[P1] Newbie

[Mike Beede]

> I would avoid the 500 MHz model for two reasons: the 66 MHz bus speed 
> and
> the Rage128 GPU.

This advice strikes me as similar to suggesting someone buying
a car check out what kind of mass flow sensor and spark plugs
the manufacturer uses.  It's interesting and measurable, but
its effect on the buyer is extremely indirect.

A computer buyer should consider what they want the
machine to do and what price they can get it for.  If all
you want to do is listen to music, read email, browse the
web, edit text, and for that matter develop software, the
500MHz G3 is probably entirely acceptable.  *Especially* if
you cram in as much memory as you can--the disk is tens
of thousands of times slower than the processor.  It
may be enough of a savings to pay for Apple Care, which would
be a Good Thing for a laptop (though the iBook is tough--I've
never had a problem even after a two foot drop onto a wood
floor).

If you want to do rendering, make DVDs, do a lot of
Photoshopping, and similar CPU-intensive stuff, then look
for a faster machine (in fact, look for a G4 or even a
dual G4 desktop--there are some refurbs available).

Regards,

	Mike