differences between G4s (Powerbook, Emac, Silverface...)

[Katrina]

all of this computer stuff is a bit confusing to me. can someone please tell me why i shouldn't buy an EMac? can i do the same things on both the EMac and the G4 powerbook?

[pscottm]

yes, you can do the same on both. don't know if emacs have fans or not but that may be a consideration if you're likely to use mics in the same room as the computer.. powerbooks are mostly nice and quiet (until you start overcooking one). an emac is the best bang-for-buck machine.

just decide how much you're willing to pay to be portable. (not that an emac isn't portable, just can't put it in a backpack)

whatever you get, start using it immediately and don't look back!

[A.L.]

Yeah, portability is very, very nice. Otherwise, the Emac has a few advantages over the Powerbooks:
More USB + Firewire Ports, which isn't a huge deal 'cause you can almost always daisychain through FW devices anyway but is still kind of nice. Also the Emac would probably have a faster built-in Hard Drive. I can't say for sure because, for some reason, apple didn't post the Emac HD speeds on their site. The Powerbook's internal HDs, though, are only 4200RPMs which I've found are unsatisfactory. You'd probably want to get a 7200RPM external drive if you went that route.
In either case don't forget to weasel an academic discount. Have any college student friends who owe you favors?
Edit: Silverface? Do you mean an old tower? If you can get a good deal on a used G4 tower you'll have way more options in terms of expandability via PCI cards, etc. than either of the above.

[Bear]

You are more or less paying to be portable. The e-mac will run just as well as the others as long as the specs are the same. But the e-mac isn't easy to upgrade and swap out cards, and if you plan on moving stuff around, take that into consideration.

But since I basically repeated what A.L. said, you could just read his post twice.

[soundhack]

the emac has a somewhat loud fan.... (do crts generate heat?) make sure and listen to one at a store before buying. the imac is quieter, powerbook better still. i still love my silent g4 cube - hope a g5 upgrade will show up for it....