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Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh

H

hoverX

Member
So lately, when I go to log in the background behind the login screen is all crazy. weird random patterns and stuff. Is this a bad sign or to be expected sometimes?
 
S

sikma42

Banned
Mysterious said:
Hi Guys,

I'm sort of in a dilemma. I have a mid-2011 13 inch MacBook Air that I'm going to sell (under AppleCare until August 2014) after I get the bottom case replaced by Apple due to a technician not putting the old one in properly after replacing the battery. So I formatted the computer and I'm not going to touch it anymore.

So today, I went and bought a 13 inch MacBook Pro from AppleStore since the girl just said to return it after 14 days if I don't like it. But Time Machine transfers don't work with Office and Adobe, and installing them is such a headache since I have to use the remote disc feature that I won't bother for a computer that I might return in 14 days. And I need a computer for school for this Monday so an iPad won't suffice.

The thing is I know WWDC is around the corner and there will definitely be a refresh. I don't care for the new processor or the .1 increase in GHz, but will anything else change? I know it's hard to say, but anecdotally what changes in the first refresh of a new model of MacBook Pros? Will there be a price decrease? It would suck to see this computer go down $200 in a Monty's time. I don't know if I should keep this computer or just return it. :

Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. My laptop is shot and I need a reliable one to take an additional bar exam this July. I'm thinking about the refurb macbook pro with retina for 1350 but I'm worried the refresh will make me wish I waited...
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
hoverX said:
So lately, when I go to log in the background behind the login screen is all crazy. weird random patterns and stuff. Is this a bad sign or to be expected sometimes?
Click to expand...
The same thing has been happening on my 2010 13" air.

Any answers?
 
C

CrudeDiatribe

Member
hoverX said:
So lately, when I go to log in the background behind the login screen is all crazy. weird random patterns and stuff. Is this a bad sign or to be expected sometimes?
Click to expand...

Happens once in a while on my MacBook Air. Actually— it hasn't since I switched desktop backgrounds, so maybe give that a shot? I looked into it when it first started happening and it was apparently innocuous.
 
F

Flek

Banned
is the apple cinema display worth the money?

i thought about replacing my work imac with a macbook pro 13 (non retina) and an cinema display
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
Usually when I wake my iMac from sleep the screen is instantly on, but lately it takes a second for the brightness to build up. Hope it's not dying.. :/
 
C

Chris R

Member
Servbot24 said:
Usually when I wake my iMac from sleep the screen is instantly on, but lately it takes a second for the brightness to build up. Hope it's not dying.. :/
Click to expand...

Build up or is it a noticeable jump? My MBA forgets what brightness it was set at previously some times and when I open the lid it can take 10-15 seconds to remember that it was set to full brightness.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
Build up like when you turn on an old SD TV (not that bad but a similar effect). I had been planning to update my computer in 2 years or so, I think it should be fine til then, but still slightly worrisome.
 
N

NinjaCatfish

Member
Flek said:
is the apple cinema display worth the money?

i thought about replacing my work imac with a macbook pro 13 (non retina) and an cinema display
Click to expand...

If you'd be the kind of person who would buy a Thunderbolt Dock to add more ports/neaten things up, I'd say that the ACD is well worth it, having the same functionality built in. It's about as good as a MacBook docking station could get.
The limited input compatibility makes it very very good at that one thing (Mac docking) but of very little use for anything else.
 
V

Valravn

Member
Im bringing my MBP retina to work a lot lately and im looking for more protection against scratches etc. What kind of hardshell would you guys recommend that also has good heat dissipation?
 
A

Aroo

Neo Member
Flek said:
is the apple cinema display worth the money?

i thought about replacing my work imac with a macbook pro 13 (non retina) and an cinema display
Click to expand...

I would say no on the Apple Cinema Display. You're much better off with a higher quality monitor for less. The biggest dealbreaker for me on the Apple Cinema Display is the mirror like panel. Don't get me twisted, I would love to have an Apple Cinema Display with my MacBook Pro. I would even pay the price they're asking for, but again that screen makes it virtually impossible to work on in many different conditions.
 
M

mug

Member
Obsidian said:
Im bringing my MBP retina to work a lot lately and im looking for more protection against scratches etc. What kind of hardshell would you guys recommend that also has good heat dissipation?
Click to expand...
Pretty sure incase makes the best looking protection for MBP's that actually do a solid job.
 
G

GWX

Member
Guys, would Apple install an SSD to a Mac mini (Late 2012) with standard hard drive if I took it to an Apple retailer? Not a third-party one, but the one they have as an optional when ordering a Mac mini.
 
T

TUSR

Banned
GWX said:
Guys, would Apple install an SSD to a Mac mini (Late 2012) with standard hard drive if I took it to an Apple retailer? Not a third-party one, but the one they have as an optional when ordering a Mac mini.
Click to expand...

No.

Doesn't hurt to ask though.
 
C

CrudeDiatribe

Member
GWX said:
That sucks :( I didn't have the money to order one with Fusion Drive, and now I'm stuck with the slow 5400rpm hard drive Apple provides. I'm not big on installing one myself, either.
Click to expand...

Go through the iFixit guide for your 2012 Mini and see how terrible it looks. You need to buy an adaptor kit and an SSD, and make sure you have the screwdriver bits for the task.

Step 13 looks like the biggest irritation for me, I hate spudgers and spudging.
 
G

GWX

Member
CrudeDiatribe said:
Go through the iFixit guide for your 2012 Mini and see how terrible it looks. You need to buy an adaptor kit and an SSD, and make sure you have the screwdriver bits for the task.

Step 13 looks like the biggest irritation for me, I hate spudgers and spudging.
Click to expand...

Having to remove *everything* from the aluminum box just to replace an HDD isn't very encouraging, and having to buy extra tools/kits for the task just bitters the deal even more :(
 
C

CrudeDiatribe

Member
GWX said:
Having to remove *everything* from the aluminum box just to replace an HDD isn't very encouraging, and having to buy extra tools/kits for the task just bitters the deal even more :(
Click to expand...

I created the link before I read it myself. Have taken a MacBook Pro apart to put in an SSD and it wasn't really a problem, but not everything had to come out, though there was more sweet sweet spudgering action.

If I ever replace my Mac Pro with a Mini, I will be doing surgery on it to put in dual SSDs.
 
C

Chris R

Member
GWX said:
Having to remove *everything* from the aluminum box just to replace an HDD isn't very encouraging, and having to buy extra tools/kits for the task just bitters the deal even more :(
Click to expand...

At least you don't need to use a putty knife any more :p
 
A

anonymous_abc

Member
Eight Diagram Bat Fighter said:
Getting my macbook pro retina back today after having image persistence issues. Will report if it's still there.
Click to expand...

i had mine changed a while back, no problems with the display since.

however after repairing the display my speakers where bust, and after they repaired my speakers my left USB port was bust... :rolleyes:
spoke to the manager about how I was dissatisfied by that development and got a 50€ apple store voucher.
- I can live with the outcome, and the MPBr has been fine ever since.
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Yeah, one of these days I want to replace the slow-ass HDD in my 2010 Mac mini with a SSD. Seeing as Apple won't release one with a cheap low-end SSD option I'm hoping just a SSD upgrade will help. I only need like 64GB since all my media is on an array of 3TB HDD's.

The instructions on iFixit look easier for the 2010 model. But still overly complicated.
 
T

TUSR

Banned
FliXFantatier said:
i had mine changed a while back, no problems with the display since.

however after repairing the display my speakers where bust, and after they repaired my speakers my left USB port was bust... :rolleyes:
spoke to the manager about how I was dissatisfied by that development and got a 50€ apple store voucher.
- I can live with the outcome, and the MPBr has been fine ever since.
Click to expand...

I got my Retina in September, you think its worth a shot to get it replaced? (Im Apple Care'd until like 2015)
 
G

GWX

Member
Guys, installing Mountain Lion in an external SSD (Thunderbolt or USB 3) should improve my Mac mini's performance quite a bit, right? I think it's probably the most viable option for me. Would there be any problems with booting OS X from an external drive all the time? Are there any limitations or specific issues?
 
S

StopMakingSense

Member
GWX said:
Guys, installing Mountain Lion in an external SSD (Thunderbolt or USB 3) should improve my Mac mini's performance quite a bit, right? I think it's probably the most viable option for me. Would there be any problems with booting OS X from an external drive all the time? Are there any limitations or specific issues?
Click to expand...

It wil be much faster, period. Shouldn't be too many problems. Use USB3, TB solutions are hella expensive.
 
A

amnesiac

Member
Macbook Pro users: How long does your battery usually last? I've owned my 15" (non-retina) for about a month and it takes an hour to drop 40%.
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
amnesiac said:
Macbook Pro users: How long does your battery usually last? I've owned my 15" (non-retina) for about a month and it takes an hour to drop 40%.
Click to expand...

If I'm not doing anything intensive on my rMBP, I'll get about 7 hours out of the battery sometimes 8. Keep in mind that's just surfing the web, using Mail, Tweetbot, and Messages. If I am doing something like using XBMC or gaming in Bootcamp I might get 3-3.5 hours, but I'll usually plug it in for something like that.
 
S

smokeandmirrors

Banned
Now that I have my air hooked up to my external monitor, I really want a mac mini/imac because big screen real-estate with magic trackpad and keyboard is amazing.
 
F

fierrotlepou

Member
Does anyone know what I might still get for a MacBook Pro (early 2011)? It's the high-end 15 inch model with AMD 6750M and an Intel Core i7 2.2GHz. It also has an 128GB Crucial SSD inside. It's as good as new.
 
N

NinjaCatfish

Member
amnesiac said:
Macbook Pro users: How long does your battery usually last? I've owned my 15" (non-retina) for about a month and it takes an hour to drop 40%.
Click to expand...

I get about 4 hours or so from my late-2008 MBP, if I turn screen brightness as low as is comfortable and I'm not doing anything intensive.
 
P

Pachimari

Member
Hmm, I'm trying to figure out what's making my MacBook Air so noisy and I'm looking at Activity Monitor - it says:

PepperFlashPlayer (what's that?) is using 22 threads, while ubd (what's that) is using 11 threads. Google Chrome is using 44 threads even though I have blocked all Flash, why is that? I admit I have 20 tabs open though.
 
T

TUSR

Banned
Anastacio said:
Hmm, I'm trying to figure out what's making my MacBook Air so noisy and I'm looking at Activity Monitor - it says:

PepperFlashPlayer (what's that?) is using 22 threads, while ubd (what's that) is using 11 threads. Google Chrome is using 44 threads even though I have blocked all Flash, why is that? I admit I have 20 tabs open though.
Click to expand...

Google the processes. One is a Chrome flash player, UBD is a iCloud process, and you have 20 tabs open.

Flash runs like shit.
 
D

darkazcura

Member
Never posted in here for some reason, but I've been dealing with shutdown time issues with my mid 2011 Air. Ever since I installed Mountain Lion last summer, the shutdown time has been pretty bad. It takes about 15 seconds to shutdown. Everything else is normal...I saw some people on macrumors with the same issue, but it seemed pretty uncommon. I don't know if there is a solution? I've kinda gotten used to it.
 
T

TUSR

Banned
darkazcura said:
Never posted in here for some reason, but I've been dealing with shutdown time issues with my mid 2011 Air. Ever since I installed Mountain Lion last summer, the shutdown time has been pretty bad. It takes about 15 seconds to shutdown. Everything else is normal...I saw some people on macrumors with the same issue, but it seemed pretty uncommon. I don't know if there is a solution? I've kinda gotten used to it.
Click to expand...

You shutdown your laptop?!

Maybe just do a fresh install of ML.
 
D

daw840

Member
Has anyone heard of any negative issues using a non apple lightning to USB cable? Groupon has a ten foot one right now for like 13 bucks and it would be really handy.


Edit: it's for an iPhone 5
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
darkazcura said:
Never posted in here for some reason, but I've been dealing with shutdown time issues with my mid 2011 Air. Ever since I installed Mountain Lion last summer, the shutdown time has been pretty bad. It takes about 15 seconds to shutdown. Everything else is normal...I saw some people on macrumors with the same issue, but it seemed pretty uncommon. I don't know if there is a solution? I've kinda gotten used to it.
Click to expand...
I've gotten used to it too. Just ignore it. I rarely reboot anyway.
 
T

terrdactycalsrock

Member
Hey can I hook up gaming consoles to my Imac? I know it doesnt have an hdmi port, but I've seen adapers for usb to hdmi. Im asking because I expect the next gen consoles to be 1080 and to have hdmi ports.
 
C

corn_fest

Member
terrdactycalsrock said:
Hey can I hook up gaming consoles to my Imac? I know it doesnt have an hdmi port, but I've seen adapers for usb to hdmi. Im asking because I expect the next gen consoles to be 1080 and to have hdmi ports.
Click to expand...

iMacs do have a video in mode, but you would need an HDMI to Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt adapter for it to work. There's none of these on the market that I know of. Apparently there were some legal troubles with the HDMI spec?
You do have the option of using a video capture box, but you're going to introduce significant lag. So... probably not, or not very well, anyway.
 
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