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Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh
- Thread starter 3N16MA
- Start date
My question is as follows: I get a $1,250 stipend for being a grad assistant each semester for the next two years. As someone who commutes for and hour by train every day and then spends 2+ hours doing nothing at the school, would you recommend the new Macbook Air as something that could fill that void with things to do via gaming? Additionally, I really want to get a laptop in general, but I really hear lots of good news about the quality of the Macbook in the portable space, and am thinking the extra money used on an Air would be of good venture.
I'm talking things like WoW, Steam games, console emulators, and real-world battery tests.
Also a lot of the mixing programs i'll be using in the next two years are available on Mac only.
In general, would you recommend the "11-inch : 64GB" model for the purposes outlined above? Screen size doesn't really matter to me, and I have a 1 TB external I can take with me, so size doesn't matter either.
I'm talking things like WoW, Steam games, console emulators, and real-world battery tests.
Also a lot of the mixing programs i'll be using in the next two years are available on Mac only.
In general, would you recommend the "11-inch : 64GB" model for the purposes outlined above? Screen size doesn't really matter to me, and I have a 1 TB external I can take with me, so size doesn't matter either.
Nice OP.
might as well run through all the Macs Ive owned and sold due to upgrade-itis.
Mac Mini G4
Macbook Core Duo
macbook Pro 15 (old design)
Macbook pro 13 unibody
iMac 24 (aluminum)
macbook Air 13 first rev
iMac 27 Quad core i5
All of these have been sold except the iMac 27
let me assure you Macs have incredible resale value.
anyway, there was a lot of flurry of activity the first few years but Ive been incredibly happy with the 27 iMac for a while now and dont have any urge to upgrade for a long time, either. that back and forth between desktop and laptop is now over for me as I have the ipad for light mobile use.
Great machines with great software. worth every penny (well, except for the 256 MB of default Ram in the G4 mini. that was bullshit)
might as well run through all the Macs Ive owned and sold due to upgrade-itis.
Mac Mini G4
Macbook Core Duo
macbook Pro 15 (old design)
Macbook pro 13 unibody
iMac 24 (aluminum)
macbook Air 13 first rev
iMac 27 Quad core i5
All of these have been sold except the iMac 27
let me assure you Macs have incredible resale value.
anyway, there was a lot of flurry of activity the first few years but Ive been incredibly happy with the 27 iMac for a while now and dont have any urge to upgrade for a long time, either. that back and forth between desktop and laptop is now over for me as I have the ipad for light mobile use.
Great machines with great software. worth every penny (well, except for the 256 MB of default Ram in the G4 mini. that was bullshit)
cooljeanius
Member
You kids and your fancy Lion System Profilers these days...
Thoraxes said:
I don't do much gaming on my Mac but you can check AnandTech's MBA review (GPU/CPU) and see how it preforms with Half Life 2, Starcraft 2, and Portal 2: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4528/the-2011-macbook-air-11-13inch-review/11
cooljeanius
Member
While people are doing their Mac histories, here's mine:
Mac LC II - birth through elementary school
Slot-loading teal green iMac G3 - elementary school through the end of high school
Mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro - end of high school through now.
Mac LC II - birth through elementary school
Slot-loading teal green iMac G3 - elementary school through the end of high school
Mid-2009 13" MacBook Pro - end of high school through now.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
Rocking my first Mac ever. I hated Macs until I was in college and my last semester they got an entire lab of brand new Power Mac G3s right after they first came out. Man, those were so nice for my Photoshop classes. I couldnt afford a Mac, but rocked a Gateway Athlon 750mHz for 9 years. Then in early 2009, I could finally afford a new computer, and jumped up to my current 24" iMac. Best damn computer I owned. Have only had one issue with it, and it was the screen a few weeks ago, but Apple Care took care of that.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
kunu said:
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
This is a pretty decent page to tell when things might be coming around.
RDreamer said:I've got a Macbook Pro from like 07 or 08. It has 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, and 3GB ram, since I just upgraded the ram this year. I also put in a 750 gb hard drive. It still runs like a dream, and that's doing things like photoshop and illustrator and video editing all at once.
Since we're all doing this:
I'm guessing you don't have the 3-4 finger gesture multitouch. Do you get all the 2-finger stuff still, though? Or able to map 2-fingers to other stuff?
My history:
I guess you could say I had an Apple IIe. I remember being so jealous of my friends who had Windows PCs. They could DO stuff with their computers! Meanwhile, we never got Windows PCs during the early-mid nineties, because we 'had' a computer. :/
I feel I missed out on a lot of learning and familiarity.
I did end up getting a Pentium II 233 with 64 MB RAM and 3 GB HD in time for Windows 98.
Had that until 2005 I think, when I got my very first Mac - A 12" PowerBook 1.5? Ghz, and 512 MB RAM, at the recommendation of a work colleague, and also because Macs could run the Unix-y stuff we needed for work as well as being nifty. It was the start of my downfall.
Now running an early '08 MBP (better design aesthetic overall compared to unibody, I think, but obviously a bit less functional), and own iPod Shuffle, Classic, touch, iPhone 3G and iPad.
JordanLMiller
Member
Here's mine, from the pre-unibody days:
Same as mine I guess. I was mostly curious, because my model Mbp 15" was the first release after the MacBook airs debuted with true 3 and 4 finger gestures. The ones before only had up to 2, I think.numble said:
Also, I sneaked in a 4gb ddr2 ram stuk to boost me to 6gb. Unsupported, but works!
What I am most interested in is the rumored Ultrathin MacBook Pros.
The MacBook Airs are a tad bit too weak for some of the things I would like to do but they are so much lighter and sexier than the Pros.
I am hoping a 13.3" or 15" MacBook Air Pro (or whatever name) will be available with 8GB RAM and a discrete GPU. Those are my main wishes. Combine that with at least an 256GB SSD and I am ready to buy at a high, high, price! (its Apple....)
The MacBook Airs are a tad bit too weak for some of the things I would like to do but they are so much lighter and sexier than the Pros.
I am hoping a 13.3" or 15" MacBook Air Pro (or whatever name) will be available with 8GB RAM and a discrete GPU. Those are my main wishes. Combine that with at least an 256GB SSD and I am ready to buy at a high, high, price! (its Apple....)
Leona Lewis
Banned
I'm the happy owner of an 2011 11-inch MacBook Air (128GB SSD + 4GB RAM model). Best notebook I've ever owned
Funny story about the iMac. We had a bunch of them in my university's computer clusters and I always assumed the monitor was a separate part and the actual computer was hidden somewhere else so students wouldn't plunder it.
When I found out that the monitor and the computer are all in one, my mind was BLOWN. I'd never seen a computer like that and went my whole Dell-loyal life thinking that computers were heavy gray boxes with a million flashing lights and useless dust-loving ports.
Funny story about the iMac. We had a bunch of them in my university's computer clusters and I always assumed the monitor was a separate part and the actual computer was hidden somewhere else so students wouldn't plunder it.
When I found out that the monitor and the computer are all in one, my mind was BLOWN. I'd never seen a computer like that and went my whole Dell-loyal life thinking that computers were heavy gray boxes with a million flashing lights and useless dust-loving ports.
mrkgoo said:
Right, I only have the 2-finger stuff. The 3-4 finger gesture stuff came out not too long after I bought mine. I was kind of angry that they did such a big upgrade right after. That's one of the reasons I want to try to upgrade soon. Not sure how much I could get for this, though.
LCfiner said:
Those 27" iMacs are gorgeous. I have a mid 08 iMac (21" I think) that I love, but since it has 1GB of ram, I haven't put Lion on it yet.
I'll probably upgrade it to 4GB by the end of September or so.
I can't wait for the day where we get super thin iMacs. I'll be buying one of those, definitely.
My first Mac was an iBook G4. Still kicking it today, my sister uses it to watch YouTube videos and look at pictures on Google Image search.
Smiles and Cries
Member
I'm going to be on the market for a new macbook pro soon I hope my current one can last until 2012 but the trackpad is not clickable on the left side I think I pressed the right side too hard and broke it. It still works as a touch pad but hard to click
so far I've owned 3 macs
iMac Snow
Powerbook 17" lasted for years until the screen died
now a 13" Macbook Pro
my macs get heavy uses like 12 hours+ per day
I don't go anywhere without my macbook so I've dropped it recently and dented it on the left front corner
I think Apple needs to make abuse resistant macs for me
I'm poor as hell saving my monies for the next one
so far I've owned 3 macs
iMac Snow
Powerbook 17" lasted for years until the screen died
now a 13" Macbook Pro
my macs get heavy uses like 12 hours+ per day
I don't go anywhere without my macbook so I've dropped it recently and dented it on the left front corner
I think Apple needs to make abuse resistant macs for me
I'm poor as hell saving my monies for the next one
Benjamin1981
Member
2011 15" 2,2 GHz i7 Macbook Pro here.
Bought me a 24" LED Cinema Display last week to go with my MBP as Apple advertises full compatibility between Thunderbolt Macs and Mini Display Port displays. But i'm getting screen flickering all the time. The screen goes black for one second and then comes back. Really disappointed as this is a known issue since the MBPs launched in february according to the Apple support forums. Of course i didn't know about this when i bought the display. Hopefully Apple releases a fix for this issue soon. It's driving me crazy. Otherwise the display is gorgeous and 24" is the perfect size for me. 27" is too damn big for my desk
Bought me a 24" LED Cinema Display last week to go with my MBP as Apple advertises full compatibility between Thunderbolt Macs and Mini Display Port displays. But i'm getting screen flickering all the time. The screen goes black for one second and then comes back. Really disappointed as this is a known issue since the MBPs launched in february according to the Apple support forums. Of course i didn't know about this when i bought the display. Hopefully Apple releases a fix for this issue soon. It's driving me crazy. Otherwise the display is gorgeous and 24" is the perfect size for me. 27" is too damn big for my desk
Benjamin1981
Member
jwluther said:
Buy the Air. Performance wise they are pretty comparable to the 13" Pros. Light weight, higher res display and SSD give it the edge.
jwluther said:
whats more important: internal storage space or weight/size of the laptop?
the top 13" Macbook Pro has a faster processor but no SSD (unless you pay a ton more) so the Air might actually feel faster for everyday things.
also the 13 Air has a better screen with higher resolution.
I got my Mac Mini 2 years ago. I was a die hard anti-apple person, but programming apps for the iPhone was what got me into the Mac Mini. It was my first Mac and I must say that I've been thoroughly impressed. I'm 100% sure my next computer will be a Hackintosh or another Mac Mini. Right now, I have windows 7 Bootcamp'd on it and it handles all my daily grinds of school fine.
Also, cool thing about the mac mini is you can just take the mini and the power cable with you anywhere to any lab and hook it up to the computer network there. Awesome.
Also, cool thing about the mac mini is you can just take the mini and the power cable with you anywhere to any lab and hook it up to the computer network there. Awesome.
fatigues_gasolini
Member
Is there a way to do a clean reinstall on a Mac without having the discs? My gf just got a Mac Air and has an old Core 2 Duo that runs like crap. I figure having a fresh install would get the computer back to usability and she can sell it.
Confession: Ive never used a mac for more than 5 minutes.
Confession: Ive never used a mac for more than 5 minutes.
Android18a
Member
Mine
Its serving me well. Might upgrade the memory at some point if I feel the need, but it runs Photoshop and Illustrator well enough for me.jim-jam bongs
Member
Just popping in to say that Magic Trackpads are a gift from the heavens.
After I updated to Lion and my 4 year old Macbook has started to slow down considerably when doing anything, I have decided to buy a new Macbook Pro. My question is, has anyone used the Barclaycard from Apple? I could probably wait a couple months and buy one outright, but I need to build some credit, so I thought it would be a good way to do so. I don't currently have a credit card and never had. Just wondering what people thought if they had used it before, or if they know anything about it.
PhoncipleBone
Banned
LCfiner said:
Whoa. I never paid attention to that. I was thinking of getting my wife a MacBook for Christmas (if I can scrounge up the money) and was on the fence between the air and the pro. The air would do just fine for her, but extra storage and processing power would be nice as well. But I didnt pay attention to the fact that the Air had a better screen. Very nice.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
Has anyone ever replaced a backlight inverter before on a MBP? I have a late 2008 aluminum unibody Macbook (aka a MBP) and every hour or so what I suspect is the inverter begins to emit a high-pitched whine that increases in intensity the brighter the backlight is. If you turn the backlight off for a few seconds, it cools down enough so you can turn the screen back up. Its gotten more and more annoying lately, and I'd like to just replace the inverter if it's not much of a pain. The problem is that I can't find a part number for the inverter on this model laptop, nor can I find an installation doc for this particular model that I think will work.
AbsoluteZero
Banned
Apple's service is excellent.
When I replaced my aging eMac in 2008 with a new iMac I was estatic. Sprang for the 3.06Ghz processor and the 512MB video card.
In mid-2010 that computer abruptly died on me while I was playing TF2.
I purchased Applecare thankfully, so into the Apple Store it went.
Two weeks later a rep from the store called me "Sir, we can't seem to get a part to fix your computer-would you like a new one?"
The next day I walked out with a brand new iMac. The new 27" model, in fact, which had come out like a week prior.
Awesome.
Unfortunately the HDD in my eMac died not long after it was replaced by the iMac. I should fix it one of these days, but the computer is so useless.
When I replaced my aging eMac in 2008 with a new iMac I was estatic. Sprang for the 3.06Ghz processor and the 512MB video card.
In mid-2010 that computer abruptly died on me while I was playing TF2.
I purchased Applecare thankfully, so into the Apple Store it went.
Two weeks later a rep from the store called me "Sir, we can't seem to get a part to fix your computer-would you like a new one?"
The next day I walked out with a brand new iMac. The new 27" model, in fact, which had come out like a week prior.
Awesome.
Unfortunately the HDD in my eMac died not long after it was replaced by the iMac. I should fix it one of these days, but the computer is so useless.
Aquavelvaman
Banned
Might as well post my sweet rig:
Blazin' speed
In related news I think I'm going to buy a macbook air this week
Blazin' speed
In related news I think I'm going to buy a macbook air this week
AbsoluteZero
Banned
Has anyone tried out the Kanex XD or Belkin AV360? Considering buying one as the biggest HDTV currently in the house is 19"- much smaller than the 27" the iMac is sporting.
Good idea this thread.
MacBook1,1 (my former, wife's current)
-Black
-500GB RAID1 media vault
MacBookPro8,2 (my current)
-HRAG, 2820QM/6750M, 8GB RAM
-300GB SSD
-8GB RAM
Still rocking Snow Leopard on both, but seriously considering moving the media vault role to a MacMini5,1 server model and pairing that with an iPad 2/3.
MacBook1,1 (my former, wife's current)
-Black
-500GB RAID1 media vault
MacBookPro8,2 (my current)
-HRAG, 2820QM/6750M, 8GB RAM
-300GB SSD
-8GB RAM
Still rocking Snow Leopard on both, but seriously considering moving the media vault role to a MacMini5,1 server model and pairing that with an iPad 2/3.