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[Deku Tree]

Yeah I thought the dual firepro graphics cards in the "new" 2013 Mac Pro were custom destined to fit in apples unique Mac Pro trash can cylinder.

Maybe this is the reason for a lack of yearly spec bump updates. It's probably expensive to get someone to custom design you a new graphics card on the regular and the sales probably do not justify it.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Yeah I thought the pro level graphics cards in the "new" 2013 Mac Pro were custom destined to fit in apples unique Mac Pro trash can cylinder.

Maybe this is the reason for a lack of yearly spec bump updates. It's probably expensive to get someone to custom design you a new graphics card on the regular and the sales probably do not justify it.

Well, it seems like it's in AMD's best interest to do it, which is probably why they made the DX00 series in the first place, but then that poses other questions; such as given the limitations of the new Fury cards, it's questionable what their workstation offerings will actually entail in the near future. Maybe Apple doesn't think there's anything worth customizing for their Pro at this point; I mean the only workstation stuff AMD has released is Hawaii, which run way too hot and way too power hungry at default clocks to be a fit for the nMP.

Insofar as Nvidia is concerned, you'd think that since they obviously aren't interested in abandoning the Mac market (I mean, they're offering web drivers to enable an ever-decreasing number of users to use their graphics cards on their ever-aging Mac Pros still) they'd be interested in offering up some 980-cutdown to sell directly to nMP consumers and make money that way (not to mention indirectly benefit Apple since the lack of CUDA support makes the nMP a non-starter for a few select areas) but I have no idea what the economics would be of that.

 

[japtor]

Re: drop in upgrades, there aren't. I mean you can upgrade the CPU, but afaik you'll still be stuck with Ivy Bridge Xeons cause I think Intel changed the socket for the Haswell ones. And afaik the Broadwell ones (if they're not killed off already) change the socket again. And again for Skylake.

And yeah GPUs, the only stuff is the current custom form factor stuff. If they stick with AMD the only promising things cause of likely power/heat requirements have been the M295X in the iMac (which appears to more or less be like the long rumored 285X) and Fury Nano. Barring AMD holding back on some lower power Hawaii parts (and/or beefier Tonga?) those two seem like the best options for a near term upgrade.

So basically it's not great timing right now. Skylake Xeons are looking good though!...whether pushed up to 2016 or still at 2017. GPU wise there'll be more HBM stuff out and AMD/NV will (hopefully) finally get past 28nm by then, last I saw they were skipping 20 and going straight to 14 I think. For now/near future I dunno, I could see them putting something out with what's available just to get TB3 on it.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Re: drop in upgrades, there aren't. I mean you can upgrade the CPU, but afaik you'll still be stuck with Ivy Bridge Xeons cause I think Intel changed the socket for the Haswell ones. And afaik the Broadwell ones (if they're not killed off already) change the socket again. And again for Skylake.

And yeah GPUs, the only stuff is the current custom form factor stuff. If they stick with AMD the only promising things cause of likely power/heat requirements have been the M295X in the iMac (which appears to more or less be like the long rumored 285X) and Fury Nano. Barring AMD holding back on some lower power Hawaii parts (and/or beefier Tonga?) those two seem like the best options for a near term upgrade.

So basically it's not great timing right now. Skylake Xeons are looking good though!...whether pushed up to 2016 or still at 2017. GPU wise there'll be more HBM stuff out and AMD/NV will (hopefully) finally get past 28nm by then, last I saw they were skipping 20 and going straight to 14 I think. For now/near future I dunno, I could see them putting something out with what's available just to get TB3 on it.

Problem being TB3 comes with Skylake. So either they sit on upgrading their computer for 4 years, or they release a spec-bump. I know which option I'd choose.

 

[Google]

Team, I have a question for you.

I currently have a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15'' with 750M.

I'm thinking of selling it for $2000 (CAD) and getting a slightly smaller, newer machine.

I've been doing a lot of travelling recently and started to realise that 15'' is all fine and dandy in the office, but travelling with it has been difficult. 'bad' battery (between 3-4 hours), lots of noise, too big for the seat back tray, etc.

I'm a sales director, so I dont really need the hardware that the MBP packs and the only 'multimedia' I'm interested in is playing Football Manager 2015 (which runs like shit on Macs anyway).

So - can I get away with the latest MacBook? Or should I go to the one of the lower models of the MBP?

Any thing I should be aware of?

Cheers for the help.

 

[Konka]

Team, I have a question for you.

I currently have a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15'' with 750M.

I'm thinking of selling it for $2000 (CAD) and getting a slightly smaller, newer machine.

I've been doing a lot of travelling recently and started to realise that 15'' is all fine and dandy in the office, but travelling with it has been difficult. 'bad' battery (between 3-4 hours), lots of noise, too big for the seat back tray, etc.

I'm a sales director, so I dont really need the hardware that the MBP packs and the only 'multimedia' I'm interested in is playing Football Manager 2015 (which runs like shit on Macs anyway).

So - can I get away with the latest MacBook? Or should I go to the one of the lower models of the MBP?

Any thing I should be aware of?

Cheers for the help.

You're best off going with the MBP Retina 13" at the moment or waiting until the next Macbook release, I'm always wary of getting a 1st Gen apple release.

 

[Deku Tree]

Team, I have a question for you.

I currently have a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15'' with 750M.

I'm thinking of selling it for $2000 (CAD) and getting a slightly smaller, newer machine.

I've been doing a lot of travelling recently and started to realise that 15'' is all fine and dandy in the office, but travelling with it has been difficult. 'bad' battery (between 3-4 hours), lots of noise, too big for the seat back tray, etc.

I'm a sales director, so I dont really need the hardware that the MBP packs and the only 'multimedia' I'm interested in is playing Football Manager 2015 (which runs like shit on Macs anyway).

So - can I get away with the latest MacBook? Or should I go to the one of the lower models of the MBP?

Any thing I should be aware of?

Cheers for the help.

The latest "MacBook" is a first gen machine meant for early adopters that really has a weak processor in it.

You didn't mention it, but you should really consider going with one of the MacBook Air models. They mostly are very functional now-adays and they have almost all the portability of the "MacBook" with much better internals. I have a 13" 2011 MBA and an 11" 2013 MBA and both do extremely well with ordinary computer uses like email, web browsing, looking a your photos, and using Microsoft Office etc. The MBA's are very good, of course if you want a Retina screen then you've gotta go with the 13" MBP.

On a side note the new intel Skylake chips meant for these machines are heavily rumored to be on the verge of being released any day nowso it is possible that we will see a spec bump update in September or October for the MBA line.

 

[Google]

The latest "MacBook" is a first gen machine meant for early adopters that really has a weak processor in it.

You didn't mention it, but you should really consider going with one of the MacBook Air models. They mostly are very functional now-adays and they have almost all the portability of the "MacBook" with much better internals. I have a 13" 2011 MBA and an 11" 2013 MBA and both do extremely well with ordinary computer uses like email, web browsing, looking a your photos, and using Microsoft Office etc. The MBA's are very good, of course if you want a Retina screen then you've gotta go with the 13" MBP.

On a side note the new intel Skylake chips meant for these machines are heavily rumored to be on the verge of being released any day nowso it is possible that we will see a spec bump update in September or October for the MBA line.

This is not a bad idea, actually.

I had a late 2012 MacBook Air 13'' and loved it to pieces but felt the need to upgrade in 2014 because at the time I was doing software demo's and I was required to run a Virtual Server environment with Windows which the MBA occasionally stuttered with. Thus the reason for the upgrade to the MBP.

I'll do some research on the new MBA's because I did love that computer and it's extremely well priced against the MBPs.

 

[Amiibro]

Quick question here. I recently bought a refurbished Macbook Pro (2014) from Apple. I noticed after a few weeks its become a lot slower booting even, most noticable from powered totally off. I have barely installed any apps or programs to this. Not sure if it is normal and I should just accept it? there is quite a delay when I hit power to when the Apple logo shows up, I did not notice this before. It could also all be in my head : )

 

[Deku Tree]

Quick question here. I recently bought a refurbished Macbook Pro (2014) from Apple. I noticed after a few weeks its become a lot slower booting even, most noticable from powered totally off. I have barely installed any apps or programs to this. Not sure if it is normal and I should just accept it? there is quite a delay when I hit power to when the Apple logo shows up, I did not notice this before. It could also all be in my head : )

It could be in your head, IDK. How slow is it? Time it. You could also take it to an Apple store and have them run diagnostics on it. Or you could call apple support and have them talk you through running diagnostics on it yourself over the phone. Either way if there is a problem you want to bring it back to them quickly so that you can get the computer replaced if that is needed.

 

[japtor]

Problem being TB3 comes with Skylake. So either they sit on upgrading their computer for 4 years, or they release a spec-bump. I know which option I'd choose.

Alpine Ridge isn't Skylake dependent as far as I've been able to tell.

Fake edit: saw it on Anandtech way back:

Wrapping things up, Intel tells us that they expect to see Thunderbolt 3 products begin shipping by the end of the year, with a larger volume of products in 2016. Given this timing we’re almost certain to see Thunderbolt shipping alongside Skylake products, though Intel is making it clear that at a technical level Skylake and Thunderbolt 3 are not interconnected, and that it would be possible to pair Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controllers with other devices, be it Broadwell, Haswell-E, or other products.

Ultimately the controller just needs 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes and DisplayPort (x2?)...and some GPIO connector for the add on board versions but hell if I know what that does, moot point here but just some random detail I remembered.

This is not a bad idea, actually.

I had a late 2012 MacBook Air 13'' and loved it to pieces but felt the need to upgrade in 2014 because at the time I was doing software demo's and I was required to run a Virtual Server environment with Windows which the MBA occasionally stuttered with. Thus the reason for the upgrade to the MBP.

I'll do some research on the new MBA's because I did love that computer and it's extremely well priced against the MBPs.

Well the one big caveat with the MBA is the non retina screen. Other than that afaik it's a fine machine, but the 13" MBP has gotten close enough physically that I wouldn't consider the MBA over it just cause the screen.

If you're considering the MacBook I'd wait just cause the hardware (Skylake brings a GPU boost and presumably they'll put TB3 on it). Hell I'd wait on the MBP too but rumors seem to indicate its CPUs coming a bit later (barring moving to lower or higher end parts). For a relatively immediate purchase I'd say MBP, if you can wait the other options will be better, but you probably lose some value on your sale. Does the Canadian store have refurbs like the U.S.?

 

[Google]

Does the Canadian store have refurbs like the U.S.?

Yeah. I'm looking right now and I can get the most recent 13" MBP with the 3.1ghz i5/7 for just under $2200.

I agree on the MBA actually. At 13'' with only 4GB of RAM and no Retina it's a great machine but those two things kill it a little for me.

 

[Deku Tree]

I was curious so I did a check

13" MBA with 2.2 GHz dual core i7 and 8GB ram is $1449. Weight: 2.96 pounds. Up to 12 hours wireless web.

13" rMBP with 2.7 GHz dual core i7 and 8GB ram is $1499. Weight: 3.48 pounds. Up to 10 hours wireless web.

only $50 bucks and 0.5 lbs difference between those two.

For my purposes I prefer the 2.38 pounds 11" max spec MBA for travel purposes.

 

[Lil'DigiOp]

I think Apple skipped the Sandy Bridge Xeons (2012?) and went to Ivy for the 2013 (current) models. Core/speed wise kinda varies depending on how those apps take advantage of however many cores, no clue myself on them, so all I can say is get the newest generation that drops in those sockets, looks like Westmere? Newer chips are faster cause...that's pretty damn old now. But they're decently fast themselves, and you can get a lot more cores. If you get a dual socket model you can get to 12 cores.

From what I've seen around it seems the only things holding older models back hardware wise are the slower SATA ports (3Gbps?), but even then though it's slow relative to PCIe storage it's still fast enough in practice, and afaik you can upgrade through one of the PCIe slots.

I have no complaints with my Mac Pro; this 5,1 is performing like a champ for what I need it to do (After Effects, Photoshop, some Cinema 4D, Final Cut, and Indesign, plus Dota 2, Minecraft, and a few other games.) I upgraded the processor to a W3680 Westmere, bumped the RAM to 24GB, and swapped in the Radeon 7950 I previously had in my 2008 Mac. If I wanted faster performance I could get PCIe storage, but the Samsung 840 running in my SATA II bay is fine for me. I've got a Lacie 16TB RAID attached via USB3 for my long-term storage, and then a scratch HDD in one bay and a hard drive clone in another.

Re: drop in upgrades, there aren't. I mean you can upgrade the CPU, but afaik you'll still be stuck with Ivy Bridge Xeons cause I think Intel changed the socket for the Haswell ones. And afaik the Broadwell ones (if they're not killed off already) change the socket again. And again for Skylake.

Thank you both for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

So yeah, I have pretty much fully decided! I will get my hands on a 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro. Just gotta do the math on whether I can get a decent spec machine or just grab the base model and upgrade it myself.

Im doing 4,1 so I have DDR3 instead of 2, that would have sucked. Gonna do a PCIe SSD for the fastest speed possible since SATA 2 is a bummer. Im also gonna dual boot Win 10 but Im still debating if that will be on another PCI SSD or if I will throw that on a HDD in a bay. Win10 boots super fast so a HDD might be more than enough.

So my upgrades will be:

Newer processor
New GFX Card
SSD PCIe
HDD
3.0 USB

Its gonna be fun, Im gonna let you all know how it goes!!!! Well, dreamtime over... Now to start working and saving!!

Spoiler

Still might grab a dual processor build!!!

 

[OminoMichelin]

Since this thread popped up, I wanted to ask for advice.
I have a fairly new macbook air (11", early 2014), that I tried to hook up to my monitor.
Now, admittedly the adapter is not exactly new, but I have noticed that when I use both monitors my mouse cursor (and possibly also my keyboard) tends to get stuck for a second, a second and a half when I move it around. I don't think it's the computer struggling, because youtube videos or UI element do not get stuck like the cursor does.
Anybody else experienced this?

 

[Fuchsdh]

Thank you both for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

So yeah, I have pretty much fully decided! I will get my hands on a 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro. Just gotta do the math on whether I can get a decent spec machine or just grab the base model and upgrade it myself.

Im doing 4,1 so I have DDR3 instead of 2, that would have sucked. Gonna do a PCIe SSD for the fastest speed possible since SATA 2 is a bummer. Im also gonna dual boot Win 10 but Im still debating if that will be on another PCI SSD or if I will throw that on a HDD in a bay. Win10 boots super fast so a HDD might be more than enough.

So my upgrades will be:

Newer processor
New GFX Card
SSD PCIe
HDD
3.0 USB

Its gonna be fun, Im gonna let you all know how it goes!!!! Well, dreamtime over... Now to start working and saving!!

Spoiler

Still might grab a dual processor build!!!

One final note—the 4,1 and 5,1 are basically identical machines save for their SKU configs. You can actually update the firmware on your 4,1 to make the OS see it as a 5,1; the only immediate change is the RAM operates at 1333MHz versus 1066MHz, which really isn't a big difference in the real world, but it also enables a greater number of processor upgrades. So it's also something to think about. It's not entirely hassle-free, so I just went with the good deal I got on a 5,1 but it could save you a bit of cash since the prices for 4,1's have cratered.

*Actually, one other final final note—the dual-processor 4,1's have delidded CPUs, which means upgrading the processors is more finicky. So be wary of that—there are tons of threads talking about steps in upgrading in that case.

Since this thread popped up, I wanted to ask for advice.
I have a fairly new macbook air (11", early 2014), that I tried to hook up to my monitor.
Now, admittedly the adapter is not exactly new, but I have noticed that when I use both monitors my mouse cursor (and possibly also my keyboard) tends to get stuck for a second, a second and a half when I move it around. I don't think it's the computer struggling, because youtube videos or UI element do not get stuck like the cursor does.
Anybody else experienced this?

What monitor, resolution and refresh rate are you attaching to? What's the adapter?

 

[japtor]

Gonna do a PCIe SSD for the fastest speed possible since SATA 2 is a bummer. Im also gonna dual boot Win 10 but Im still debating if that will be on another PCI SSD or if I will throw that on a HDD in a bay. Win10 boots super fast so a HDD might be more than enough.

Two notes here, do research on the PCIe SSDs (or faster SATA cards I guess) to see what's compatible and what's worth the upgrade cost to you. And I'm not sure how much it matters, but I think Apple's Windows 10 drivers (that just came out) don't support the old Mac Pros.

 

[FullmetalPain]

Hi Apple Gaf,

I just bought a MacBook Air 13.3" newest version from Best Buy. What are the best covers for it? I already ordered the KuZY screen protector and there are just so many covers to choose from.

 

[Deku Tree]

Hi Apple Gaf,

I just bought a MacBook Air 13.3" newest version from Best Buy. What are the best covers for it? I already ordered the KuZY screen protector and there are just so many covers to choose from.

I don't think you really need a cover. And the aluminum body is supposed to help the insides dissipate heat. A cover could prevent some of that heat dissipation.

But if you really want one these speck cases are ok:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5FARXC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Anything plastic like that will break after a while though.

 

[nampad]

Was about to buy the Macbook for my girlfriend because it looks sexy as hell even though there are so many compromises but it doesn't even have a HD webcam?
Wow, that was the final nail in the coffin. A Macbook Air will do much better except for the low res screen (we video chat daily so a good webcam is important).

 

[Deku Tree]

Honestly on the 11" I was never bothered by the low res Air screen.

 

[NyMartin90]

So I finally got a Macbook Air 2015. I'm trying to put Win 10 on it but before I do anything I noticed my Boot Camp is not the new version 6 that supposedly came out this week. Where can I download it as it says my Boot Camp is 5.1.4 from February 2015. The App Store says everything is up to date.

Any Help?

 

[Deku Tree]

So I finally got a Macbook Air 2015. I'm trying to put Win 10 on it but before I do anything I noticed my Boot Camp is not the new version 6 that supposedly came out this week. Where can I download it as it says my Boot Camp is 5.1.4 from February 2015. The App Store says everything is up to date.

Any Help?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204990

Does that page help you?

 

[NyMartin90]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204990

Does that page help you?

that page has frustrated me since this morning lol but thanks. It doesn't tell me where to download Boot Camp Assistant 6 since the App Store is still telling my that my Boot Camp Assistant (which came stock in my computer that I opened last night (5.1.4)) is up to date. I want Boot Camp Assistant 6 so I can put on Win 10.

by the way this is my first Macbook Air and I must say it is stunning, just not used to OSX

 

[Deku Tree]

that page has frustrated me since this morning lol but thanks. It doesn't tell me where to download Boot Camp Assistant 6 since the App Store is still telling my that my Boot Camp Assistant (which came stock in my computer that I opened last night (5.1.4)) is up to date. I want Boot Camp Assistant 6 so I can put on Win 10.

by the way this is my first Macbook Air and I must say it is stunning, just not used to OSX

You still have free phone support with your 2015 Air. So you should be able to call apple support and ask them how to install boot camp 6.

And yeah the MBA is a great computer. I love mine.

Edit


http://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/13/boot-camp-windows-10-support/

BC6 may not be publically available just yet.

 

[cjp]

that page has frustrated me since this morning lol but thanks. It doesn't tell me where to download Boot Camp Assistant 6 since the App Store is still telling my that my Boot Camp Assistant (which came stock in my computer that I opened last night (5.1.4)) is up to date. I want Boot Camp Assistant 6 so I can put on Win 10.

by the way this is my first Macbook Air and I must say it is stunning, just not used to OSX

The drivers will be downloaded when you start the installation process. I'm in bed so I can't double check but one of the options should be something along the lines of install Windows 10/8 and download Bootcamp support software. It'll differ depending on how exactly you plan on installing it but it'll probably ask you to save them to a USB drive.

 

[NyMartin90]

You still have free phone support with your 2015 Air. So you should be able to call apple support and ask them how to install boot camp 6.

And yeah the MBA is a great computer. I love mine.

Thanks yea I just got off the phone with support and its weird they at first said it shouldn't matter which version it is. Then when I pressed harder they said that Boot Camp 6 hasn't been released yet, which is strange to me when I see articles like this: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/08/13/boot-camp-6/

Can anyone with a mac please check if they had a Boot Camp update this week from the App Store or even the version of their boot camp? It would help me out and I'd appreciate the help. Still don't know if I should just wait. It says that Version 6.0.0 was released on August 13th.

 

[cjp]

I updated drivers but it was through the Apple Software Update on the Windows side.

But I used the 8/8.1 drivers for Win10 install before the update was released and they worked fine.

 

[Deku Tree]

Thanks yea I just got off the phone with support and its weird they at first said it shouldn't matter which version it is. Then when I pressed harder they said that Boot Camp 6 hasn't been released yet, which is strange to me when I see articles like this: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/08/13/boot-camp-6/

Can anyone with a mac please check if they had a Boot Camp update this week from the App Store or even the version of their boot camp? It would help me out and I'd appreciate the help. Still don't know if I should just wait. It says that Version 6.0.0 was released on August 13th.

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/13/boot-camp-windows-10-support/

BC6 may not be publically available just yet according to Mac rumors. They usually get the story right.

 

[cjp]

Boot Camp Assistant != Boot Camp Support Software.

As I said, the drivers and support software will be downloaded when you start the installation process.

 

[Deku Tree]

Boot Camp Assistant != Boot Camp Support Software.

As I said, the drivers and support software will be downloaded when you start the installation process.

Yeah the Mac rumors article I quoted says the similar thing. People reporting that it will install itself on the Windows side after you've got that already set up.

 

[whitehawk]

So my 2011 21.5" iMac has become a pain to use. Sometimes it's okay, like right now browsing GAF, but others times it will become so slow and freeze up that it becomes unusable. I'm guessing a fresh factory reset will resolve most of this right?

I'm thinking of upgrading to the latest OSX, and THEN doing a factory reset. Would that work? (I'm on OSX 10.9 right now)

 

[SuperSah]

Bought a Thunderbolt>Gigabit adapter and 1TB drive for my 2015 rMBP.

Pretty nifty and adapter is easy to use, and the WD drive is pocketable as heck.

 

[NinjaCatfish]

So my 2011 21.5" iMac has become a pain to use. Sometimes it's okay, like right now browsing GAF, but others times it will become so slow and freeze up that it becomes unusable. I'm guessing a fresh factory reset will resolve most of this right?

I'm thinking of upgrading to the latest OSX, and THEN doing a factory reset. Would that work? (I'm on OSX 10.9 right now)

I'd recommend just doing a clean install to start with. Create a bootable USB with the OS X installer and then use that to install the OS.

 

[serversurfer]

So my 2011 21.5" iMac has become a pain to use. Sometimes it's okay, like right now browsing GAF, but others times it will become so slow and freeze up that it becomes unusable. I'm guessing a fresh factory reset will resolve most of this right?

I'm thinking of upgrading to the latest OSX, and THEN doing a factory reset. Would that work? (I'm on OSX 10.9 right now)

How much RAM do you have? Do you have an SSD/Fusion?

 

[Lil'DigiOp]

Two notes here, do research on the PCIe SSDs (or faster SATA cards I guess) to see what's compatible and what's worth the upgrade cost to you. And I'm not sure how much it matters, but I think Apple's Windows 10 drivers (that just came out) don't support the old Mac Pros.

Thanks for this. SATA 3 cards seem to be the easier deal esp if there is already an outdated card taking up a PCI slot. Appreciate the hint.

Good News, did some research and you can install Win10 via boot camp on older hardware, Apple is just dropping support but its still doable. Found people who are running perfectly on Mac Pros. Most people having issues are on MBPs due to the trackpad and some fn keys being wonky with drivers.

MPro gonna use USB peripherals anyway so yay! Im excited for this build!

 

[whitehawk]

I'd recommend just doing a clean install to start with. Create a bootable USB with the OS X installer and then use that to install the OS.

Any good tutorials on that? I was thinking this was the plan to follow: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18869?locale=en_US

That's the same thing as a fresh install right?

How much RAM do you have? Do you have an SSD/Fusion?

4GB of ram, no SSD.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Any good tutorials on that? I was thinking this was the plan to follow: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18869?locale=en_US

That's the same thing as a fresh install right?

4GB of ram, no SSD.

The easiest way is probably to use DiskmakerX (http://diskmakerx.com)—it'll make a bootable installer with just a few clicks if you've downloaded the one you want.

The advantage of using a USB key over the Apple KB option is you aren't downloading anything at install (so depending on your network conditions might be better to get it out of the way earlier or use something you already have on your hard drive), and you've got a copy of the OS for the future.

 

[serversurfer]

4GB of ram, no SSD.

You can use Activity Monitor to check stuff like memory pressure and paging when you're experiencing slowdowns, but I suspect you'll benefit greatly from more RAM. You're probably overloading your RAM during gaming and other "heavy usage," and that's causing pages of memory to be written out to and read from the hard drive, which is glacially slow. If you can avoid the paging, your computer should be equally snappy at all times. You can pick up 16GB for like $100.

 

[whitehawk]

You can use Activity Monitor to check stuff like memory pressure and paging when you're experiencing slowdowns, but I suspect you'll benefit greatly from more RAM. You're probably overloading your RAM during gaming and other "heavy usage," and that's causing pages of memory to be written out to and read from the hard drive, which is glacially slow. If you can avoid the paging, your computer should be equally snappy at all times. You can pick up 16GB for like $100.

I get slowdown just from browsing the web often, not gaming. I use my Windows partition for gaming anyway, and it runs much better since I don't use it often and it's less cluttered.

 

[serversurfer]

I get slowdown just from browsing the web often, not gaming. I use my Windows partition for gaming anyway, and it runs much better since I don't use it often and it's less cluttered.

Well, 4GB isn't a lot, and it doesn't cost you anything but a minute or two of your life to check your memory usage during a slowdown, but it's up to you.

 

[EmiPrime]

Doesn't help that since around Mavericks OS X has started running like arse on HDDs. I wouldn't want to run OS X these days on less than 8GB of RAM and without an SSD. It's criminal that they still sell iMacs and Minis without SSDs.

 

[japtor]

Web browsing can be a huge memory suck depending on sites and extensions and what not. Ad blockers can help in that...but can have some memory issues themselves. El Capitan's content blocking extension API is supposed to address that so hopefully it works out.

 

[The Real Abed]

Not that it's Mac related but for shits and giggles I dug my iPod touch 3G out of a drawer yesterday and turned it on for the first time. iOS 6 totally threw me back. I had forgotten how weird it looked and it wasn't even that long ago.

Actually I guess it was. We're on 9 now aren't we. So it was 2 years ago.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Not that it's Mac related but for shits and giggles I dug my iPod touch 3G out of a drawer yesterday and turned it on for the first time. iOS 6 totally threw me back. I had forgotten how weird it looked and it wasn't even that long ago.

Actually I guess it was. We're on 9 now aren't we. So it was 2 years ago.

Eh, I miss parts of it. While I understand why people hated the linen, heavy gloss, and leather stitching, I appreciate the photoreal aspects. I think what makes it look more "dated" at this point is how design preferences for thinner-stroked iconography and type has become the vogue.

 

[Deku Tree]

I like the new designs a lot. I don't miss skeuomorphism.

 

[japtor]

I still don't like the amount of ticks/gears in the Safari and Settings icons on iOS 7+. Settings in Yosemite looks fine though.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I don't miss skeuomorphism one bit.

 

[ElTorro]

I don't miss skeuomorphism one bit.

Yeah, that was one horrible design mess. I even hated the quite widespread and inconsistently applied metal theme they had years ago. I very much like the current trend to a much more unified and simple design language.

 

[Palmer27]

Anyone had any luck running dolphin emulator acceptably on macbookpros? I got LOZ: WW running at standard definition with some minimum anti-aliasting. Unfortunately the game had trouble maintaing 100% speed and made my macbook bloody hot. I haven't wanted to try it again since.

My specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core duo i7, 8gigs of ram and a modest intel HD Graphics 4000 1024 MB

I'm aware the GPU will more or less limit me to standard def emulation - however I though a fast duo core was more than capable. Anyone had any luck - without toasting their macs (thanks for any advice in advance )?