---12" or 14" ibook???---

So with your help I've decided to go with the ibook instead of the pb. now I need to decide between these two.

I will use this mac primarily for word processing and web surfing. I might play games like sims 2 and sacrifice. I am a small person and I'd appreciate the portability. However, this will also be my primary computer. A bigger screen and faster processor would be nice. the 14" is 1.42 ghz while the 12" inch is 1.33 ghz. I don't need a superdrive... I don't know if 1.33 would be too slow for the games I'll play.. but the weight difference seems significant (1 lbs) That's why I can't decide...

thanks guys for helping me out

 

I think the performance of both will be about the same, don't use that as a factor in your choice.

You should pick depending on its weight and screen. Of course the weight of the 12 inch version is nicer, but since it is your primary computer, might the screen be too small for you? Check both out extensively before you decide.

 

I don't think 0.09 GHz difference would be super significant. I own the 1.5 GHz 12-inch PowerBook G4 after borrowing my brother's 12-inch iBook G3. I really liked the fact that the 12-inch form factor allowed me to shove this thing most anywhere, on top my headboard bookcase, for one. I couldn't do that with my previous PowerBook, a 1 GHz 15-inch version. The 12-inch form factor is tops for portability. I bought the PowerBook since I wanted the DVI port, but I think an iBook is cooler looking, in a Space Odyssey 2001 sort of way.

As far as Sims 2, even on my 1.5 GHz PowerBook with 1.25 GB RAM, it only runs smoothly when I turn off most, if not all the graphics options. It's just a very demanding game on the hardware. That said, with all the options turned off, the latest iBook should have no problems running it.

 

I would get the 12 then get an external monitor. The reason for this is because both the 12 and the 14 inch models have the exact same resolution, so you won't be able to see any more information on the 14; everything will just appear to be bigger. In that sense, it's just a waste of space. Get the 12" and with the extra money get an external monitor (17" + ) for when you need to work on something for an extended amount of time.

 

Remember that if you want monitor spanning to double your desktop real estate you need to run a hack on the iBook to able to do that. I've only owned PowerBooks so I never had a need to run the iBook hack.

 

Ah, I never mentioned spanning. You must have misread when I said"extended" - I meant that in terms of time. What I was referring to would be a "clone" display, which requires no hack, just outputting the picture to the monitor.

 

I'm actually kind of surprised by this. With the Sony VAIO A150 (Radeon 9200 32MB), I was able to get the game to run smoothly at 1280x800. Shadows were disabled, but everything else was enabled. Say, can this be a bad port or even a bug? Maybe a patch can fix this?

 

I love my iBook g4 / Radeon 9550 32MB / 1 GB RAM, and I don't want to sound discouraging, but you'll be suprised how bad this machine handles games. Any games. Maybe 4200 HD adds to this, i don't rightly know... But my experience was as follows:

1. Baldur's Gate 2. Runs OK, but there is, you know, this half-second between the click when you tell your characters to go and the moment they actually go. Things get more ugly in massive battles. Requirements tag says smth like G3 256 MB RAM
2. Airburst Extreme http://airburstextreme.freeverse.com/ . Oh boy. Yes, it looks ok, but loading times take too much, and there are clear fps problems with moving particles on menu screens. OpenGL works terrible here. On my config at least.
3. Avernum and Geneforge series games. Oh, they work fine Surprise!

So, I'd guess Sims 2 should run dead slow on iBook. My general impression of iBook was quite paradoxical: while it handles my work faster and smoother than my Dell Inspiron 9300 , it runs games like... well, like you shouldn't run them on iBook

 

Buy my ibook PM me for details.

 

14" imo is a right fit

 

12" is the better choice. Nicer form-factor and cheaper as well.