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Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

This is the megathread for discussion relating to Mac hardware, including announcements and questions about purchasing/recommendations. If your post is unique or interesting enough to warrant its own topic or begins to derail the thread too much, by all means please feel free to make a dedicated thread in SH/SC. This megathread is generally maintained as a resource to consolidate small and frequently-asked questions.

Rules:

Mac software questions and discussion go in the macOS and Mac software megathread.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod questions and discussion go in Inspect Your Gadgets.
Tech support questions should still go in the Haus of Tech Support.
Please keep the mindless chitchat and elitism to a minimum - that's what YOSPOS is for!

Thread community agreements:

Internet Explorer posted:

It is okay to criticize Apple products in this thread. If you disagree with a criticism, that's perfectly fine. Just have those conversations respectfully. If you purchased something, you don't need to defend your purchase here. Value is subjective and what something is worth to you may not be worth it to someone else, or vice versa.

Post about Apple Hardware, not about posters. I know this one is hard and that it can be a fine line, but if you are going to do it, please at least be decent when you do it.

Your posts are your opinions. Try to post like it. Things like "in my opinion," "I think," or "I feel," can come off as a lot less... commandments from the tech gods among high.

You don't have to respond. You don't have to do battle to save someone from a bad purchase. Offer you opinion if you can do it in a constructive fashion. If it's a topic that makes you too mad, just let it go. If it's important, someone else who has a little more patience for the topic will likely chime in. Think of it as leaving space for other people.

I know this is SA and that being an rear end in a top hat is part of the early-2000s soul of the forum. But, I think SH/SC is a bit different from that. Please be kind, please don't be purposefully riling people up, etc. I don't know what a YOSPOS is, but there's a whole subforum for more casual tech posting.

When all else fails, after typing up your post, but before hitting the post button, ask yourself "does my post make this thread more enjoyable to read for other people?" If not, just give it a second thought before hitting post.

Somebody fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Jan 2, 2023

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:10

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# ? Dec 5, 2024 10:09

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where should I buy my Mac?

Apple refurb (not always in stock, have to wait a couple months for new models, sometimes BTO models)
Apple education (BTO options, cheap AppleCare)
B&H (no tax in many states, free shipping, BTO models, occasional AppleCare discounts)
MicroCenter

The only time you buy from the Apple store proper should be if you need a new machine the day it comes out. Otherwise, stick to the previously listed channels.

The age-old always asked question: Should I get a Mac now or should I wait?

pokeyman posted:

If you need something, buy it. If it's updated this week, you can return and upgrade.

If you don't need it, wait until you do; guaranteed it'll be a better value than it is now. At worst, it's the same.

Nobody knows when Apple's going to do poo poo. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise.

Should I buy AppleCare?

The consensus among most Mac goons here is most definitely yes. Especially if you have a laptop and tote it around a lot.

You'll save a lot if you are eligible for educational pricing, a little less if you get it from B&H.

AppleCare can be purchased and registered for your Mac for up to one year past original purchase date. After that, you can't get AppleCare coverage no matter how hard you whine.

If you travel a lot, and your Mac laptop acts up for no good reason, you can be comforted by the fact that AppleCare is honored globally, so long as you can find an Apple Authorized Service Provider in the country you're in. As far as is known there are no AASPs in Antarctica.

Here's a link to find one if you're traveling.

Should I trust refurbished Macs direct from Apple?

Many goons here in the Hardware thread have bought them and swear by them. Apple rigorously tests most refurbished Macs and 'refresh' them before they're placed back for sale; you get a cheaper machine that's already been serviced and comes with all the benefits (warranty period reset, AppleCare eligibility) of a new Mac.

I want to sell my Mac laptop / desktop. What should I charge?

Star Wars Sex Parrot posted:

There's no rule. Check eBay. Check Craigslist. Check SA-Mart. Check how much refurbs go for. Some refreshes are more significant than others. Put some research into it if you want to get any value out of your used goods, otherwise you're gonna get fleeced.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Nov 7, 2017

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:10

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Nov 7, 2017

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:10

Parkingtigers: Feb 23, 2008; TARGET CONSUMER
LOVES EVERY FUCKING GAME EVER MADE. EVER.

Hello new thread, and hello new MacBook Air. Sweet looking machines, going to be saving all my pennies until I can pounce on one of those. Just need to nurse my battered 2007 MacBook for a few weeks longer.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:25

JustAnother Fat Guy: Dec 22, 2009; Go to hell, and take your cheap suit with you!

13 inch 128gb macbook air here i come :toot:

, i've been waiting too long for sandy bridge airs.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:33

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!

If you're coming here to ask questions about the old Mac you found at a garage sale or your grandma's basement, check out Low End Mac. It's a great site with articles about older Macs and they even have profiles of older models.

And no, that old Mac isn't worth anything except scrap. G4/G5 models can be useful to people running audio production but even the G5's are slower than almost any Intel-based machine, suck a ton of power, and PowerPC OS support and software is basically non-existent.

Which Mac should I buy?

*will add later*

What are optibays and SSD's all about?

*later*

Who sells Macs cheaper than Apple?

Microcenter often sells the current model 13" MBP for $999, and MacMall discounts almost every model anywhere from $30-$100 of MSRP. They both also sell open-box items for further discounts!

Bob Morales fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:34

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Yeah just PM me if you have any additions that way it's not posted multiple times on the first page. Thanks!

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:35

movax: Aug 30, 2008

Stolen for OP! Thanks movax!

Love,

The management

Somebody fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:38

eames: May 9, 2009

The new MBA�s optional 1.8 Ghz i7 turbo boosts up to 2.9 Ghz on a single core and 2.6 Ghz when both cores are utilized.

First benchmarks are popping up and they are� impressive.

(picture by macrumors, reposted)

//edit: ok, those scores look just plain wrong. I assume they are using a test that factors in SSD performance and the 2010 17" MBP is running a 7200 rpm HDD.

eames fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:48

DEUCE SLUICE: Feb 6, 2004; I dreamt I was an old dog, stuck in a honeypot. It was horrifying.

japtor posted:

Anyway to clear some stuff up, or perhaps confuse, I went through the CPU pages and used the comparison thingy for these:

Mac mini CPUs

Interesting...I guess there's really not that much of a difference between the i5 and i7 in the Mini. Both have VT extensions, both have hyperthreading. I run into processor issues often on my 2.26 C2D Macbook Pro, but I guess the difference between the i5 and i7 compared to what I have really isn't going to be that big of a deal.

eames posted:

The new MBA�s optional 1.8 Ghz i7 turbo boosts up to 2.9 Ghz on a single core and 2.6 Ghz when both cores are utilized.

First benchmarks are popping up and they are� impressive.

(picture by macrumors, rehosted)

I wonder how much of that is on disk speed, and what it'd look like if the MBP also had an SSD.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:49

The Illusive Man: Mar 27, 2008; ~savior of yoomanity~

Fresh new OS, hardware, and new discussion threads to boot. Today is a good day.

Those new 11" Airs are sexy as hell. I wonder how well Lion would run on 2 GBs, though.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:49

Legdiian: Jul 14, 2004

I bought my iMac with 12 months interest free financing on the Barclay card, paid it off in 11 months and never paid any interest. Now I have a card with a $3,000 limit but at something like 25% APR. Does Apple do any interest free promos for people that already have a Barclay card or is it a one time deal?

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:49

eames: May 9, 2009

DEUCE SLUICE posted:

Interesting...I guess there's really not that much of a difference between the i5 and i7 in the Mini. Both have VT extensions, both have hyperthreading. I run into processor issues often on my 2.26 C2D Macbook Pro, but I guess the difference between the i5 and i7 compared to what I have really isn't going to be that big of a deal.

I wonder how much of that is on disk speed, and what it'd look like if the MBP also had an SSD.

Yeah, I just realized that. For a second I thought it�s a pure CPU benchmark but that wouldn�t make any sense at all looking at the scores and CPUs. :downs:

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:52

Factory Factory: Mar 19, 2010; This is what
Arcane Velocity was like.

eames posted:

Yeah, I just realized that. For a second I thought it�s a pure CPU benchmark but that wouldn�t make any sense at all looking at the scores and CPUs.

If those MBAs were plugged in, then they were probably turboing at an operating frequency much closer to the i7 in the MBP on the right. Also, the 2.67 GHz first-gen Core i7 mobile CPU has lower performance per clock and is a dual-core chip with a less-awesome Turbo Boost function and lower performance per clock.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 20:58

movax: Aug 30, 2008

Space Racist posted:

Fresh new OS, hardware, and new discussion threads to boot. Today is a good day.

Those new 11" Airs are sexy as hell. I wonder how well Lion would run on 2 GBs, though.

I wouldn't do it...as you have a few tabs open in Safari with Flash in action, you're going to start swapping. Granted, it's a SSD that has swap but I think everyone should get 4GB if possible. It's worth it.

Re: i5 and i7, the only differences for the MBAs are clock speed and L2 cache. I don't think you would notice the difference outside of synthetic benchmarks, or if you pay very close attention to the duration of MATLAB / video encoding operations. It's not like the desktop differentiation where some i5s do not have HT; both the ULV i5s and i7s have HT.

Of course, since it is HT, it'll only really come in handy for floating-point heavy ops.

e: ^^ it's true, my 2010 has the 2.67 i7 w/ HT and Nehalem just gets owned by Sandy Bridge. Technology! :eng99:

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:01

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Thanks for the PMs, folks. I'm still getting stuff organized but I'll get the additions in the OP as soon as possible. Thanks again!

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:14

Binary Badger: Oct 11, 2005; Trolling Link for a decade

Thank goodness someone else will tend to the OP, gives me more free time to find out what doesn't work in Lion

Edit: I see the expired in-joke about timb's creaky Macs is intact :smug:

Binary Badger fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:16

japtor: Oct 28, 2005

Re: that MBA benchmark, Geekbench is CPU and memory/other main hardware voodoo, it doesn't take into account the HD or GPU. And as mentioned it's comparing to a 2010 MBP, the Sandy Bridge stuff is just that much awesomer.

Star War Sex Parrot posted:

Yeah just PM me if you have any additions that way it's not posted multiple times on the first page. Thanks!

...but I don't have PMs

. I posted these in the last thread and figure it's mostly relevant just for the immediate future (cause many were asking about them):

MacBook Air CPUs
Mac mini CPUs

For the OP it'd probably be better if all the Macs' CPUs were listed. Edit- or just ark.intel.com for the :spergin:

guys can look themselves.

japtor fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:20

Astro7x: Aug 4, 2004; Thinks It's All Real

Carrying over discussion from the other thread about the new Cinema Display.

So if I wanted to hook up my 2008 Mac Pro to it, I would just need to get a Thunderbolt to DVI connector, correct?

I find it weird that if there are currently no Mac Pros out there that support the Thunderbolt Cinema Display that they show it next to a Mac Pro on the product page: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC914LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MjMzOTYzMjc&s=topSellers

Click Enlarge Image, then there are photos of the display next to all the Macs.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:20

wdarkk: Oct 26, 2007; Friends: Protected
World: Saved
Crablettes: Eaten

Binary Badger posted:

Edit: I see the expired in-joke about timb's creaky Macs is intact

It should be "doesn't creak".

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:21

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Binary Badger posted:

Edit: I see the expired in-joke about timb's creaky Macs is intact

For now

There's still a lot of editing to be done.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:23

Canned Sunshine: Nov 20, 2005; CAUTION: POST QUALITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Regarding SSDs, I admittedly haven't done too much research in this regard when it comes to OS X, but is it possible to buy the TRIM-capable SSDs that Apple uses/provides support for in Lion, commercially?

Or can we get a list going or link perhaps to a list of SSDs that are TRIM supported in Lion, since I'm guessing SSD usage will only increase with time.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:29

japtor: Oct 28, 2005

SourKraut posted:

Regarding SSDs, I admittedly haven't done too much research in this regard when it comes to OS X, but is it possible to buy the TRIM-capable SSDs that Apple uses/provides support for in Lion, commercially?

Or can we get a list going or link perhaps to a list of SSDs that are TRIM supported in Lion, since I'm guessing SSD usage will only increase with time.

The only ones that I know of are the OEM Apple drives. To get it working with others there was some hack (I think it essentially added your drive to a whitelist, or just opened up the whitelist completely) but there's no official support afaik.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:31

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

SourKraut posted:

Regarding SSDs, I admittedly haven't done too much research in this regard when it comes to OS X, but is it possible to buy the TRIM-capable SSDs that Apple uses/provides support for in Lion, commercially?

Or can we get a list going or link perhaps to a list of SSDs that are TRIM supported in Lion, since I'm guessing SSD usage will only increase with time.

The only one that Apple sells aftermarket is the 500GB SSD for the Mac Pro. It's $1300.

pipebomb was selling one in SA-Mart a couple weeks ago though! :shobon:

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:31

Binary Badger: Oct 11, 2005; Trolling Link for a decade

Astro7x posted:

Carrying over discussion from the other thread about the new Cinema Display.

So if I wanted to hook up my 2008 Mac Pro to it, I would just need to get a Thunderbolt to DVI connector, correct?

Any MiniDisplayPort to DVI adapter should work.

Or buy this card and just use a regular MiniDisplayPort cable.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:35

japtor: Oct 28, 2005

Binary Badger posted:

Any MiniDisplayPort to DVI adapter should work.

Or buy this card and just use a regular MiniDisplayPort cable.

If he's the guy that asked in the last thread too, he's referring to the Thunderbolt display, which requires Thunderbolt according to the store description.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:38

Bodhi Tea: Oct 2, 2006; seconds are secular, moments are mine, self is illusion, music's divine.

Do you guys think the 11" MBA screen is sufficient for coding?

Bodhi Tea fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Jul 20, 2011

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:41

Jeratain: Apr 5, 2004; I have no socially redeeming value.

I just ordered a iMac the other day, which will ship to me sometime on Monday or later. I don't know if it will include Mac OSX Lion preinstalled or not, but for the sake of this post, let's assume it doesn't I don't want to upgrade to Lion. Rather, I'd like to have a clean install of Lion.

While reading AnandTech today, I came across this:

"AnandTech posted:

For those of you who are attached to an install disk for one reason or another, accessing the .DMG file within the Lion installer and burning your own DVD is fairly trivial for even a moderately technical user. The installer, like other App Store downloads, is dropped in your Applications folder. Right-click (or CTRL-clicking, depending on your setup) the installer, click Show Package Contents, go into the Contents folder, then the SharedSupport folder, and burn the .dmg file you find here to a DVD (or copy it to a USB stick) with Disk Utility.

It�s not something every user will want to do, but advanced users or people who reinstall their OS often may want to take advantage of it (especially since Apple's official line, in the event that you need to reinstall OS X to a brand-new hard drive, is to first install Snow Leopard, and then install Lion). It should be noted that this is also the easiest, most convenient way to do a clean install of Lion, which is not offered as an option in the standard installer.

So my understanding is:
1. Download the Lion upgrade file.
2. Burn the .dmg file to either a DVD or USB stick.
3. Boot the Mac using the DVD or USB stick from step 2 --> Perform fresh installation

Is this correct, or is there something more complicated that I'm missing? Am I to assume that the installer will automatically know how to partition my drives, whether to install directly to the SSD vs. HDD, etc.?

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:42

wolffenstein: Aug 2, 2002; Pork Pro

Bodhi Tea posted:

Do you guys think the 11" MBA screen sufficient for coding?

Sure. The only gripe you'll probably have is the small screen.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:44

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Jeratain posted:

Is this correct, or is there something more complicated that I'm missing? Am I to assume that the installer will automatically know how to partition my drives, whether to install directly to the SSD vs. HDD, etc.?

By default it's going to want to do an upgrade install. When the installer loads, open up Disk Utility, format the drive, then do a clean install.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:46

eames: May 9, 2009

SourKraut posted:

Or can we get a list going or link perhaps to a list of SSDs that are TRIM supported in Lion, since I'm guessing SSD usage will only increase with time.

I�m guessing SSD Trim enabler will be updated soon which should make the whole third-party TRIM SSD drama around Lion a non-issue. Hopefully.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:50

Canned Sunshine: Nov 20, 2005; CAUTION: POST QUALITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

japtor posted:

The only ones that I know of are the OEM Apple drives. To get it working with others there was some hack (I think it essentially added your drive to a whitelist, or just opened up the whitelist completely) but there's no official support afaik.

Star War Sex Parrot posted:

The only one that Apple sells aftermarket is the 500GB SSD for the Mac Pro. It's $1300.

pipebomb was selling one in SA-Mart a couple weeks ago though!

Bah, that sucks. Well hopefully compatibility improves, as long-term I would like to simply throw a SSD into the MBP and have TRIM supported.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 21:54

Rabid Snake: Aug 6, 2004

Bodhi Tea posted:

Do you guys think the 11" MBA screen sufficient for coding?

I just bought the new MBA 11" and I've been coding on it for the past hour for my CSE class. I'm at the library and it currently does not bother me. It's fine for when you're on the go but it's not as awesome as my T420 (1600x900) screen for those huge IDEs. I recommend getting an external monitor for when you're home, I have a Dell U2311H to use with mine.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 22:16

movax: Aug 30, 2008

Bodhi Tea posted:

Do you guys think the 11" MBA screen sufficient for coding?

Depends on the IDE, IMHO. TextMate/Fraise + Terminal doing some scripting, no problem. Running Visual Studio or XCode or Eclipse or someshit, :gonk:

# ? Jul 20, 2011 22:19

hannibal: Jul 27, 2001; [img-planes]

eames posted:

I�m guessing SSD Trim enabler will be updated soon which should make the whole third-party TRIM SSD drama around Lion a non-issue. Hopefully.

I tried this out on my MBP (mid-2010, with an Intel X-25M) that I updated to Lion this morning. I had used the TRIM enabler on Snow Leopard and it worked fine there.

After upgrading to Lion, checked System Report, TRIM support = no

Re-ran TRIM enabler, checked System Report, TRIM support now says yes.

Take what you will from that.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 22:45

jink: May 8, 2002; Drop it like it's Hot.; Taco Defender

eames posted:

I�m guessing SSD Trim enabler will be updated soon which should make the whole third-party TRIM SSD drama around Lion a non-issue. Hopefully.

I too have used this without issues in Lion.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 22:52

AlternateAccount: Apr 25, 2005; FYGM

You might also mention that a lot of the GENUINE APPLE MAGSAFE BLAH BLAH adapaters on Amazon and such for half of normal retail are lovely rebuilds of failed ones.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 22:58

cbirdsong: Sep 8, 2004; Commodore of the Apocalypso; Lipstick Apathy

I'm not sure if this is a software question or a hardware one, but here goes:

At some point, are refurbished MBPs going to start coming with Lion pre-installed? I know you get a download toke, but that's not practical for my sister, who is looking into getting one soon.

# ? Jul 20, 2011 23:18

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!

SourKraut posted:

Bah, that sucks. Well hopefully compatibility improves, as long-term I would like to simply throw a SSD into the MBP and have TRIM supported.

It's not a big deal...

# ? Jul 20, 2011 23:26

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# ? Dec 5, 2024 10:09

Mex: Nov 23, 2004; by Fistgrrl

Holy crap, the Lion OSX install is like the smoothest upgrade to an Operating System I've ever seen, drat. Anyone found any problems with it? This is ridiculously easy.

# ? Jul 21, 2011 00:09

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