laptop vs desktop

[Extras]

Hello Friends

I am PC-based web developer so my apologies if my question sounds real dumb..

I am thinking of picking up a Mac system for testing how our web pages are delivered on a Mac OS. I was thinking of picking up the 12" PowerBook G4 with a combo drive that has the following specs:

256MB DDR266 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA/100
Combo Drive
NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go
32MB DDR video memory
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
FireWire 400

AirPort Extreme Ready
Bluetooth built-in
VGA & S-Video out


I would prefer a laptop so I can share the system with colleagues who would use it test rich media like CD-ROMs. Our computer services director has advised me not to go in for a laptop as they are not reliable for testing items such as CD-ROMs, and we should use a desktop as they cover the vast majority of our media audience. We would prefer a laptop for the independence but am curious as to this difference between laptop and desktop performance for CD-ROMS.

I look forward to your kind guidance.

 

[jimbopalmer]

I think Apple uses the same Pioneer 'superdrive' mechanicals in both the tower and Powerbook lines, iMacs have traditiionally been based on laptop designs, although they are becoming more unique. I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[Extras]

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Am I correct in assuming that there should not much of a performance difference between the PowerBook and a desktop in terms of testing rich media?

 

[jimbopalmer]

the towers are often dual CPU, which the imacs and laptops are not, so if you are testing the multi-threading in your code you NEED a tower. Ideally with 2 CPUs they would be twice as fast.

the CPU for the laptops is the 7410 while the CPU in the Towers is the 7455, but I am not hearing a great deal of slowdown with the 'low power' CPUs vs the Towers. (unlike the Intel CPUs) But again, the 7410 may be designed for single CPU environments I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[goten2154848]

hey look it is simple if you are buying a laptop or desktop and both are mac i recommend the laptop because although repair are pricy and you cant really upgrade it, it is the same as a desktop because you cant really upgrade a mac desktop and they are also pricy so it is the same thing the only thing one is portable and that is the only difference between them because the cd-rom thing depends on what power you buy it with



sorry for spelling errors

 

[jimbopalmer]

WHAT mac desktop can't you upgrade? As far as it goes there are CPU upgrades for most Mac Laptops as well.


Mind you my last mac cost me $55 delivered so I am doubtful on the 'pricey' part too. (it had a 100 Mhz CPU, upgradable to 800 Mhz)

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[goten2154848]

for one i meant repairs for macs are usually pricey for the reason that only mac representatives can fix them, in addition, i meant that the hardware like hard drives (you know, the physical part the computer, doy!)and most hard drives aint even compatible with macs, unless you have a rocket scientist making you a special caddy adapter, which i dont think you have one. futher more, you cant put extra internal hardware unless your willing to spend extra mulla (money in this case)for the mac, causing yet another problem that faces mac users, to move on to my point, macs are worthless pieces of !!#$% that takes space where you can put a...bowl maybe?......overall, go for the laptop, space saving and has powerful, unique features that our superior to todays standards, dude your getting a mac!

 

[jimbopalmer]

"most hard drives aint even compatible with macs" While true for SCSI drives from 1986 to 1996 Mac started useing IDE drives (just like PCs) in 1994, so it has been almost a decade since this was true, and over 5 years since it was at all true.

"you cant put extra internal hardware unless your willing to spend extra mulla (money in this case)for the mac" While vague, this is just untrue, my 1996 era mac has 3 PCI slots, again just like as PC's PCI slots, so ethernet cards Video cards USB cards, SCSI cards etc. just plug in. since in many cases they are the same card, they cost the same as a PC card. the RAM in Desktop Macs is indentical to the RAM in PCs, has been since PCs gave up parity memory back when Pentiums took over from 486s. (Before that Mac memory was cheaper than PC memory, now it IS PC memory) Again before PCI bus, before Pentiums, before SIMMs and DIMMs, this had some measure of truth, but most folks using PCs today cannot remember 486s, parity memory or VESA video cards, so it has not BEEN true in some time (Macs made in any year starting with a 2 have AGP video cards, just like PCs)

"macs are worthless pieces of !!#$%" and so long as you beleive that, we have the advantage, you see the theme here is "Technical Work Forums for Computer Professionals" so we do not ignore the tools available to us.



I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.