iBook/Powerbook

[Stiff]

Hey folks,

I need to be portal and been looking at the iBook since Apple lowered their prices and upgraded a bit. I am a PC user though so I need some tips from you.

* How can I expect a iBook or powerbook to perform with Pro Tools? How many tracks? I'm almost minimalistic in my recordings both when it comes to the number of tracks and the number of plugins, but I want room for it.

* Is it worth getting something with a G4 processor now? Seriously... I don't want to get another computer in about 6 months. This good ol' PC I have infront of me is around 3-4 years perhaps and I'll still keep using it, allthough it's a bit slow. I don't know much about Mac, Apple or G4s, but perhaps there will be a G5 iBook spring next year?

Ok, I want a Mac (and it's more reasons to it than using it with PTLE), I need to be portable... But if I'm not totally convinced it's a good idea to buy a G4 then I'll probably pay a bit more and get a full blown PC laptop.

Thanks for any input!

[JFreak]

1.5GHz G4 powerbook performs comparably to the 1.6GHz single-cpu G5 powermac, so i'd recommend buying one of those instead of ibooks. the performance gap is there, and it's clearly noticeable in audio work - plus, you'd need a 15" powerbook to get the pcmcia slot which will become handy. that's what i recommend, if you want to have a future-proof laptop.

[Stiff]

Thanks for your reply JFreak!
I know PC and Mac processors are not comparable but to me as a PC guy those 0.3 ghz seems to be very small (thinking about the iBook vs powerbook) but I take it that you know this

[Stiff]

Wow! Seeing that the PowerBook you recomend is more then double the price I'd have to say it's out of my budget

[JFreak]

I know PC and Mac processors are not comparable but to me as a PC guy those 0.3 ghz seems to be very small

i know your feeling - you can almost double the ppc clockspeeds to compare to x86, so that's more than half a gigaherz in "pc terms". more importantly, the powerbook has better internal structure than ibook, and the real-world speed difference is a lot more than simple clock speed comparison would suggest; however, ibooks have come almost too close as both the laptop lines use the same cpu, so the price difference is beginning to look almost too huge - but you still get what you pay for.

but as i said, the cpu is not everything. not even close. in protools use, powerbook is totally different beast than ibook. if you want your laptop to last a long time in protools use, the ibook is not for you - you need a powerbook or a powermac - and if you want top performance, you need to be able to separate your audio hard drive from your audio interface, which effectively requires a desktop workstation or a laptop with pcmcia slot. top performance cannot be achieved with ibooks, and even the 12" powerbook is lacking and therefore not futureproof.

i hope somebody else comments too, because my requirements for a protools system are a lot stricter than most people's, as i do LIVE projects and cannot afford a single hiccup. i assume all gear must always work RELIABLY and that the system must be VERY STABLE for five HOURS instead of five minutes. that said, a 1.25GHz powerbook with 1GB ram and pcmcia firewire card has been the minimum i can use for all my needs with 256 hardware buffer setting (that has low enough latency for providing monitor mixes for performing artists).

[Stiff]

more importantly, the powerbook has better internal structure than ibook

I did not know that! I was wondering about the big price difference and didn't see that. I've also been browsing some swedish mac forums and almost everyone says that the powerbook is overpriced now compared to the ibook. Of course most of these don't use PTLE, and that's why I took it here instead.

you need to be able to separate your audio hard drive from your audio interface, which effectively requires a desktop workstation or a laptop with pcmcia slot.

I don't quite follow you here. I will be using an Mbox for this and probably buy a firewire harddrive for audio.

the system must be VERY STABLE for five HOURS instead of five minutes.

We all want stable systems don't we?
Well, I might not be recording for hours but up to a half an hour sometimes and I don't want any hicups either.

[JFreak]

well, for mbox use the ibook will be quite enough, as the thing is not a performance monster anyway. and with mbox (USB) audio interface you are just fine with single firewire buss. BUT as soon as you would like to use the 002, get the best LE performance, or whatever, you will get very frustrated with the ibook and mbox. i know, and even with powerbook the mbox doesn't cut it. (it's nice for recordings as long as two simultaneous inputs is enough, but it's not a good solution for mixing even connected to a powerbook. there's just something with the USB that produces bouncing trouble for almost everyone i know.)

again, you get what you pay for. you pay little, you get little. you decide how much is enough.

[Stiff]

Again thanks for all your help!

[Stiff]

Sorry guys for this semi-bounce. I'd love to hear someone elses point of view on this. How many tracks? How stable? etc.

Thanks

[julian_malone613]

OK hang on,

I have a PB 15" (1ghz) with a 002R. What could I use my PCMCIA port for? The 002R connects to the PB's firewire 400 port, and I use the internal hard drive.

Is there a way I could boost my setup by putting the PCMCIA slot to some use?