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Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh

L

lunch

there's ALWAYS ONE
mrkgoo said:
I've been delving into networking a bit more, and have discovered all sorts of madness.

Seriously, the two worse things in the world are doing taxes and routers.

I'm still on an ancient ADLS1 modem router - why? Because it WORKS.

There appears to be no rhyme or reason sometimes, why there are wi-fi issues. People like to think they have it all worked out because they make one change and it's 'fixed', but there's an entire range of what can be wrong.

For example, I tried a newer Linksys ADLS2 modem router. Set it up to the best of my knowledge - making sure all the settings (which by the way, are the most cryptic things ever - VCI, VC-Mux, what?), and found it to be constantly dropping. What was the issue? Well, apparently, Apple devices don't like 40Hz channels on the single 2.4GHz band. Ok, so I switch it to 20HZ. Everyting seems fine.

Then all of a sudden, a few days later, my iPad gets excruciatingly slow. Everything else is fine. After hours of research, what is the problem? Apparently, it's not talking to the DHCP, thus assigning itself an IP not within the range for the router. But why slow? Why not stop working entirely? Why after several days? Who the Hell knows. Routers are the devil.

So what is the likely problem? Well, research showed that it was pretty common for linksys routers to do this, and it has something to do with the encryption on WPA/WPA2. More specifically, the iPad probably doesn't like the way Linksys routers do AES. TKIP would probably be fine, except the router itself doesn't have aTKIP only option, even on WPA1 (WPA2 is AES only).

So it was back to my ADSL1 router.

SO yeah, slow MacBook air?

Check:
if you're on a 2,4GHZ band that you're using 20Hz, not 40Hz.
Check that your encryption WPA2 is solid - i.e. see if you get better speeds by removing wireless security altogether nd work up from there (WEP->WPA(TKIP)->WPA2)
See if mixed modes, for example on encryption or 802.11b/g/n is causing issues - many a time, the mixed modes freak out when lots of devices use different things.
Also, check your DNS settings. I found that my older router hates having to do DNS work, and I lost a bunch of features, plus got incorrect routing when the router handled it. I've resorted to just adding my DNS straight to every device.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response; I'll try out your suggestions (and look up what some of those mean).
 
R

rinse82

Member
After 20 years of using a PC, I'm switching over for my next computer purchase.

I've owned the iPad (now iPad 3), iPhone 3G (now iPhone 4), so Apple's been slowly sucking me in. Time to take the big plunge and go full Mac.

Decision now is go with the new Macbook Air 13" or wait for the inevitable iMac reboot.

I'm thinking MBA for portability, and can save some money over time for an Apple Cinema display to pair with it.
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
rinse82 said:
After 20 years of using a PC, I'm switching over for my next computer purchase.

I've owned the iPad (now iPad 3), iPhone 3G (now iPhone 4), so Apple's been slowly sucking me in. Time to take the big plunge and go full Mac.

Decision now is go with the new Macbook Air 13" or wait for the inevitable iMac reboot.

I'm thinking MBA for portability, and can save some money over time for an Apple Cinema display to pair with it.
Click to expand...

That is exactly how Apple pulled me in. I was a Microsoft user since Windows 3.0. I bought an iPhone 3G then a 4, and bought an iPad 3 in March. I knew I wanted to eventually get a Mac, and when they announced the Retina MacBook Pro I decided to bite. It was a decision I'm glad I made.
 
S

SteveWD40

Member
rinse82 said:
Decision now is go with the new Macbook Air 13" or wait for the inevitable iMac reboot.

I'm thinking MBA for portability, and can save some money over time for an Apple Cinema display to pair with it.
Click to expand...

I would go with the Air and then get a display, you can always just use a Dell one for now till you get the cinema one. Being able to be mobile can be a godsend.
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
rinse82 said:
After 20 years of using a PC, I'm switching over for my next computer purchase.

I've owned the iPad (now iPad 3), iPhone 3G (now iPhone 4), so Apple's been slowly sucking me in. Time to take the big plunge and go full Mac.

Decision now is go with the new Macbook Air 13" or wait for the inevitable iMac reboot.

I'm thinking MBA for portability, and can save some money over time for an Apple Cinema display to pair with it.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's the fanboy in me, but for the longest time, I always thought that going to mac was the natural order of things. As people often tout, the Mac is the computer 'for dummies', because it's focused on integration, simplicity and low complexity. I truly thought that the average consumer would get a lot out of making the switch, so it felt that EVENTUALLY, people would. Like there would be an extremely slow increase of mac users, especially the way Apple target certain demographics.

That said, I think windows 8 is an interesting step in consumer computing, which I think is the right direction.
 
T

tigerin

Member
is there any reason to get the 2012 macbook pro over the 2012 macbook air? people i've talked seems to favor the pro over the air.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
I think I'm the odd apple (tehe) here, as the only real reason I got an Air was because the refresh date matched with my purchasing schedule perfectly and I needed (well, wanted) a good ultraportable. None of Apples other products drew me into the flock. I still favor Windows and Android for functionality, but I can't complain about the hardware at all. Great machine.
 
O

Ovid

Member
ruxtpin said:
woo =) My new Air just shipped and should arrive on Friday. Picked up a Speck slip-case/sleeve thing off Amazon.
Click to expand...
Mine too!!! Looks I'll be returning the 4GB sooner than expected.

Does anyone know how to restore a Mac back to factory so that I can return it to the Apple Store?
 
B

bionic77

Member
ruxtpin said:
woo =) My new Air just shipped and should arrive on Friday. Picked up a Speck slip-case/sleeve thing off Amazon.
Click to expand...
Mine is also on the way. Also supposed to arrive on Friday. Haven't decided on a sleeve yet. Will probably check out some of them @ the Apple store before I make a final decision.

I am starting to hate online tracking though. It is addicting and a complete waste of time (mine has been in transit from China since last night) and yet I can't go more than a few hours without checking the dame thing.
 
Z

Zilch

Banned
Swung by the Apple Store yesterday to check the rMBP out in person... the screen is definitely beautiful and it doesn't seem like "regular" apps will too blurry/low-res which is something I was worried about. I'm not crazy about all the proprietary, un-upgradeable parts but I don't think that that is a dealbreaker.

I think as a designer/animator it is probably the computer for me.
 
E

Enco

Member
As was said earlier, the Air 13" and Retina 15" are the best options.

All the other options are irrelevant to me as they are outdone by the above.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
Any solid info on new iMacs? I am rocking a core2 duo over here and it is painful.

Just upgraded it to Loin so it is running a bit smoother, but I need more POWAR.

They are all currently i5 right?
 
B

bionic77

Member
Flo_Evans said:
Any solid info on new iMacs? I am rocking a core2 duo over here and it is painful.

Just upgraded it to Loin so it is running a bit smoother, but I need more POWAR.

They are all currently i5 right?
Click to expand...
I think the rumor is a spec bump later this summer or early fall.

Will be a silent one supposedly without any major redesign.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
bionic77 said:
I think the rumor is a spec bump later this summer or early fall.

Will be a silent one supposedly without any major redesign.
Click to expand...

hmm I just looked and you can get an i7 on the 27".

That plus a thunderbolt drive for video would be pretty smookin' I think. i7 is pretty much the current best "normal" (non-server) intel chip right now right?
 
S

SteveWD40

Member
I don't think they can improve / change the iMac form factor much really, its sort of perfect and no need to make it smaller or lighter. Ivy Bridge, maybe a SSD for the OS along with the HDD, Blu-Ray? Would be a good upgrade.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
SteveWD40 said:
I don't think they can improve / change the iMac form factor much really, its sort of perfect and no need to make it smaller or lighter. Ivy Bridge, maybe a SSD for the OS along with the HDD, Blu-Ray? Would be a good upgrade.
Click to expand...

You can get an SSD as an (expensive) option now.

I am mainly looking for performance, it looks great as is.

The 27" would be nice too...
 
B

bionic77

Member
Flo_Evans said:
hmm I just looked and you can get an i7 on the 27".

That plus a thunderbolt drive for video would be pretty smookin' I think. i7 is pretty much the current best "normal" (non-server) intel chip right now right?
Click to expand...
It is sandy bridge now.

They are going to up it to ivy bridge later which has a little more oomph.
 
A

Auron_Kale

Member
Never did bother to get the 13" mbp last year and since my mom's mb died, I really need to get a new computer soon.

Debating between which version of the 13" mba I want to get right now as getting the one with 8 gigs of RAM is nice for future-proofing but I also realized that 4 gigs is more than enough for my computing needs.

Ugh... regardless I'll be getting the $1499 version and sign up for One-to-One since I have to manage what's on my PB & external HDD with my itunes library.
 
T

taoofjord

Member
Anyone experiencing some sluggishness with the base Retina MacBook Pro?

I just got mine today. The screen is gorgeous but OSX seems to run a little choppy on it. I may return it if this is something that doesn't get fixed in the next few weeks. Also ran a couple indie games and wasn't impressed with the performance.
 
A

Alchemy

Member
taoofjord said:
Anyone experiencing some sluggishness with the base Retina MacBook Pro?

I just got mine today. The screen is gorgeous but OSX seems to run a little choppy on it. I may return it if this is something that doesn't get fixed in the next few weeks. Also ran a couple indie games and wasn't impressed with the performance.
Click to expand...

Are you trying to run the games at native res? That is going to happen (assuming those games even recognize it). I also seem to recall that MBRs had sluggishness but that was fixed recently? Not sure.
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
taoofjord said:
Anyone experiencing some sluggishness with the base Retina MacBook Pro?

I just got mine today. The screen is gorgeous but OSX seems to run a little choppy on it. I may return it if this is something that doesn't get fixed in the next few weeks. Also ran a couple indie games and wasn't impressed with the performance.
Click to expand...

I've had mine for a few days and haven't run into any issues with it.
 
T

taoofjord

Member
Alchemy said:
Are you trying to run the games at native res? That is going to happen (assuming those games even recognize it). I also seem to recall that MBRs had sluggishness but that was fixed recently? Not sure.
Click to expand...


I believe Diablo 3 is supposed to be able to run maxed at appoximately 30fps at native res but mine stutters and rarely seems to hit 30, even at town.

The fix you're thinking of had to do with the trackpad, unfortunately.
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
taoofjord said:
I believe Diablo 3 is supposed to be able to run maxed at appoximately 30fps at native res but mine stutters and rarely seems to hit 30, even at town.

The fix you're thinking of had to do with the trackpad, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure that every video I looked at of Diablo running at 2800 x 1880 showed that it would run between 20-25 fps, with it hitting 30 every so often.
 
A

Ambitious

Member
MBPR order being processed, about 35 days until delivery. Ugh.
I'm thinking about selling my old MBP to compensate for the price of the new one a bit. It's Late 2007, the last non-unibody model. 15", 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, upgraded to 4GB of RAM. According to Mac2Sell, the resell value is 630€. How reliable is this calculation?

Generally speaking, it's in a good condition. There's a small scratch on the 'N' key, the dvd burner doesn't work and the battery capacity has decreased severely. Apart from this, it's like new.

What do you think, would about 500-550€ be a feasible price for reselling?


taoofjord said:
Anyone experiencing some sluggishness with the base Retina MacBook Pro?

I just got mine today. The screen is gorgeous but OSX seems to run a little choppy on it. I may return it if this is something that doesn't get fixed in the next few weeks. Also ran a couple indie games and wasn't impressed with the performance.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere on GAF that someone experienced this in an Apple Store too, and one of the employees quickly installed an update which solved the problem. Don't know if this update is publicly available. If not, Mountain Lion will certainly fix this.
 
B

bionic77

Member
Don't expect to buy a first gen Apple product if you are not prepared to deal with some serious limitations and problems. Definitely a early adopter tax.

Apple usually gets it right in the first update (or sometimes the second one).

On the other hand you are going to at the forefront of tech for a year before Apple comes out and absolutely breaks your heart with the newer model.
 
T

taoofjord

Member
Ambitious said:
MBPR order being processed, about 35 days until delivery. Ugh.
I'm thinking about selling my old MBP to compensate for the price of the new one a bit. It's Late 2007, the last non-unibody model. 15", 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 250GB HDD, upgraded to 4GB of RAM. According to Mac2Sell, the resell value is 630€. How reliable is this calculation?

Generally speaking, it's in a good condition. There's a small scratch on the 'N' key, the dvd burner doesn't work and the battery capacity has decreased severely. Apart from this, it's like new.

What do you think, would about 500-550€ be a feasible price for reselling?




I read somewhere on GAF that someone experienced this in an Apple Store too, and one of the employees quickly installed an update which solved the problem. Don't know if this update is publicly available. If not, Mountain Lion will certainly fix this.
Click to expand...

That update is for the trackpad's performance, not the OS.

And, I'm just curious, what makes you think Mountain Lion would fix this? Have they mentioned performance improvements in it?
 
L

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
bionic77 said:
Don't expect to buy a first gen Apple product if you are not prepared to deal with some serious limitations and problems. Definitely a early adopter tax.

Apple usually gets it right in the first update (or sometimes the second one).

On the other hand you are going to at the forefront of tech for a year before Apple comes out and absolutely breaks your heart with the newer model.
Click to expand...
I've been looking closely, and there really doesn't seem to be any head banging issues identified with MBPR. I guess it's because it borrows a lot of what they have learned with MBA. From everything I've seen, it's one of the best laptops you can buy right now
 
A

Ambitious

Member
taoofjord said:
That update is for the trackpad's performance, not the OS.

And, I'm just curious, what makes you think Mountain Lion would fix this? Have they mentioned performance improvements in it?
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry. Didn't even know about trackpad performance problems.

As for Mountain Lion: I didn't read anything specifically about the MBPR, but according to those who tried the Developer Previews (also on GAF), it works much faster than Lion.
 
T

The_Inquisitor

Member
Lord Error said:
I've been looking closely, and there really doesn't seem to be any head banging issues identified with MBPR. I guess it's because it borrows a lot of what they have learned with MBA. From everything I've seen, it's one of the best laptops you can buy right now
Click to expand...

1st generation product just wait. Part of reason I decided to go back to the MBA.
 
njean777

njean777

Member
Enco said:
As was said earlier, the Air 13" and Retina 15" are the best options.

All the other options are irrelevant to me as they are outdone by the above.
Click to expand...

The regular 15in beats the retina in benchmarks, so it is not outdone. Sure you have the pretty screen, but when it comes to max power the 15 in regular pro is still the best bang for your buck.
 
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