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[Crazymoogle]

With the newly announced 13" mbp with retina, i have a question:

What macbook would be the best to get as of right now?

Macbook air, 13", or 15"?

Just looking for which one would give me the most bang for my buck.

It's really a needs question.

The 13" Air is the best if you want something supremely portable with great battery life. It's frankly a joy for taking out, go sit in a coffee shop and surf or write or code, etc. But it's clearly not a real gaming machine. Then again, it's the cheapest...

The 13" Retina is great if you don't mind a heavier laptop and want to swap some battery life for a better CPU. I'm a bit suspicious of how well it will run on only integrated graphics but it really depends what you use it for.

The 15" Retina is bigger still but has discrete graphics that will make a difference for gaming or anything performance intensive. (ie: If you're playing Diablo/Torchlight this is probably the one to have.) But it's also expensive.

 

[LCfiner]

So I was all ready to pre-order a 27" iMac this winter when I realized that I can't use it the way I need to.

I have a gaming PC with miniDP out and I use my old 2009 iMac as a target display - it works well. But the thunderbolt iMacs can't accept video in from anything except a thunderbolt connection - miniDP doesn't work.

So now I'm thinking seriously about my whole upgrade strategy and what I can do here in the following years.

I'm thinking the best strategy would be to get a good quality Dell 27" IPS display with lots of inputs and then figure out if I'd rather have a cheap mac mini hook up to it or get a macbook air or MBP instead. gotta balance internal storage needs with overall versatility.

The video input limitations of these new iMacs (well, anything from 2011 onward) make them unusable for my setup. such a bummer. I wanted that laminated display.

 

[Ravidrath]

Did the 15" MacBook Pros refresh at all today?

I want to get one, but I think I'm waiting for the GPU to get a bump before I do. Preferably with more RAM, too.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

So I've been thinking that I might replace my 2006 Mac Pro with a quad-core Mac Mini with discrete graphics.

Well, guess I'm not doing that for a while.

 

[xxracerxx]

I know I posted this in the other thread, but I just want to know why Apple chose such a dumb box design:

It just adds woes to storage ability.

 

[polyh3dron]

Did the 15" MacBook Pros refresh at all today?

I want to get one, but I think I'm waiting for the GPU to get a bump before I do. Preferably with more RAM, too.

wait until next year when they put the Haswell integrated graphics in if you can.

 

[Ravidrath]

wait until next year when they put the Haswell integrated graphics in if you can.

When's that expected? The March-ish refresh?

 

[smokeandmirrors]

It's really a needs question.

The 13" Air is the best if you want something supremely portable with great battery life. It's frankly a joy for taking out, go sit in a coffee shop and surf or write or code, etc. But it's clearly not a real gaming machine. Then again, it's the cheapest...

I can agree with this. Such a great machine. Works wonderfully on the go.

 

[Business]

I know I posted this in the other thread, but I just want to know why Apple chose such a dumb box design:

It just adds woes to storage ability.

One upright one inverted.

 

[Jacobi]

With the newly announced 13" mbp with retina, i have a question:

What macbook would be the best to get as of right now?

Macbook air, 13", or 15"?

Just looking for which one would give me the most bang for my buck.

Depends on what you want to do with it.
For a lil gaming on the side 15 inch would be your choice

 

[Crazymoogle]

The video input limitations of these new iMacs (well, anything from 2011 onward) make them unusable for my setup. such a bummer. I wanted that laminated display.

Yep. Pretty much the only halfway point is to get the old Cinema Display instead, but it's not the laminated display and you can get other, cheaper 27" panels anyway...

 

[xxracerxx]

One upright one inverted.

I am not buying two for my house.

 

[The Real Abed]

I am not buying two for my house.

No, for shipping them.

 

[xxracerxx]

No, for shipping them.

I know what he was saying it for, I am specifically talking about storage in my own home.

 

[killakiz]

Any word on the iTunes update? Also, how long does it take for the MacBook Pro to show up on Amazon? Want to use my credit card points..

 

[entremet]

Does anyone what I need to connect my MBP to a standard monitor? Are there Thunderbolt convertors?

I've saving for a Thunderbolt Display; they're pricey.

 

[xxracerxx]

Does anyone what I need to connect my MBP to a standard monitor?

What sort of connections does your display have? Need a Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, or HDMI typically.

 

[Ken Masters]

Is the 21.5' iMac going in sale next week?

 

[xxracerxx]

Is the 21.5' iMac going in sale next week?

Sometime November.

 

[Ken Masters]

Sometime November.

Damn

 

[entremet]

What sort of connections does your display have? Need a Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, or HDMI typically.

DVI, VGA.

MBP only have Thunderbolt output, tho.

 

[Ephemeris]

DVI, VGA.

MBP only have Thunderbolt output, tho.

which doubles as a mini-displayport. I use a mini-DP to Hdmi adapter myself.

 

[Crazymoogle]

which doubles as a mini-displayport. I use a mini-DP to Hdmi adapter myself.

This. Macbooks do just fine with mini-DP adapters if you're sending *out* the video signal, such as to a monitor. If you want to bring *in* a signal the other device has to be Thunderbolt (and the Macbook in question would need to support video-in). The Apple store is hardly the cheapest place to get a miniDP->DVI or miniDP->HDMI adapter but they do sell a variety of them for exactly this purpose.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I know two people who have expressed interest in getting the new iMac for the interesting purpose of using it as not only a computer, but as a primary TV/Movie watching device. Both these folks are non gamers and don't have dedicated TV sets, and so the big iMac screen is the next best thing.

 

[entremet]

This. Macbooks do just fine with mini-DP adapters if you're sending *out* the video signal, such as to a monitor. If you want to bring *in* a signal the other device has to be Thunderbolt (and the Macbook in question would need to support video-in). The Apple store is hardly the cheapest place to get a miniDP->DVI or miniDP->HDMI adapter but they do sell a variety of them for exactly this purpose.

How's Monoprice?

 

[DrEvil]

Would these new iMac's support 2 external monitors via the thunderbolt ports? If i got 2 thunderbolt to DVI/HDMI adapters, I could conceivably have 3 monitors (2 external, plus the main display on the iMac) ?

 

[Crazymoogle]

I know two people who have expressed interest in getting the new iMac for the interesting purpose of using it as not only a computer, but as a primary TV/Movie watching device. Both these folks are non gamers and don't have dedicated TV sets, and so the big iMac screen is the next best thing.

Well as mentioned you can only do Thunderbolt-in on an iMac so the people you know will be only able to watch TV/Movies via software or websites on the iMac itself; they won't be able to connect a DVR or game system to it.

Would these new iMac's support 2 external monitors via the thunderbolt ports? If i got 2 thunderbolt to DVI/HDMI adapters, I could conceivably have 3 monitors (2 external, plus the main display on the iMac) ?

Thunderbolt ports only chain with Thunderbolt devices, so theoretically you could use each TB port to connect directly to a DVI/HDMI display using the appropriate adapter. It's unclear if you could do it via both but if it supports two TB panels via daisy-chaining you'd think supporting two individual TB->DP links would be possible as well. Might want to do some heavy google searching on that though...

How's Monoprice?

I didn't end up using them but I remember either this thread or an older version where folks said they bought adapters that work fine. The miniDP->DVI/HDMI adapters are passive so there's not a lot to go wrong

 

[Tiktaalik]

Well as mentioned you can only do Thunderbolt-in on an iMac so the people you know will be only able to watch TV/Movies via software or websites on the iMac itself; they won't be able to connect a DVR or game system to it.

Yeah they're very much unlikely to connect a DVR or game system. It's definitely just for Netflix and downloaded content.

 

[Sanic]

I had the same problem so I burned Windows on a disc at the slowest burn speed possible and did it that way. Sorry for the dp.

Thanks for the help. I ended up borrowing a different USB drive from someone and that worked.

After two days with my MBA, i've come away not necessarily impressed, but satisfied. I find OSX vs Windows to be mostly a wash, outside of desktop spaces in OSX which I love so far. I'm particularly bothered with how poor the screen is. My netbook had better vertical viewing angles. Too bad IPS panels aren't available for the Air yet.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

How's Monoprice?

Have a Monoprice mini-DP to DP/HDMI/DVI adaptor that works great with my '11 MBA 11"

 

[RBH]

With the newly announced 13" mbp with retina, i have a question:

What macbook would be the best to get as of right now?

Macbook air, 13", or 15"?

Just looking for which one would give me the most bang for my buck.

After seeing the prices of the MBP retina models, I feel that the MBA would be the best bang for your buck unless you're really in need of doing some intensive gaming/programming.

 

[coldfoot]

I've saving for a Thunderbolt Display; they're pricey.

Don't. Get a Korean or HP 27" monitor that has the same panel at about half the price.

 

[Lamiafusion]

Because people still play Half-Life 2: Episode Two?

 

[awilliams213]

I kind of want that new iMac body in a thunderbolt display for my rMBP. Just guessing since the 27’s start shipping in December the thunderbolt displays will be available sometime early 2013.

 

[Miker]

I was all hyped up for the 13" rMBP, but looking at the specs and dat price, I'm pretty disappointed. I have a mid-2012 13" Air and I was planning on selling it to my gf and trading up to a Haswell 13" rMBP when it comes out next year, but the extra $500 doesn't seem worth it at all. I actually think the 13" rMBP is kind of a poor value proposition, does anybody else agree?

My thoughts on the 13" Air vs. the 13" rMBP:

- The 13" rMBP has the same size SSD (maybe it'll be the faster Samsung model vs. my Air's Toshiba model), but $1700 doesn't even get you a 256gb SSD.
- 13" rMBP has a better CPU, but the same HD 4000 GPU - if I'm going to be playing games, you'll be GPU-bound most of the time anyway, and a more powerful CPU likely won't help much. I'm also unsure about UI performance at 1600p with an integrated GPU.

Honestly, unless you really need an amazing screen and want to use Photoshop on an HD 4000 at 1600p, I'm not sure who would buy the 13" rMBP unless money isn't really an issue.

Thoughts?

 

[Yoshiya]

- 13" rMBP has a better CPU, but the same HD 4000 GPU - if I'm going to be playing games, you'll be GPU-bound most of the time anyway, and a more powerful CPU likely won't help much. I'm also unsure about UI performance at 1600p with an integrated GPU.

Not sure where I saw the benchmarks, but I'm pretty sure Ultrabook CPUs are incapable of simultaneous intensive CPU and GPU utilisation. In that sense the GPUs aren't the same, as the Air is much more likely to be throttled by thermal constraints.

edit: double pretty

 

[Miker]

Not sure where I saw the benchmarks, but I'm pretty sure Ultrabook CPUs are pretty much incapable of simultaneous intensive CPU and GPU utilisation. In that sense the GPUs aren't the same, as the Air is much more likely to be throttled by thermal constraints.

Hmm, didn't know that, thanks for the info. I'm still unconvinced that the performance benefit and screen are worth $500 extra though, especially with the extra weight.

 

[Betta Lines]

Not sure in Apple TV comes under Mac hardware but here's my question. Was just considering getting one off eBay, and I was surprised to see that while the 3rd gens are generally around £65 to £80, there are loads of bids going on for 2nd gen, jailbroken ones, reaching well above £160! What's so great about a jailbroken 2nd gen Apple TV?

 

[JayDub]

The retina MBP 13" is too much like the MBA.

It needs a quad core and discrete graphics, and at least the OPTION to add 16gbs of RAM.

 

[coldfoot]

I wish there was a non-retina option to get an Apple laptop that could output to two simultaneous non-Apple monitors...Currently can only do that with the Retina's and the Mini.

 

[coldfoot]

Not sure in Apple TV comes under Mac hardware but here's my question. Was just considering getting one off eBay, and I was surprised to see that while the 3rd gens are generally around £65 to £80, there are loads of bids going on for 2nd gen, jailbroken ones, reaching well above £160! What's so great about a jailbroken 2nd gen Apple TV?

XBMC, but not worth it in my opinion. Can get far better devices that can run XBMC for that money.

 

[Got the Shakes]

XBMC, but not worth it in my opinion. Can get far better devices that can run XBMC for that money.

Can also run XBMC on a newer MacBook and AirPlay it to the AppleTV 3.

 

[RukusProvider]

My few weeks old MBPr creaks and squeaks when i put any weight on the areas around the track pad. Normal? Doesn't sound very pleasant.

 

[Always-honest]

Because people still play Half-Life 2: Episode Two?

Because people buy an iMAC to play games? Who the hell plays games on a mac desktop? They aren't made for that. If you like pc games, you buy a pc. not a MAc.

 

[The Real Abed]

Not sure in Apple TV comes under Mac hardware but here's my question. Was just considering getting one off eBay, and I was surprised to see that while the 3rd gens are generally around £65 to £80, there are loads of bids going on for 2nd gen, jailbroken ones, reaching well above £160! What's so great about a jailbroken 2nd gen Apple TV?

They were the last non-iOS based versions. They ran a full modified version of OS X and had HDDs for storing photos, videos and music.

I had a 1st gen model that I ended up selling right before the 3rd gen came out for close to what I paid for it. Had I known I might have held it longer.

 

[coldfoot]

They were the last non-iOS based versions. They ran a full modified version of OS X and had HDDs for storing photos, videos and music.

I had a 1st gen model that I ended up selling right before the 3rd gen came out for close to what I paid for it. Had I known I might have held it longer.

That's incorrect. Only the first gen Apple TV is x86 based with a hard drive. 2nd and 3rd generations are ARM/iOS based.

 

[fierrotlepou]

Because people buy an iMAC to play games? Who the hell plays games on a mac desktop? They aren't made for that. If you like pc games, you buy a pc. not a MAc.

Sigh...

 

[fireside]

I know I posted this in the other thread, but I just want to know why Apple chose such a dumb box design:

It just adds woes to storage ability.

Smaller boxes are better for the environment because they require less materials to make, and you can ship more of them at once. These factors also provide cost savings for Apple (which I’m sure is irrelevant to Apple’s interests).

I’m not sure how it makes it harder to store them; the boxes I have for storage are not a uniform size, and oddly shaped boxes always fit in somewhere.

 

[Trojita]

I'm running out of room on my iPad 3 32GB after finally organizing my comic collection

lol those pictures of the iMac even on the fucking product's box is misleading. Covering up dat ass.

 

[The Real Abed]

That's incorrect. Only the first gen Apple TV is x86 based with a hard drive. 2nd and 3rd generations are ARM/iOS based.

I thought so. Then I dunno why a 2nd gen would sell more. Either way the original AppleTV did sell for a pretty penny for a while if not still.