Kimberly, First of all, congratulations on medical school.
I finished Architecture school about a year ago and took a different approach to the computer requirement. Since architecture school was a 5 year program, I knew that my machine would be obsolete in 3 years. So consider that you may need to buy TWO computers in your academic career just to be able to run the software you need. Also, consider that you actually need a powerful computer at the end of school (thesis), instead of near the beginning. I entered architecture school with a 180mhz 3400c with 48 megs of RAM in 1997. In 1999 I upgraded the machine to 144 megs. In 2000, I bought a 400mhz Pismo/389 megs the term before my Thesis project. At the end of the term, I was able to do more work than my classmates with a 5-year old 9600. Have you tried execute a thesis project on a 5 year-old computer? It's really painful!! By the way, my friends 9600 cost him MORE than my 3400 and Pismo combined! So I would recommend buying the cheapest powerbook you can afford that meets the standards for school. Then buy a second low-end PB in your senior year. You will recoup at least 30% of the value (hopefully more) of your first PB to buy the second PB. The slowest Powerbook 3 years from now will still me MUCH faster than the fastest/most expensive PB today. Good Luck, Vic Duong PS- your IMAC is probably fast enough to start you out in school if you max out the RAM and add an airport card. Things like running your RAM disk will speed up Photoshop. I'm going to assume that most of the required software will be able to run just fine in OS 9. Then when the required software becomes only avaliable in OS X, then upgrade your machine. I'm going to guess that is another year away. > I'm starting medical school in the fall, and looking to get a laptop to > replace my iMac DV (400 MHz, 128 MB RAM, OS 9.2) that I bought in January of > 2000. For what I currently do with the computer (usual email, web browsing, > word processing, and digital photo editing), the iMac is actually almost > sufficient except for it's small amount of RAM. The photo editing is a bit > slow, but I'm not working with huge files so it's usable. So that makes me > lean towards the iBook. > > BUT. I'm slightly concerned about investing in a computer for the next 3-4 > years that is already the only computer in Apple's line to still use the G3 > processor. To be short, what it sort of comes down to is that the Powerbook > costs 33% more than an iBook. Will it be usable an extra year for a medium > user like myself? > > Of course I would appreciate the better screen and faster performance, but > not sure I can justify the extra money if it's not likely to outlast the > iBook in terms of becoming obsolete. > > > Prices and specifications: > iBook: $1932 > 700 MHz G3 > 640 MB RAM > 20 GB HD > 512 K L2 cache > 100 MHz system bus > combo drive > AirPort card > ATI Mobility RADEON 16 MB > 12.1" screen 1024X768 > > PowerBook: $2585 > 667 MHz G4 > 512 MB RAM > 30 GB HD > 1 MB L3 cache > 133 MHz system bus > combo drive > AirPort card > PC card slot > ATI Mobility RADEON 7500 32 MB > 15.2" screen 1280X854 -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
