Have a chance to buy a MAC...Plz help me!!!

Hello guys,
I just have a chance to buy a powerbook G4 1.67 Ghz 2GB Ram 100GB HD
for $750
I'm a student and basically need a laptop for internet and my photography..
So does it have sense to buy this mashine?
or to wait and collect more money in order to buy macbook?
Thanks

 

From what I can see, the G4 was last made in 2006. That means the technology is VERY old, and $750 can buy you a more powerful PC for brand new.

Bad buy.

 

that's same spec as my roomate's, and his system going pretty smooth. except it doesn't worth $750 imo

 

thank You Greg and Nirvana0001

 

I have a 15" PB with those very specs; I wouldn't spend that much for the machine, though I like it a lot and it has run flawlessly since new. If the owner is willing to deal, the machine may be worth pursuing.

 

Save your pennies for an Intel-Mac.

 

I would get a MacBook for that price...several advantages to Intel Macs now.

 

powerbook would be cool to have, but maybe for a smaller budget. i would say "good buy" if it was $449. for longevity's sake you should really get an intel mac. i could list off all the advantages...

 

for 750 you can get an older generation Macbook that would destroy the powerbook in terms of power and reliability. Save up a little more maybe and get yourself an intel mac.

 

Power definitely, system_159, but judging only from my own experience, I'd have to disagree on reliability. The only Mac I've owned (iBook, several PB's, MB, MBP and a MacPro) which caused serious grief (admittedly, I'm just a single person and others have had better luck), was a MB, though the machine was fine for the first eight months of ownership. And please don't think that I'm Mac or Apple bashing. Some think I'm a Mac fanboy (typing on a four year-old Velocity Micro PC lol).

I do agree that an Intel Mac would be a better choice for the OP if he's able to buy one within his budget.

 

look at it this way. if you buy a g4 and the screen, or motherboard, or gpu, or [insert component here] decides that its time has come, then you are looking at a replacement that would likely cost as much as you paid for the laptop. if you get a new machine, you at least get a reasonable warranty (up to three years, or two years for free with a credit card)

 

I've had good luck with PowerBooks and Intel versions (MacBook and MacBook Pro). Pretty much agree with bmwrob and others that $750 is too much to pay for the older technology. Don't forget to check out the refurbished notebooks on the Apple site ... and, I'd keep checking around for used Intel MacBooks ... people tend to let them go cheap when they are looking to upgrade.

(hey there, bmwrob ... long time no see. Hope all is well with you!)

 

Shazza from over there?? All is well, thanks, and getting better.

Good to see you, too!

 

This is what I was talking about with reliability. Guess I should have said replacability

 

If you are a student, you can get the baseline new Macbook from the Apple Education Store for $999. Thats a much better deal than a 2 year old notebook for $750 with an outdated processor.

 

$750 is definitely too much – $450 would be more reasonable, $500 tops. A few of the AAR's in my area deal in refurbished Macs, and virtually all of them charge ridiculous prices (eg. a 17" Powerbook G4 for $1,100). They don't pay well for trade-ins on old computers, either. Most of their refurbished stuff sits on shelves and collects dust, since no one is dumb enough to buy it. Apple is a bit more reasonable, but still overpriced IMO. You're more likely to get a better deal buying from another Mac owner (i.e. a private sale) – you don't have to worry about taxes, and it's more likely they'll be willing to negotiate on the price. The difficult part is finding a trustworthy seller.

People forget that even in its heyday, the Powerbook G4 wasn't exactly the most impressive notebook out there, performance-wise. The PowerPC-based notebooks just don't compare to the Intel-based ones Apple is making now.

Save your money and buy a Macbook. Better yet, save more money and get a Macbook Pro. I've owned several Macs, dating back to the LC575, and the new 2.6GHz "Penryn" MacBook Pro I bought is IMO one of the best/fastest computers Apple has ever made. Add to that 4GB of RAM and a 200GB 7200rpm HD, and you've got a more than capable desktop replacement for years to come.

 

do you have to buy a mac?
there's many choices for other laptops for $750

or yea, a used macbook would make more sense, $750 is way overpriced for the old pb

 

Yeah, there's some cheap MacBook Pros these days, especially the older ones. If possible, get that for sure.

 

lololol, given the current state of Microsoft's Vista, I think the Mac OS is well worth the premium price of admission. Having a computer capable of running OSX and Windows natively is pretty sweet, too.