buying a 2nd hand powerbook

[infinity]

It's been a ridiculously long time since i last joined these forums (used to have a trust under 00bob00 and forum acc of the same name)

So I'm looking to buy a second hand powerbook but am entirely unsure what price i should be paying.

Basically i want a mac for music production - something that appeals to me greatly but don't really want to be overpaying on something that underperforms (on a tight budget). I will be using the powerbook to move to and from the studio and for editing.

So I've got about £450, what kind of powerbook should i be looking at (2nd hand).

Thanks in advance

[Gordy]

Your best bet is to look at what they go for on ebay and go from there.

[muddyfox470]

Alternatively look at the Apple refurb store

Last time i looked they had some pretty cheap! Plus you should get a 12 month warranty.

Ian

[Lowe]

To be honest, a £450 Powerbook isn't going to be up to the job of any kind of real Music Production apart from something very basic.

To give you an idea, I run Cubase SX3 on a 1.67 17" Powerbook, and once the effects, softsynths etc start to add up it's not up to the job. For basic audio editting, yes. But it lacks the out and out grunt you really need for real hard work.

You won't beat a desktop solution really, HDs are quicker, and you can get more mhz for your money. Do you really need a laptop?

[infinity]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i have now joined the world of mac

just not as quick as your CS days lowe , much appreciated for the advice though, i think now it'll have to be a future plan since i already had an ebay bid in.

Instead of getting a powerbook i got an ibook instead for £480 off ebay G4 1.33 14" 512mb 60gb and all the other gubbins, i just hope i haven't seriously overpaid my hard earned cash.

Thankfully, apart from music, i have the mac for uni (accountant student haha) as well and maybe graphic/web design if i get any jobs so all is not lost!

Looking forward to my new purchase

[Lowe]

Blimey, do I know you then chap?

Don't get me wrong, it won't be a wasted purchase - if you're recording audio then it'll handle it fine with a few basic effects here and there. Try and sneak into the uni music department for your final mastering for when you need the real grunt.