Travel Technology - 1.5 gHz vs. 1.33 15"

Since I got such great advice from you guys before, I am posting another couple of questions for you!

1) Now that I've finally decided on the 15", I need to decide whether to go with the 1.5 ghz w/superdrive, or the 1.33 w/combo drive.

On the Apple website, refurbished 1.33 powerbooks go for 1700, and 1.5 powerbooks go 2100.

1.33 has:

256 MB Ram
60 GB hard drive
Combo drive w/DVD-ROM/CD-RW


1.5 has:

512 MB Ram
80 GB hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
and backlit keyboard (best feature of all?)

Are these features worth the extra $400 (+taxes)?


2) Has anyone ever had a bad experience getting refurbished products from Apple? Or should I just get a new one with all of the free deals listed on MacPrices.com (and forgo having to pay sales tax), so I don't have to worry about the screen burning out on a refurbished model, or something else going wrong?

I have the 12 inch 1.33 and I have been extremely delighted with it. That said, my friend just bought a 15 inch 1.5 and I'm very impressed with all the features, especially the lighted keyboard and the slight speed gains with the 5400 RPM drive. I'd say the $400 price difference is well worth the "extras" you get if you have the money.

I wouldn't have any problems with the refurbished model, especially since it carries the same warranty as a new one, though maybe the case might have a few marks. One option that is a must-have is AppleCare to extend that warranty to 3 years.

CHeck out smalldog.com, if you're willing to go refurbished. I've frequently purchased refurbs in the past, and have been generally happy with it. Worst case scenario, I've had to use the warranty service to correct screen defects.

I picked up the 15" that you've spec'd, and I'm very happy with it. I think the extra RAM, disk space, and (most of all) backlit keyboard are well worth it. The superdrive is nice, though I've honestly not had occasion to use it that much. I suspect my appreciation for it will increase as I improve my backup habits.

The keyboard really is nice if you spend any time at all in low to no light situations (think hotel rooms before sleep, dimmed flight cabins, etc.). I think shipping any machine with less than 512mb should be a crime, too.

Good luck.

I basically agree.

You will absolutely need at least 512MB, so add that to the cost of the slower model.

The backlit keyboard is way cool and can be genuinely useful.

The faster disk drive improves system performance. The size difference wouldn't matter to me, but might to you.

You never know when you'll want to burn a DVD. Even if you can't think of an occasion now, you'll have this for a few years. Needs change.

And it will have somewhat higher resale value when you do sell it, because the SuperDrive and larger hard disk will matter to some buyers, and just being more recent will help too.

Things that don't matter:

That it's a refurb (it's got a new-computer warranty, doesn't it?)

That the CPU is 11 percent slower - you'll never notice unless you do major PhotoShop editing or something equally CPU-intensive.

I think the newer model also comes with an upgraded graphics card, but that's also probably not a biggie.

I'd go for the 1.5 if you can afford it.

(Disclaimer: faced with a similar decision a few months ago, that's what I did, so some of this may be trying to justify my own past actions to myself and/or the world.)

get the least amount of ram possible from apple and buy additional ram elsewhere for much less money. it is very easy to install. also, there are two ram slots in the powerbook, so try to avoid any configuration that comes with both slots filled - you will need to remove one chip to upgrade. you'll want to get as much ram as you can afford; this is more important than the difference between 1.33ghz and 1.5ghz.

if you do not plan to burn many dvds, then get the combo drive. also keep in mind external dvd burners that are much faster than the built in one can be had for around $100-$150. unless you need a dvd burner when you travel, i would not bother with the superdrive. however, some apple software such as idvd will *not* work with third party burners.

larger hard drives are always nice. it is relatively difficult to swap a hard drive on these, so if you think you might want a large drive, get it now. hard drives have a knack of filling up, no matter how big they are.

if you type in dark or dimly lit rooms, the backlit keyboard can be wonderful. if you are an excellent typist and can type without looking at the keyboard, then it might not matter that much. nevertheless, it looks very cool.

refurbs are a great deal - they come with full warranty, so there is very little risk. you just can't build to order like you can with a new unit.

also, the apple expo in paris begins this tuesday. the g5 imac is expected, and while i doubt there will be a change to the powerbook lineup, you just never know. it can't hurt to wait an extra day. :)