, buy from a dealer who throws in extra memory for free, a common practice among Mac catalog stores. Mac OS X--and for PC users, Windows XP, for the matter--really needs 512MB of memory. You'll be glad you got it.
Those on a tighter budget still, might consider an older model or one that has been refurbished. Small Dog Electronics specializes in Mac refurbs.
The Titanium PowerBook's price situation is exacerbated by the extra cost of Microsoft Office. Office v. X for Mac OS X is in many ways superior to Office XP for Windows. But many PC manufacturers include Office XP in the cost of the notebook. Plan on shelling out $300 or more for the Mac version. Ouch!
There's no question the Titanium PowerBook isn't for everyone. But for those people looking for a classy notebook that looks good, is extremely portable but offers desktop performance and delivers outstanding graphics and video features, the Titanium PowerBook is a winner.
it's just so cool!!!
http://webshop.fujitsupc...seriesbean.do?series=AB
Score: 0
|The price is a little high for what you get, but I imagine the battery life is great, and it sure is portable :)
Score: 0
|I almost bought one (I also worked for Fujitsu for a while and we had employee discounts) but I still found it a bit pricey despite that. (Having a family limits how much you can spend on geek toys). :-)
Score: 0
|oops! i just realized they changed some stuff on their site. this is the one i meant, built in cd-rw/dvd
http://webshop.fujitsupc...seriesbean.do?series=P2
- m0gely
Score: 0
|"As if this wasn't enough, the Titanium PowerBook supports dual displays and external display resolution up to a whooping 2048 by 1536. Don't expect either from your Dell notebook."
Say what? I've got a Dell Inspiron 7000, old as the hills, PII 366MHz, 8MB ATI Rage LCD Pro, 256MB, 10GB, DVD, 15" LCD (one of the best I've seen for it's 1024x768 max res,and with hardware decoding DVD's look awesome). I'm running WinXP Pro on it just fine (yes, it boots rather sluggishly, but runs fine with Office XP apps after it finally boots!), and dual display works awesome for me. To my knowledge, all of the ATI cards since in the Dell Inspiron models have supported multiple display support. I know the latest Mobility 7500 64MB cards do for sure, becuase I have a friend with one. It's SWEET! :-) So I'm not sure what that comment meant... dual display has been supported by ATI in laptops for years.
Score: 0
|Ah but you don't have the widescreen ratio.
And that Dell weighs like 10 pounds. :)
Score: 0
|Yeah, Dell's Inspirons are really heavy and big. That's the biggest reason I went with Compaq over Dell. Still, those Dells perform well if you're willing to haul them around.
Score: 0
|I suppose it depends on the model, my Latitude is 1.5" thick, and 4.3lbs. ;-)
Score: 0
|Compaq's become space heaters when you leave them on for more then a hour.
Score: 0
|Sorry, meant their Inspirons
Score: 0
|I know, was just saying. ;-)
Score: 0
|Let me appologize in advance, this is a little ranty. Not meant as flaming or trolling though, just my observations.
I have one of the newer Inspiron 8100's. It has a 15" display that not only does 1600x1200 but looks incredibly crisp and clean at that resolution. The person writing the article mentioning squinting has obviously never used one of these. With XP and cleartype the fonts look nicer than you usually see running 1280x1024 on Windows 2000 as well. I highly doubt that Apple's 1280x854 resolution can beat the clarity that I get from my Dell.
The comment on size is of little concern, my laptop fits easily within my backpack, would fit any standard laptop case, and isn't too big to fit comfortably on my lap. It probably weighs in somewhere between 7.5 and 9 pounds depending on if I have my second battery in or not. The weight of it would probably be my only issue with the machine. Dropping roughly three pounds would be nice, but I've never complained about carrying my laptop with me yet. If I want super light without the need for extrodinary computing power I just bring my PocketPC along instead. If I needed an actual computer in a small package I'd probably go for a Sony Vaio Picturebook or whatever, the one that weighs like two pounds and is tiny. Not that I would miss the three extra pounds mind you...
Other issues with the article: I already have 32 MB of video RAM, using a GeForce2 Go no less, which plays all the games I've put it through with good performance. Also watching a DVD on the 15" normal aspect isn't a problem, though widescreen on the mac would be nice. Of course, I've got the nice TV out as well, so if I'm using the thing to watch DVDs anywhere besides a longish car trip I probably have that option. DVDs on a monitor always seem flatter than on a good TV, regardless. If the author is correct in the assertion that DVDs look better on this mac then maybe the Mac's LCD has better color. Between older Mac notebooks and my Dell I can't say I notice much of a difference. There's a big one between my Dell's LCD and my TV though. And the GeForce will drive an external monitor at 1600x1200 as well. I don't know anybody that uses the 2048x1536 that the Mac can drive, nor of many sub $1000 monitors that handle that either. Of course, money never has been an problem for those who use Macs.
I'm pretty sure I could have gotten integrated wireless, but for the savings I'm fine with the PCMCIA card. I have an integrated 56k/10/100 modem/networking which is fine for me. I'm not exactly keen on spending at least $600 for a gigabit switch in my apartment. I may just shell out for the wireless in there and call it at that. I also got firewire (or IEEE 1394 rather) with my Dell and the required USB crud, along with Windows XP and the lovely Works package (which has Word XP, money, and streets and trips, so it isn't altogether useless). No CD-RW in the thing, but then again, I've never been in a spot where I need to burn a CD on the run. Maybe if I ever need to I'll get the CD-RW that goes in my swappable media spot that takes a floppy, cd, 2nd battery (which is soooo nice), or whatever else they think of.
Also, casual testing means little to me, a page with benchmarks (not the 6 apple photoshop altivec marks either) would raise my faith in the speed. Things like office productivity should be easy enough to time cross platform I would think. I would seriously read an article that offered such. And what's with the Mac Office being superior to Office XP? That link doesn't seem to list a thing that could be taken for superiority. I would like to know what makes it so much better.
Lastly, I've only got a Pentium III 1 GHz with 512 KB cache in my laptop, which holds its own against Pentium 4s at 1.4 GHz if I remember right. I'm sure that it would do an admirable job against the G4 as well, though probably fall behind with the G4 at 800 MHz. The thing is, I paid only about $1550 for my laptop. I could get two of the things for the same price as the lower end of the 800 MHz Macs. And I wouldn't doubt performance equal or greater out of my laptop as the 667 MHz "budget conscious" powerbook, despite it being nearly a full grand more expensive.
Lastly, and maybe this part is flamebait, but why in the world can't apple put two buttons on their machines? They could make them just click by default and let users decide if they want something different, but one button is an atrocity that should not be commited.
Despite all of that which probably seems like one big whine-fest, I would seriously consider getting one of these given a couple of conditions. (a) I wasn't in college and could spend more on a laptop and (b) there was a second button on the pad. I think these are some of the nicest looking laptops around, it certainly looks more sexy, if I may use that term, than my big black Dell. The weight is an attractive point as well. Performance shouldn't really matter overall, unless you don't have a desktop. Serious gaming and other huge tasks like rendering or code compilation probably won't be done too often while away from a desktop. So even if it isn't the performance king that's no reason to shy away. I, however, don't think the author's big list is anything you can't find in any decent laptop if you look, and downplaying other laptops' features won't help either. The reason I list off and downplay everything above is to show that the playing field is really pretty level. Well, except for price and number of buttons being in favor of the PCs and overall aesthetics being in favor of Apple.
Score: 0
|My biggest issue with the Dell I owned was the cheap quality of the laptop. After about a year and a half the plastic got worn out and flimsy. My LCD squeaked each time I opened it and felt like it was going to break off. Dell's support center is also horrid for their consumer products. They constantly forget about customers and tend to leave you hanging for a week before making an effort to respond. Not attacking your post - just my observations. If you like your Dell and are having a good experience with it, more power to you.
But why put two mouse buttons if you only need one? Do you want two enter keys as well? :) Apple designed their OS and software to only need one mouse button, so adding a second one wouldn't do much good. I highly suggest going to an Apple store and spending a few hours playing with one (just pretend you're thinking about buying it) and you may realize two buttons just complicate things.
Score: 0
|So far I haven't had a problem with the quality of the machine, but I haven't had it a year and a half yet either. Hopefully it will hold up well, as I try to treat it well. I have a friend that has had a Dell for about 2 years with only minor issues. Obviously no issues would be better.
As far as support goes, as long as nothing actually breaks I think I'll be good, but I knew that when buying the thing too. If I was looking for support I'm not sure who I'd have gone with. Micron has always been good to my friends with desktops, so maybe one of those new Micron laptops. I don't know. If you have any recommendations for who has good support I'd love to hear them. I'm often asked for recommendations myself about machines and that's something that I mostly hear about from word of mouth. No attack taken, it's a world of observations that make up how companies are looked at. Luckily no problems here though.
I'm not sure how to take the two enter keys being analogous to the mouse buttons comments. Not to be a wise-crack if your question wasn't, but I actually do like the enter button by the keypad on full sized keyboards, especially when entering numbers. I'm aware of how you can get second button like functionality by holding the option or apple key or whichever it is (I honestly can't remember) or also clicking and holding. You can also use a Logitech USB mouse or something and program the buttons. The large reason was that I would want to put LinuxPPC on it and would need the second button. Though with OS X being so BSD-like (with good reason :) it may not make sense to do that anymore. Maybe I will just go play with one though, it seems like a fun thing to do at any rate.
And I would seriously consider buying one if I had the money to do so. They really look nice, have as much power as a person could reasonably need, and have a bunch of cool features. I've still got a pretty new laptop though and tuition as well though, so it won't happen soon.
Score: 0
|Uh, pardon the ignorance, but is the "dual-display" mode you speak of an extended desktop with monitor spanning, or is it display mirroring?
Score: 0
|I helped configure my sister-in-law's Inspiron when she got it (Win2K Pro), and I did notice its weight and bulk. Other than that, it seemed to be an impressive unit.
Score: 0
|Dunno about the new TiBook 800, but the original TiBook 500 was not exactly cool-running, either. I have a friend who has one, and he complains about it all the time.
Score: 0
|Budget constraints face us all (unless you're Bill G). So you buy what gives you the best ROI, depending on what you do. I could not justify the price of a TiBook, so my $900 iBook has to suffice. Like its big brother, it lets me edit audio, video, and still images, email/surf wirelessly, etc. while using SSH and other UNIX tools to do my work. On my old (and heavy) Toshiba Satellite Pro, I'd need to put on Mandrake or SuSE, and I'm too time crunched right now.
Score: 0
|The LCDs on the previous TiBooks look a little washed out to me, but the ones on the new models released April 2002 are much brighter and sharper (at least in a store with glaring fluorescent lights overhead).
Score: 0
|The ATI Rage Mobility in my Compaq can use an extra monitor. And one can span the desktop over the dual-display. Not just mirror it. I haven't tried yet, but it looks like one could use the TV, a monitor and the TFT screen at the same time.
Sppire.
Score: 0
|Cool, I'll have to take a look at them. That washed out color has been the one thing with pretty much any LCD that I've not really cared for. CRT displays (I know, not going to work on a laptop) just have such better color.
Score: 0
|The Compaq 2800T notebook I ordered weighs in at 5.7pounds (more like 6 even some people are saying). That's a P4 with a 15" screen and built in wireless (it's an option, but it is upgradeable to future wireless standards) too so it's not an ultra-portable and easily beats out the PowerBook in performance.
It seems that Apple's only advantage would be their excellent build quality. (Well, that is, if you can get the DVD drive to eject, hehe - or was that an iBook problem?)
Score: 0
|My latitude weighs in at 4.3 lbs, and is all the power that's necessary to get by. The more I look at Apple's ibook line though, I may end up on that side of the fence with my next purchase.
Score: 0
|The Compaq 2800 DOES NOT HAVE
-- built-in 802.11b (although BlueTooth is an OPTION)
-- built-in Gigabit Ethernet (that's 10/100/1000)
-- built-in FireWire (6-pin powered port)
-- DVI-out for connecting digital flat-panel displays
To add WiFi, you have to use its one PC card slot
It only supports a maxiumum 1024x768 internal and 1600x1200 external resolution (using an analog external display)
So how is it supposed to outperform a TiBook 800 again?
Score: 0
|I'm typing this on an iBook (US$900 brand new, special sale just after Christmas). Even it has a 6-pin powered FireWire port and I put in a $99 WiFi card so I surf/email from my backyard. I worked for Compaq (deploying NT servers on the intranet) but I never bought Compaq HW for my own use. :-)
Score: 0
|It does have built in wireless, and it is situated on the lid where it gets better reception. You do NOT have to use up a PCCard slot to get 802.11b. And in the future you can easily upgrade the built in wireless.
The gigabit ethernet won't do you any good considering most networks are still 100BaseT.
It has built in USB 2.0 which is better, albeit not as supported thus far.
Most people don't use external monitors, much less DVI flat panels.
Check out compaq's site, they have 15" UXGA screens that do 1600by1200, they also have lesser screens doing lower resolutions.
Score: 0
|that 802.11b is an option by the way, costs you $150, but the reception is significantly better than using a PCCard
Score: 0
|Sure you can get all that - if you want your notebook to be 3-4 inches thick. The nice thing about the PowerBook is that it's less than 1 inch tall. It is a bit heavier than some of the smallest P4 notebooks because it has a 16:9 ratio screen and titanium casing, but it's still more portable. The last Compaq notebook I had was made of cheap plastic which began to warp after a year and a half (not saying yours is cheap, just an observation of general PC notebooks).
I've never owned an Apple computer, but once my Thinkpad needs an upgrade I might just join fewt on the other side of the fence.
Score: 0
|The wireless option does add a slight amount of thickness to one side of the cover, but I'm not sure how much it adds. Otherwise, the 2800T is only 1.3" thick.
I've read about people getting mad because the 2800T will teeter-todder (I have NO idea how to spell that) if you turn it upside down because of the wireless thing. I don't know why people are turning them over ...
Score: 0
|Compaq makes a solid notebook (At least their Armada series is solid). I've had many of them in my posession from LTE to Contura to E500 and I've enjoyed every one of them. :-)
Score: 0
|this is my opinion only. i find that compaq's build is really not that good. when i got my armada notebook, it's cd drive was busted (can't read), then after a 4 months of use, the motherboard was damaged for some reasno (thank god replaced under warranty). plus the screen easily comes loose, which means i sometimes boot up with an all orange screen, have to turn off, tighten the hinges a little then turn on again hoping it goes back to normal.
right now, i'm saving up for an ibook. i can do everything that i do with a pc, plus i don't have to format windows as often (from what i've seen and heard). don't bother me! i've decided! ibook! yey! hehehehe. seriously, if you enjoy what you use, then just be happy.
Score: 0
|The Presario 2800T ADDS 802.11b using the MultiPort in the lid. 802.11b is STANDARD on the TiBook 800. I configured the two using online stores (computers4sure and Apple) and at similar prices ($3800) with the same RAM, HD, and optical drive the TiBook still has FireWire, 802.11b, DVI out, and Gigabit Ethernet over the Compaq. Gigabit not important? The Ethernet ports on TiBooks autoswitch between straight-thru and crossover without requiring anything but a standard cable, so you can connect two Gigabit-equipped Macs using ordinary Cat5 and you have a 2-node Gigabit network; or you can connect the TiBook via its FireWire port to any other FireWire-equipped Mac in Target Disk Mode and mount its HD on the desktop of the other computer. Not to mention hook up FireWire-equipped digital still and video cameras. Then you said "Most people don't use external monitors, much less DVI flat panels." Hello? Have you worked in a large corporate setting? I have, and there are lots of ThinkPads connected to either 21-inch CRTs or flat-panel displays (analog), but only in desktop mirroring mode, not extended. More high-end data projectors are appearing with DVI input. And 1600x 1200 on a 15-inch LCD is only fine if you like to squint. So how again is the 2800 better than a TiBook 800?
Score: 0
|Who can remember the Compaq notebook that had the trackball in the LID? Now that is a truly ergonomic design (NOT!).
Score: 0
|The metal casing of the TiBook reduces its wireless range. The iBook has greater range, partly because its antennas are in the lid, and partly because it uses a polycarbonate case over a magnesium frame -- better radio transparency. One big advantage the TiBook 800 has over ANY notebook, Mac or PC, is the widescreen, which is useful for keeping tool palettes to the side instead of overlapping the main work area. This advantage becomes even more pronounced when using it in the extended desktop mode -- keep tool palettes on the built-in LCD, and move the main work area to an external display. In this way, it can more effectively replace a desktop computer and be a person's primary machine. One last thing -- MacOS X runs beautifully on this hardware, which is a big reason why James Gosling (inventor of Java) and Tim O'Reilly, among others, have switched to TiBooks for their primary machines. MacOS X lets you ssh or VNC to any UNIX/Linux box on which you have a valid user account, and run Apache, PHP, Java, MySQL, or PostgreSQL, etc. on one machine for web/database development, the same one on which you edit video in iMovie2 (and export back to DV tape via FireWire), encode and manage MP3's in iTunes, organize digital images in iPhoto...nothing built into WinXP Home compares.
Score: 0
|One potential advantage of the 802.11b PC cards with external antennas is that you can, depending on the model, connect a homebuilt Pringles can antenna for a huge signal gain; that plus a good omni on your base station can yield much greater WiFi range. I haven't tried it myself but there are several articles on the Net, just do a Google search for "Pringles can antenna"; dunno if Compaq's MultiPort 802.11 module will let you do this sort of thing
Score: 0
|Yeah those homebuilt antennae look like a lot of fun to build, but I don't want to carry around a pringles can so I can get on the network :)
Score: 0
|How about using Compaq's site to configure their laptop??
With both laptops' most powerful CPUs, same RAM, same HDD, DVD/CDR etc ... I'm seeing a HUGE price difference. Hell, I just set those things equal and left the Compaq with the 64MB Video RAM and best screen.
And with price aside we're still talking about a 800MHz G4 vs a 1.8GHz P4, SDRAM vs DDR RAM (both at 133MHz), and 32MB vs 64MB Video RAM.
If you want a tough little mofo that's light and thin, the Apple wins of course. However, if you want a slightly less durable and heavier laptop which will pump out higher fps in games than most peoples' desktops, you can't beat the 2800 (or other laptops such as Dell's Inspiron 8200, but that thing is really big, really heavy and really ugly.
Score: 0
|You pringles can haX0r you. LOL :-P
Score: 0
|The LTE elite, I had one. ;-)
Score: 0
|Mhz doens't matter anymore, x86 processors are garbage look at any processor besides a x86 you will find the preformence is better then the higher mhz'ed x86 processors.
Score: 0
|Still, saying an 800MHz G4 chip will beat a 1.8GHz P4 is completely ridiculous.
And of course there are a few things that do in fact give the edge to the G4, but more often than not the P4 reames the G4.
Score: 0
|I can't say that I agree with that, the G4 is a 64bit chip, and it's of a completely different design than the Pentium. Honestly I believe that the MHz lines bave blurred so much that with recent chips it doesn't really matter anymore.
Score: 0
|Compaq 2800T @ Compaq.com: 1.8GHzP4, 1GB RAM, 60GB HD, 8-24 DVD-CDRW, 32MB DDR video RAM, 15in. UXGA LCD, MS OfficeXP, 10/100 NIC, MultiPort 802.11, 57.6W-hr battery, WinXP Pro, 3yr parts/labor mail, less $150 e-coupon: $3867
Apple TiBook 800 @ Apple.com: 800MHz G4, same RAM, same HD, same optical drive, same video RAM, 15.2in. LCD (lower res), Gigabit, 802.11 built-in, FireWire, 55.3W-hr battery, SW bundle (for design/graphics/video), 3yr AppleCare: $4148
So, the TiBook is about US$300 more, for which you get DVI out (an included DVI-VGA adapter lets you use an external display up to 2048x1536 pixels in extended desktop mode in addition to the 1280x854 built-in LCD), Gigabit Ethernet (which is not even an option on the Compaq), and FireWire, plus you get iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie2. Adding Office X tacks even more to the TiBook's price, but with MacOS X you can use a bunch of free (as in beer) UNIX software that you pay MS big bucks for unless you install Mandrake/SuSE/etc. Developer tools? With MS, you have to pay extra for VB.NET or Visual Studio.NET, OS X includes a full dev environment for ObjC, Java, C++. and Apache/MySQL/PHP and so much else besides. Depending on what you want to do...
If you use a laptop primarily for games, the 2800T wins on frame rates and title availability. But I thought that it was Macs that were supposed to be toys? ;-)
Score: 0
|It doesn't have to be a Pringles can, it can also be a Maxwell House coffee can, there's an article that compares several different cans, no really... :-)
Score: 0
|LOL! Do you have a link for that review? It really sounds like an interesting read.
Score: 0
|MHz (or GHz) matters -- to marketers. For people who just want to get their work done, the best tool for the job is the one they can afford and runs the software they need. You can now buy a Lindows desktop PC from Walmart.com for $299 (add some $ for a monitor and a printer) and I suspect that for many non-geeks, that would be an adequate e-mail web surfing word processing home budgeting solution.
Score: 0
|http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
Score: 0
|When they first came out, I got the Compaq LTE and LTE/286 for our offices (they stood up well to heavy use), and then a couple of ultrathin Sharp 286 notebooks after that (those were not very durable). Apple's first LCD portable was a joke (it weighed almost as much as the original Compaq Portable) but the first-generation PowerBooks really advanced notebook ergonomics with a central trackball, flip-up feet, etc. I also got to use a Digital HiNote Ultra2000, the first thin notebook with a 14.1 inch XGA screen.
Score: 0
|haha, thanks.
Score: 0
|mmm Compaq portable, raising my hand again.. Had one of those too.. I ended up getting it up to 1MB with an AST add on. I also had the Compaq portable 286. I have to raise my hand about the HiNote as well, I had a Digital HiNote Ultra II 5133 haha The subnote technology turned into the Compaq M300 line I believe.
Score: 0
|It would certianly help if they used a 64 bit operating system....
Score: 0
|Mhz doens't matter ? thats like saying IBM's power chips, are slower then intel's lets say 2.2 ghz processor, the chips run at a lower mhz then the intel's do, but are 10x faster i do believe, you will not notice alot of intel/AMD boxes on the top 500 list.
http://www1.top500.org/l...sts.php?Y=2002&M=06
AMD CPU's I do believe run at a lower mhz then intel chips, and are still faster (even though i will never buy a AMD CPU)
Score: 0
|