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stlmwgc
User

Posts: 4

New to Mac - 2008/04/15 16:53 I have not owned a Mac or Apple but have been told you don't have the problems with them that you do with a PC. Well, we are going to buy a laptop, as we travel a little and it would make it easier for us to keep up with our obligations while we are away from home. I have been looking around on the internet and have found some used ones, but don't really know how to tell what is what..is their numbers or someway of telling how old they are, what operating system and the others differences are? For instance a Powerbook G4 MacOSX 10.4.11, 15" , IGhz. 1 GB for $599 verses Powerbook 15" G4, 1.25ghz.1 gig ram, 80 gig HD for $1350...not knowing alot about computers to start with and nothing at all about Mac/Apple it makes it very hard to compare products.. is there any way to get any help and should I stay away from used machines??? Any help would be very much appreciated.

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swordbreaker55
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Posts: 102

Re:New to Mac - 2008/04/15 17:32 First off, DON'T PANIC. Choosing an Apple notebook is a lot easier than it might seem.

Used PowerBooks are excellent for starters. Macs overall last longer than comparable Windows clones--and they hold more of their resale value to boot.

If you'll be doing a fair bit of road work, make sure that the machine you're getting has some flavor of AirPort wireless built in. Older notebooks use the 802.11b-based AirPort; newer models use the faster 802.11g-based AirPort Extreme. If you don't have wireless built in, you can find a USB wireless device, or choose a PC Card-based one.

If you can afford it, a machine of 867 MHz or faster will let you run OS X 10.5 Leopard, the latest release of Mac OS X, though Tiger (10.4.x) is still good for older models.

You want as much RAM and as much hard disk space as the budget allows. The former lets you run more tasks at once; the latter determines how much data you can store. Most used PowerBooks will have a maximum RAM capacity of between 1 GB and 2 GB, and hard drives up to 120 GB. More is better, especially if the machine is able to run Leopard.

All Mac notebooks average 5-6 pounds weight, so even a big 17" unit is easy to carry.

Go for that 1.25 GHz model if you can swing it, but make sure the seller gives you all discs and documentation. If the seller is local, you might want to test it before you take it home. If you go online, check the seller's conditions for return in the event of a problem.

Nate

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krowmagnum
User

Posts: 793

Re:New to Mac - 2008/04/16 00:06 The 1.25Ghz G4 Powerbook is way overpriced at $1350.00. It should be closer to $600 assuming it has no DVD burner.

The 1Ghz G4 Powerbook's price is a little high but if it's in really nice condition it's worth that probably.

First what is your budget and what applications do you need it to run ?

If you just need it for internet stuff just about any iBook or Powerbook with a G3 or G4 processor will work. Nate's suggestion of an 867GHz G4 or better is good advice.

iBooks are a little less expensive, but have fewer bells and whistles than a Powerbook. But for internet surfing either would be fine.

Either of the Powerbooks you mentioned would do just about anything you want to do on a computer, and do it fairly speedy.

The question is how fast can you afford to go ?

Here's a site you can use to get an idea of what each laptop you look at is worth. The values are pretty good, but maybe a little high on some things. Overall, not bad though.

http://www.mac2sell.net

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stlmwgc
User

Posts: 4

Re:New to Mac - 2008/04/18 09:53 Swordbreaker 55 and Krowmagnum, thanks so much for your help and insights, I took a tour of the local Mac store yesterday and they were veery helpful also. I will definately buy a Mac/Apple, now the problem is decideing on with one. You info on the accompaning software is valueable as alot of the used or refurbished computers don't have this. I will let you know what I do and thanks again and may the God of the Bible bless you both today and in your lives.

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krowmagnum
User

Posts: 793

Re:New to Mac - 2008/04/18 20:40 There are some good deals on refurbished Macs on the Apple website also.

Right now they have MacBooks as low as $800:

Apple Refurbs

And the refurbs come with a full warranty and you can also get AppleCare extended warranty on the refurbished Macs which can be a good investment for laptops.

On a G4 you will eventually run into problems updating the OS. The latest mac OS 10.5 will only install on an 867MHz or faster G4. A faster G4 Mac would handle the new OS better and a new Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook would run the latest OS well but also several newer OS's in the future.

It's not critical to run the latest OS and many Mac users are running older OS's so it's not something you need, but something to consider.

Mac OS 10.3 or later will work fine for almost anything you would want to do so as long as you have at least that you'll be fine. You can get by on an older Operating System but most current software is made for OS 10.3 or later.

Post edited by: krowmagnum, at: 2008/04/18 20:52

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swordbreaker55
User

Posts: 102

Re:New to Mac - 2008/04/18 21:53 Actually, 10.3 is ever-so-slowly being phased out. I suspect the next versions of iTunes and QuickTime will be limited to 10.4.x.

Office 2008 already requires a Mac with a 500 MHz CPU and 10.4. something, as does iWork. OpenOffice.org 2.4.x will be the last to use X11, and a planned 3.0 will probably lock out 10.3, though it will at long last be native.

Firefox 3.0 as well is due to cut off Panther.

Bottom line, if it doesn't run Tiger now, it doesn't get to play on the Internet later.

Nate

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