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Arivia
Mar 17, 2011

FCKGW posted:

Well TWiT did exist before "twttr" and Twitter agreed to not get into audio or video, which they ended up doing anyways.

pretty sure TWiT has a twitter anyway!

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mediaphage
Mar 22, 2007

Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through

LionArcher posted:

Leo’s fine what the hell.

i find some of his public behaviour on the internet offputting, going back to the days of techtv where his profile page said he hoped to die while having sex

but more to the point you quoted me saying nobody is going to confuse a podcast company with a massive social media network which is important for the purposes of deciding how realistic some kind of damage may or may not be

made even sillier by the point that they aren’t actually the same words at all

Dont Touch ME
Apr 1, 2018

Arivia posted:

pretty sure TWiT has a twitter anyway!

The last time I listened to a leo laporte podcast it was 2007 and he was constantly raving about twitter

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


Hey thread, I've recently started wanting a new laptop due to spending more time on the sofa and wanting something better than my phone as a second screen for videos and also having something actually capable of doing real computer things like video editing. I'm looking at the current Macbook Air since everyone raves about the M1 and having a silent laptop appeals to me. I have 2 main questions, does it work well connected to an external display and therefore could I potentially use it to replace my Apple TV (specifically with Apple Arcade stuff in mind) if I wanted to and how dark is the Space Grey colouring? The photos I've found make it look weirdly light compared to the same colour on the iPhone.

E: Worth bearing in mind my last laptop was a Toshiba Satellite running Windows 7 that I've been keeping on life support for about a decade.

njsykora fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Apr 8, 2021

nitsuga
Jan 1, 2007

njsykora posted:

Hey thread, I've recently started wanting a new laptop due to spending more time on the sofa and wanting something better than my phone as a second screen for videos and also having something actually capable of doing real computer things like video editing. I'm looking at the current Macbook Air since everyone raves about the M1 and having a silent laptop appeals to me. I have 2 main questions, does it work well connected to an external display and therefore could I potentially use it to replace my Apple TV (specifically with Apple Arcade stuff in mind) if I wanted to and how dark is the Space Grey colouring? The photos I've found make it look weirdly light compared to the same colour on the iPhone.

E: Worth bearing in mind my last laptop was a Toshiba Satellite running Windows 7 that I've been keeping on life support for about a decade.

Yeah, their pictures are really lacking, but I can confirm the Space Grey is the same shade as before and should match your other devices.

As for your display question, it should do what you're thinking just fine. You'll need an adapter to get an HDMI port, but such is the Apple way. I wouldn't go throwing out your Apple TV though, as I think it serves a different purpose and does so better than a MacBook Air (or really any Mac is going to). I don't use Apple Arcade, but I think it'd definitely be able to handle displaying the graphics on an external display just fine.

smr
Dec 18, 2002

Having an issue with my M1 Macbook Air and looking for any advice:

I want to run one (1) external display on this, preferably in clamshell mode.

That external display is an ASUS ROG 27in QHD 144hz fucker, but has HDMI @ 60hz as well.

Either via a CalDigits Dock (where it goes DP-out via a DP to HDMI cable) or via the official Apple USB-C to HDMI dongle, the HDMI display just... doesn't fuckin' work. I can watch it blip on for a millisecond every other second but it never stabilizes. I can have the laptop open to Sys Prefs - Display and literally watch that widget show an external display then no external display while the main screen blips.

If I connect it via DP on the Dock to DP on the monitor, it works fine, but the single DP port on the monitor is reserved for the gaming PC, as that's the only input that can run at >60hz.

I have access to an M1 Mini and tested that and it's fine and stable over HDMI.

Is anybody having any trouble with using HDMI out on the Air? Any tricks I'm not thinking of? I love this thing otherwise but would prefer to use a bigger display when I'm at my desk.

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


I got a silver Air because it was in stock and the Grey wasn’t.

Also told a workmate I got a Mac and he just turned and shook his head. Enjoyed that.

On the external display point one more thing, I noticed when searching around Thunderbolt to HDMI cables exist. Are they a legit option or am I going to be better off being safe and just getting a Thunderbolt to HDMI dongle?

njsykora fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Apr 9, 2021

nitsuga
Jan 1, 2007

njsykora posted:

I got a silver Air because it was in stock and the Grey wasn’t.

Also told a workmate I got a Mac and he just turned and shook his head. Enjoyed that.

On the external display point one more thing, I noticed when searching around Thunderbolt to HDMI cables exist. Are they a legit option or am I going to be better off being safe and just getting a Thunderbolt to HDMI dongle?

I think a dongle is more useful, but as long as it’s Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C, a cable would work too. But yeah, get pumped, you’re in for a treat.

tuyop
Sep 15, 2006

Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted

Fun Shoe

njsykora posted:

Hey thread, I've recently started wanting a new laptop due to spending more time on the sofa and wanting something better than my phone as a second screen for videos and also having something actually capable of doing real computer things like video editing. I'm looking at the current Macbook Air since everyone raves about the M1 and having a silent laptop appeals to me. I have 2 main questions, does it work well connected to an external display and therefore could I potentially use it to replace my Apple TV (specifically with Apple Arcade stuff in mind) if I wanted to and how dark is the Space Grey colouring? The photos I've found make it look weirdly light compared to the same colour on the iPhone.

E: Worth bearing in mind my last laptop was a Toshiba Satellite running Windows 7 that I've been keeping on life support for about a decade.

You won’t need to plug your laptop into the TV because the ATV operates as an external display over the network and it works surprisingly well.

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


Oh right, somehow I forgot about the bit where it's an Apple thing despite using Airplay and screen mirroring all the god drat time with my iPhone. I've even played Genshin Impact on the TV using Airplay. Drained the phone's battery in just under 2 hours but it worked.

mediaphage
Mar 22, 2007

Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through

njsykora posted:

Oh right, somehow I forgot about the bit where it's an Apple thing despite using Airplay and screen mirroring all the god drat time with my iPhone. I've even played Genshin Impact on the TV using Airplay. Drained the phone's battery in just under 2 hours but it worked.

in the meantime if you have a bluetooth controller you can play with that and leave the iphone plugged in to power in the meantime (or maybe this is what you're already doing!)

MarcusSA
Sep 23, 2007

mediaphage posted:

in the meantime if you have a bluetooth controller you can play with that and leave the iphone plugged in to power in the meantime (or maybe this is what you're already doing!)

How is the latency on that though? It seems like it might add a bit in there.

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


MarcusSA posted:

How is the latency on that though? It seems like it might add a bit in there.

It's not noticable in my experience, leaving the phone on power (or in my case on its charging pad) does make it hot enough to affect the framerate though so I tried it once and stopped.

MarcusSA
Sep 23, 2007

njsykora posted:

It's not noticable in my experience, leaving the phone on power (or in my case on its charging pad) does make it hot enough to affect the framerate though so I tried it once and stopped.

If you are specificity playing genshin then supposedly 14.5 fixes this and makes the game run better.

mediaphage
Mar 22, 2007

Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through

MarcusSA posted:

If you are specificity playing genshin then supposedly 14.5 fixes this and makes the game run better.

on top of this inductive charging will generate more heat than using a cable, so in a scenario like this i'd try to plug it into a wall wart rather than use a wireless mat.

trilobite terror
Oct 20, 2007
BUT MY LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS ON THE FORUMS!

njsykora posted:

I got a silver Air because it was in stock and the Grey wasn’t.

Also told a workmate I got a Mac and he just turned and shook his head. Enjoyed that.

On the external display point one more thing, I noticed when searching around Thunderbolt to HDMI cables exist. Are they a legit option or am I going to be better off being safe and just getting a Thunderbolt to HDMI dongle?

hope you got 16gb RAM

Binary Badger
Oct 11, 2005

Trolling Link for a decade


Decided I'ma still gonna wait for either 4-port 14-inch or whatever form the 16-inch takes..

Might just go with an Air anyway depending on how much highway robbery Apple wants to commit with the new models.. if the perks don't justify the the cost, welllll...

CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element hub looks good, although I'm not sure why I should settle for having to buy more dongles.. it's four TB4 ports and four USB-A 3.2 ports..

The Kensington SD5700T TB4 hub looks a lot better.. it's got an SD card reader, dedicated GigE port, and just as many USB-A ports as the Element, along with a discrete audio jack..

Both deliver only 90W which means not great for a 16-inch Intel rMBP, but it ought to be enough for the fabled 16-inch Apple Silicon machine..

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer
Ok, so not an immediate need, but I now work at home, so I am interested in adding a monitoring to output from my Mac Air.

-I currently have a Mac Air 2012.
-I will probably upgrade to a M1 Mac Air at some point. Not sure when , but def not in the next month or so. By the time I’m ready to upgrade, a side question is whether I should wait for a Gen 2 M1 Air

So I have my work monitors , and right now I have my Mac and iPad on the left part of my desk. Cool, but it’s a bit weird going from 23” screens to 10.5 and 13” screens. So, fine for now, but long term I think I’ll be fine with a single 23” screen (give or take) to have as my “personal stuff” monitor while I work.

We’re talking pretty basic stuff. Web browsing, chat, discord , etc. maybe some video , but I think long term I’ll eventually just get a small TV and put it on a stand for that. Not that I really have time to watch tv when working anyway.

So question 1 is what can a Mac Air 2012 push out to a monitor ? It isn’t a Retina screen MacBook, but will it push retina level if the monitor can handle it ?

Question 2 dovetails with the first question on whatever the answer is, what is a monitor that would be ok with a 2012 Air, but then be compatible with a newer Mac ?


So, even before this job my Mac was pretty stagnant (I move my iPad around more), so I guess a Mac Mini could be a solution vs a new Mac Air. I just like the idea of it I need to pickup the Mac for whatever reason and take it to another room, I can do so, whereas obviously you can’t with a Mac mini. Even if I never or almost never need to even do that.


Edit: I forgot budget. So, I don’t need a groundbreaking monitor. I’m hoping $200ish (which I know is probably already low balling), although with anything obviously you’ll take whatever the best deal one can find is.

Duckman2008 fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Apr 11, 2021

Binary Badger
Oct 11, 2005

Trolling Link for a decade


A MacBook Air 13-inch from 2012 has a Thunderbolt port for digital output and can drive an external monitor at 2560 by 1600 resolution.

I'll let someone else jump in on choice of monitor..

Corin Tucker's Stalker
May 27, 2001


One bullet. One gun. Six Chambers. These are my friends.
I recently bought an Asus ProArt that seems to meet your criteria ($200, 24 inches, works with my 2017 MacBook Air) and love it. It has extremely accurate colors and happens to be 16:10 so it matches the MBA, which is nice.

nitsuga
Jan 1, 2007

Woah, those do look nice. You can get a USB-C port too if you’re willing to spend a bit more and go to 16:9, which isn’t that bad, but it’s kind of irritating. The (16:9) Dell equivalent I was going to suggest is this: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-24-usb-c-monitor-p2419hc/apd/210-aqco/monitors-monitor-accessories

You might find a better price elsewhere, but I’ve been using the older 21.5” version for almost two years, and it works well with both my work and personal laptop. I do think a display with USB-C is worth considering, but I know part of that is my dislike for cables.

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer
Good info so far, thanks !

I'm ok with spending a little more to future proof for whenever I do update my Mac Air.

What's the advantage of USB C vs HDMI ? Or is the C just so you can charge the laptop off the monitor ?

Otherwise, I take it I just need Thunderbolt to HDMI cable along with whatever monitor and good to go. I have a bluetooth keyboard, is the Apple Magic Trackpad still the best bluetooth trackpad if i want that instead of a mouse (I never had it, I just remember reading on it a few years ago).

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

Acer or Dell 2560x1440 is what I have been running forever

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

Duckman2008 posted:

Good info so far, thanks !

I'm ok with spending a little more to future proof for whenever I do update my Mac Air.

What's the advantage of USB C vs HDMI ? Or is the C just so you can charge the laptop off the monitor ?


I have the old LG 4K, connect to my Mac using USB-C (or my work Thinkpad), from there I have a mouse, Ethernet , and USB-A cable for my phone or whatever. One cable and it charges.

nitsuga
Jan 1, 2007

Duckman2008 posted:

Good info so far, thanks !

I'm ok with spending a little more to future proof for whenever I do update my Mac Air.

What's the advantage of USB C vs HDMI ? Or is the C just so you can charge the laptop off the monitor ?

Otherwise, I take it I just need Thunderbolt to HDMI cable along with whatever monitor and good to go. I have a bluetooth keyboard, is the Apple Magic Trackpad still the best bluetooth trackpad if i want that instead of a mouse (I never had it, I just remember reading on it a few years ago).

Yeah, being able to charge and use the monitor’s USB ports is the main advantage for me. That way I can plug my peripherals into the monitor and everything is connected when I plug in my Mac.

As for the trackpad, I prefer using a mouse, but I think it’d be hard to beat the Magic Trackpad (compared to any other trackpad) with all the gestures and integrations into the OS.

nitsuga fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Apr 11, 2021

trilobite terror
Oct 20, 2007
BUT MY LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS ON THE FORUMS!

nitsuga posted:

Woah, those do look nice. You can get a USB-C port too if you’re willing to spend a bit more and go to 16:9, which isn’t that bad, but it’s kind of irritating. The (16:9) Dell equivalent I was going to suggest is this: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-24-usb-c-monitor-p2419hc/apd/210-aqco/monitors-monitor-accessories

You might find a better price elsewhere, but I’ve been using the older 21.5” version for almost two years, and it works well with both my work and personal laptop. I do think a display with USB-C is worth considering, but I know part of that is my dislike for cables.

If you’re going to go through the trouble of getting a 1080p display with USB-C for the sake of being future-proof with an Apple Silicon machine that you don’t own yet, but you plan to use said display with an older mac that doesn’t have USB-C right now in the short term, then I would encourage you to just go ahead and try to get a 4K display instead of buying a 1080p display that’s going to look uncomfortably low-res next to a Retina screen.

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

Ok Comboomer posted:

If you’re going to go through the trouble of getting a 1080p display with USB-C for the sake of being future-proof with an Apple Silicon machine that you don’t own yet, but you plan to use said display with an older mac that doesn’t have USB-C right now in the short term, then I would encourage you to just go ahead and try to get a 4K display instead of buying a 1080p display that’s going to look uncomfortably low-res next to a Retina screen.

That’s advice they were giving to me I think.

And sure , just a matter of what the price difference is ? Any decent 4K monitors that aren’t crazy expensive?

trilobite terror
Oct 20, 2007
BUT MY LIVELIHOOD DEPENDS ON THE FORUMS!

Duckman2008 posted:

That’s advice they were giving to me I think.

And sure , just a matter of what the price difference is ? Any decent 4K monitors that aren’t crazy expensive?

plenty- honestly a lot of the gap has closed in recent years.

There’s tons in the $250-$600 range depending on what features, color performance, build quality/base, etc you want. A lot of the really nice Dell ones get down to $400, but you can get some decent displays for $250-300 relatively easily, especially if your plan is to put them on an arm anyway.

You can also look at smaller 4K TVs in the 41-48” range— as cheap as $200-$300 if you’re not huge about perfect accuracy to $400-$600 for the ones I see recommended most...all the way up to $1200+ for a premium OLED

cum
Sep 18, 2016

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
I got a refurbished M1 Air and holy poo poo this thing runs laps around my Intel MBP. I thought it was dumb reddit hype but it's legit.

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

Ok Comboomer posted:

plenty- honestly a lot of the gap has closed in recent years.

There’s tons in the $250-$600 range depending on what features, color performance, build quality/base, etc you want. A lot of the really nice Dell ones get down to $400, but you can get some decent displays for $250-300 relatively easily, especially if your plan is to put them on an arm anyway.

You can also look at smaller 4K TVs in the 41-48” range— as cheap as $200-$300 if you’re not huge about perfect accuracy to $400-$600 for the ones I see recommended most...all the way up to $1200+ for a premium OLED

So, I’m gonna be super up front: this is not my strongest topic, and I literally have never had to worry about monitors until a month ago. I’ve always just had a MacBook of some type, an iPad, I’ve never had a job where I sit in front of a monitor all day. Screen, yes, but I was in retail so it was mostly iPad screens and lovely windows computers.

Now, I have a 2 monitor work setup (the computer is still somewhat lovely lol), and I think I just want a single monitor on the left for my personal stuff.

I am ok with putting a bit of money down to get decent quality versus day, bottom of the barrel. I’m not a super picky visual person, although I will say my MacBook not being retina level display does bother me at this point, so I understand the importance of a good screen.

All that said, I tend to be a “find the middle value” person. When I hear 4K, I do think immediately “probably overkill for me,” but if it isn’t hundreds more, sure I’ll go for an upgrade versus downgrade.


That rant aside , I’m terrible with understanding aspect ratios , so when I see say, 16:9, I honestly don’t know exactly the difference (I’ve never had to worry about it). Same with 1080, in my head 1080 is decent resolution, but maybe I’m just used it being good from say, hearing for 10+ years.

All I know for sure, is that I probably need a monitor with a 23” screen, give or take. So I’ll take education on monitors , and advice (already have gotten great advice so far, thank you), on what options to look at in that range , which I will currently hook my 2012 MacBook Air, but again, I know that’s getting near the end of its life so I do plan on upgrading it at some point in the 1-2 year future.


Edit: sorry for the rambling post above. It’s amazing that I work in a fairly close tech field (cellular) and yet somehow know Jack poo poo on this.

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


You're probably going to be better off asking in the monitor thread really, they'll likely have more specific recommendations.

mediaphage
Mar 22, 2007

Excuse me, pardon me, sheer perfection coming through
agree with the above although one thing to consider especially given how well mac handles scaling is that getting a 4k screen in whatever size you want allows to have a very pretty, very sharp looking 1080p display resolution window

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

njsykora posted:

You're probably going to be better off asking in the monitor thread really, they'll likely have more specific recommendations.

Ah, that makes sense too. I’ll certainly still take input here but I’ll move the question over to there.

serebralassazin
Feb 20, 2004
I wish I had something clever to say.
Yea, if you read a decent amount on your computer investing in a 4K monitor is worth it. Text looks way better.

njsykora
Jan 23, 2012

Robots confuse squirrels.


I've learned the hard way never to order big expensive things from Amazon, my "Macbook Air" showed up today after endless delays and the box contained 2 bottles of soy sauce. So I just bought the drat thing from the Apple Store instead, at least I can have a grey one to match my iPhone now.

Bob Morales
Aug 18, 2006


Just wear the fucking mask, Bob

I don't care how many people I probably infected with COVID-19 while refusing to wear a mask, my comfort is far more important than the health and safety of everyone around me!

njsykora posted:

I've learned the hard way never to order big expensive things from Amazon, my "Macbook Air" showed up today after endless delays and the box contained 2 bottles of soy sauce. So I just bought the drat thing from the Apple Store instead, at least I can have a grey one to match my iPhone now.

Or just swing by Best Buy

GATOS Y VATOS
Aug 22, 2002


There are finally some games I'd like to try out on Apple Arcade and a few months ago I got a new M1 Mini to replace the ancient one I have hooked up to my TV as a media center. What are the current recommended game controllers that work with Big Sur/M1 Macs?

kefkafloyd
Jun 8, 2006

What really knocked me out
Was her cheap sunglasses
PS4/Xbox One.

DualSense and XBox Series X controllers are coming in 11.3.

MarcusSA
Sep 23, 2007

GATOS Y VATOS posted:

There are finally some games I'd like to try out on Apple Arcade and a few months ago I got a new M1 Mini to replace the ancient one I have hooked up to my TV as a media center. What are the current recommended game controllers that work with Big Sur/M1 Macs?

Fwiw a lot of Mac games run really really well on the M1 now. Definitely check your steam library because the M1 graphics rock socks.

Edit: I also can’t read lol I thought you were asking about games.

But yeah what the poster above me said.

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GATOS Y VATOS
Aug 22, 2002


kefkafloyd posted:

PS4/Xbox One.

DualSense and XBox Series X controllers are coming in 11.3.

Are there drivers I have to look for? PS4 controllers appeal to me since I have a couple of them

Edit: I've never used apple arcade but I have it with the package deal on apple's services so hey.

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