MBP Dual 1.8 VS PB 1.67. Just the fact please... nothing more.

Pavmentsurfer · Apr 5th, 2006, 01:11 PM

I know this is a stupid question and im SURE im going to get alot of pointless "the intel Mac's are the best, you must have one to be considered part of the human race" posts. Im going to ignore those.
My question is simple, in the real world, what difference will I notice between my 15 inch 1.67 G4 with 1 gig of ram and a stock, dual 1.8 Intel Macbook Pro?
Now, to qualify this, it is important everyone understand **PLEASE READ THIS PART**
I DO NOT do any video editing, music editing, photo editing or editing of any kind. I look at pics from my digital camera, I surf the web, I rip DVDs and connect my laptop to my TV to watch (I like the apple remote but I have front row and a Griffin Airclick on my Powerbook so its not a big deal to me) I surf the net, listen to music in Itunes, use microsoft word, limewire and MSN. Thats it. Nothing more.
Unfortunately im addicted to having what is new and cool. Up untill a few months ago the newest and coolest was my Powerbook. Now there is newer and cooler. But, will I really notice any difference at all? Is start up time less on a MBP? Is shutdown time less? Will programs open any faster?
Another note: I DONT CARE THAT I CAN BOOT WINDOWS ON A MBP. I dont need, nor do I want windows.
Im sorry if this comes off as harsh but I know there is the tendancy to promote or defend what we all have purchased. I dont care what one person likes best or why it works for you. I dont care about the technical differences between the two. I just want to know if, for what I do with a computer, a MBP will serve me better in any way.

Tiranis · Apr 5th, 2006, 01:17 PM

Boot time is faster, shut down time is faster. Apps will open faster and be overall more responsive. Browsing will be faster for sure and so will be ripping DVDs. Other than that you won't really gain anything. Oh and you'll get a higher resolution screen.

If I were in your place I would stick with my Powerbook, the money could be better spent somewhere else. But then again maybe the money is not a matter for you.

milhaus · Apr 5th, 2006, 01:27 PM

There is no doubt that you will notice a significant speed increase in all Universal applications, including Safari, Mail, iPhoto etc.

However, given your needs, I don't see why you would, at this time, want to move up and pay extra for no real significant benefit. Perhaps in six months to a year.

Given your line of questioning, it looks like you know what the reasonable answer to your upgrade question is - a resounding "no" - but that your addiction to what's new and cool may not allow you to be "reasonable." They're often at odds with one another.

madgunde · Apr 5th, 2006, 04:14 PM

Good advice from the others. Do you feel your PowerBook is slow or sluggish at what you do with it? If so, are you willing to shell out all that cash for an almost identical notebook that will feel snappy and faster at everything you do? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then buy the MacBook Pro.

If you are happy with your PowerBook's performance, then keep it for another year or until you aren't happy with it's performance anymore.

kent · Apr 5th, 2006, 04:24 PM

Given the tasks you outline above [none of which are particularly taxing by todays standards] ... I'd stick with the G4. Even if you were doing more hardware-intensive things I'd say stick with the G4 b/c there aren't any mainstream [e.g. Adobe or MS] apps that are Universal so s/w like MS Word [which you mentioned you use] would be running in emulation. Any non-universal app would be running in emulation, which means you would most likely not see any performance gains. The OS will be snappier and Universal apps [e.g. iLife 2006] etc etc ... but given the tasks you specified, the upgrade would be a waste of money.

NBiBooker · Apr 5th, 2006, 04:51 PM

Frankly,

By the sounds of things, either one would float your boat. But I'd recommend the MBP so that you can get a longer life out of it, or alternatively, retain a higher resale value should you want to move on to the next latest and greatest thing.

used to be jwoodget · Apr 5th, 2006, 05:55 PM

There have supposedly been 4 mobo revisions to the MBP already. The G4 is at the very end of a long development cycle. Personally, I'm waiting for rev 2 of the MBP and I'm definitely an early adopter in every other sense (even paid for the OS X beta). If my G4 had a melt down, I'd certainly replace it with an MBP tomorrow, but unless that happens, it'll be at least 6-12 months for me (when CS3 and Office are Universal).

kent · Apr 5th, 2006, 06:00 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by used to be jwoodget
	There have supposedly been 4 mobo revisions to the MBP already. The G4 is at the very end of a long development cycle. Personally, I'm waiting for rev 2 of the MBP and I'm definitely an early adopter in every other sense (even paid for the OS X beta). If my G4 had a melt down, I'd certainly replace it with an MBP tomorrow, but unless that happens, it'll be at least 6-12 months for me (when CS3 and Office are Universal).

Good advice ...

Pavmentsurfer · Apr 5th, 2006, 06:29 PM

I have to say, im truly impressed. I think you guys are the most rational of the bunch. These were all good answers and exactly what I was looking for. I think those of you who said I know the answer already were partially right. I knew what I SHOULD do. And I knew what made sense. But if the conclusion was overwhelmingly that id notice all this massive difference in day to day tasks that would probably have been enough.... and also enough for my fiance to freak completely out.
The one interesting question here is weather or not I notice or feel my powerbook is slow. And the answer is certainly no, I dont think its slow at all. I didnt think my 1.2 gig I book was slow. But the powerbook was cooler and "faster" so out with the old and in with the new. In this case, I like the idea of actually getting some use out of this powerbook before shelling out the cash for a new one that isnt going to benefit me a whole lot. There is certainly a MBP in my future, but not right now.
These were exactly the rational I was hoping to get from a group of knowing individuals such as yourselves.
Thanks
Pavmentsurfer

madgunde · Apr 5th, 2006, 08:03 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by kent
	Given the tasks you outline above [none of which are particularly taxing by todays standards] ... I'd stick with the G4. Even if you were doing more hardware-intensive things I'd say stick with the G4 b/c there aren't any mainstream [e.g. Adobe or MS] apps that are Universal so s/w like MS Word [which you mentioned you use] would be running in emulation. Any non-universal app would be running in emulation, which means you would most likely not see any performance gains. The OS will be snappier and Universal apps [e.g. iLife 2006] etc etc ... but given the tasks you specified, the upgrade would be a waste of money.

Microsoft Office under Rosetta is a non-issue, unless you are a REAL HEAVY Excel user. I'm talking hundreds or thouasands of complex equations. I run fairly complex spreadsheets on my MBP, and other than it taking 4-5 extra bounces to load up, I can't tell the difference between running under Rosetta and running on my previous 1.33GHz PowerBook 12".

Adobe apps should be a concern if you are a moderate to heavy user. A light user will probably get by just fine until the new version comes out next year.

From what Pavmentsurfer described, Rosetta will be a non-issue for him, so even though there may be plenty of reasons to stick with the PowerBook, performance isn't one of them.