Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh

Greyface said:
I have a Synology NAS but would much rather have use it solely as a backup unit and have a Mac Pro set up as a Fusion Drive via expandable internal storage.
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Mine can't run 10.8, or I would have made a Fusion Drive in it. As it is I have 2xSSDs and 4xHDDs with everything manually partitioned and different things on different disks.

Greyface said:
I'm so disappointed that Apple dropped the ball with the new Mac Pros.
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I would have preferred internal storage too. Now, no matter what I replace the Mac Pro with, I'll also be getting external storage.
C'mon mini with a dedicated GPU...
 
Looking forward to seeing the new MBPr with Haswell and mavericks.

My current MBPr from march of this year dies too fast when running parallels off battery. Would like to see it last 6hours or so.
 
I'm glad I didn't listen to the rumours about new iMac refreshes due in June or July.

Back in mid-June I needed a new computer so bought the 2012 iMac. An analyst 'who has been right in the past' predicted a haswell update in June or July. Hasn't happened, and meanwhile I'm enjoying the heck out of my new computer.
 
Greyface said:
No Apple computers with expandable internal storage (and no suggestion as yet of Fusion Drives for the new Mac Pro either).
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It's a downside to the very few people who use it that way. When the vast majority of your users aren't actually using that space, it makes sense that they'd get rid of it. The flip side is that the pro market doesn't really have a "typical" use case; lots of people never used all those PCI slots, some people maxed out every possible slot and tray in the kit. There are certainly people being left out in the cold on that front.

Personally, I think they could have still made it very small compared to the old Pro but still sized it for 6 RAM slots and two standard 2.5" enclosures, but once they've ironed out any possible kinks I'm definitely going to grab one in a year or two. For now my 3,1 Pro has a lot of kick left in it (especially since I picked up a free Quadro 4000 to supplement my 5770.)

At least in my work environment, having Thunderbolt-based peripherals will probably save money since it'll be easy to swap I/O devices between computers, and internal storage isn't really too much of an issue since we've got a server closet full of Drobos--the only thing the two other HDDs in my Pro at work are doing is serving as an internal backup.
CrudeDiatribe said:
C'mon mini with a dedicated GPU...
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Yeah now that I've got my used Pro I'm not hurting, but I was looking at the minis to tide me over for After Effects renders until they axed the GPU. Kills the appeal of them for me.

On that subject, networking AE renders seems entirely too cumbersome a process.
 
I have said this before on Apple message boards. If you could put a dedicated GPU in the mini, what could you theoretically put in? A 740M? 1 GB? $999?
 
tsumineko said:
Think there is any chance they will update the Magic Mouse or Bluetooth keyboard?
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I don't think they could get any better than they are. Well, the keyboard is perfect. And the mouse can't get any simpler. So probably not.

The only thing that would ever happen is they make battery life better but it'd be a silent update and no one would ever know.. IF that is.
 
The Real Abed said:
I don't think they could get any better than they are. Well, the keyboard is perfect. And the mouse can't get any simpler. So probably not.

The only thing that would ever happen is they make battery life better but it'd be a silent update and no one would ever know.. IF that is.
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Yeah I agree... guess it's pretty safe to get one now if I find one cheap. If not I'll just wait and see.
 
Autumn Wind said:
I have said this before on Apple message boards. If you could put a dedicated GPU in the mini, what could you theoretically put in? A 740M? 1 GB? $999?
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I assume any mobile chip would fit it. By now I assume it would have been a GDDR5 as opposed to a DDR3 bus type.
 
The Real Abed said:
I don't think they could get any better than they are. Well, the keyboard is perfect. And the mouse can't get any simpler. So probably not.

The only thing that would ever happen is they make battery life better but it'd be a silent update and no one would ever know.. IF that is.
Click to expand...

A backlit keyboard would be nice.
 
Currently rocking an early 2009 iMac. 2.66gHz Core 2 Duo. 4GB of RAM.
Thinking of moving to a MacBook soon. I am debating between a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. I am going to get Manga Studio soon and will be doing work with that, but that has low system reqs so I think I will be fine with an Air.
Is there that much of a performance gap between the stock i5 with the Air and the i7? I already plan on jumping the RAM up to 8GB, but debating about the processor and the HDD space.
 
PhoncipleBone said:
Currently rocking an early 2009 iMac. 2.66gHz Core 2 Duo. 4GB of RAM.
Thinking of moving to a MacBook soon. I am debating between a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. I am going to get Manga Studio soon and will be doing work with that, but that has low system reqs so I think I will be fine with an Air.
Is there that much of a performance gap between the stock i5 with the Air and the i7? I already plan on jumping the RAM up to 8GB, but debating about the processor and the HDD space.
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For most common tasks, I'm not sure if processor even matters any more. Its' all about RAM and HDD (more specifically SSD).

Just note that the MAcBook Airs have JUST been updated with the new intel 4th gen Haswell chips, and the MacBooks are due sooner or later, probably sooner.

The 4th gen chips are optimised for mobile, meaning lower power and heat. the biggest advantage from this is that the Airs have extraordinary battery life (~ 12 hours).
 
The Real Abed said:
It would be. Probably e only real chance they could make. But it would kill battery, and the battery already lasts a long time. I don't see it happening.
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I've never used the backlit keyboard on my Pro in five years. I'm sure it has its uses but I touch-type anyhow and the screen usually illuminates the keyboard enough so I can see anyhow.
 
Flek said:
for ios7 beta discussion go here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=603741

i asked evilore to rename it to a general discussion too
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I had a feeling we'd use that thread. Did you ask him to lock the WWDC thread?

Fuchsdh said:
I've never used the backlit keyboard on my Pro in five years. I'm sure it has its uses but I touch-type anyhow and the screen usually illuminates the keyboard enough so I can see anyhow.
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I can't live without my backlight. I need it to help me find my home. Forget bumps on the F and J keys, I need LIGHT, Aziz! AZIZ, LIGHT!
 
gokieks said:
Probably getting some sort of a DAS/NAS unit. I personally don't care for them because their performance just aren't good enough to justify the price, but Drobos are very easy to set up (and there are other options as well).
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Did a little bit of research, and I'm wondering if for the next time I get a computer (probably not for 2 years or so), it would be a good option to buy one of these and get an SSD as the internal (assuming they are still expensive in 2 years).
 
So my mid-2012 13" Air with the i7, 256GB SSD, 8GB of ram dies pretty fast using Firefox. I run it at the second lowest brightness, backlit keys always off, and Firefox just seems to kill the thing quickly. Would using Safari or another browser be better? :/ Also, I'm running Sophos Anti-virus. I'm not really sure if it's necessary at all, though. Granted this is my first Mac experience. Any advice?
 
Windam said:
So my mid-2012 13" Air with the i7, 256GB SSD, 8GB of ram dies pretty fast using Firefox. I run it at the second lowest brightness, backlit keys always off, and Firefox just seems to kill the thing quickly. Would using Safari or another browser be better? :/ Also, I'm running Sophos Anti-virus. I'm not really sure if it's necessary at all, though. Granted this is my first Mac experience. Any advice?
Click to expand...

no anti virus stuff is needet and yes using safari (maybe even witha extension like click to flash, or better no flas at all) will helpt you.
 
The Real Abed said:
I can't live without my backlight. I need it to help me find my home. Forget bumps on the F and J keys, I need LIGHT, Aziz! AZIZ, LIGHT!
Click to expand...

Haha, some people must love it otherwise Apple would have stripped it out in the name of battery performance long ago, I'm just an odd duck I guess. I'm genuinely surprised and startled when I accidentally turn it on. "Light? From my keyboard!??"
 
Flek said:
no anti virus stuff is needet and yes using safari (maybe even witha extension like click to flash, or better no flas at all) will helpt you.
Click to expand...

Thanks. One final thing: is there a program like Revo Uninstaller to remove programs on the Mac?
 
Flek said:
no anti virus stuff is needet and yes using safari (maybe even witha extension like click to flash, or better no flas at all) will helpt you.
Click to expand...
I run Kaspersky on my macbook and mac mini. It does not hurt.

One good thing is that it scans for Windows threats as well. I transfer files between Mac OS X and Windows so it is pretty nifty that I may pick up on something prior to sending those files over to a Windows system.
 
Windam said:
Thanks. One final thing: is there a program like Revo Uninstaller to remove programs on the Mac?
Click to expand...

For the most part, apps are self-contained, and don't do a lot of screwing around with system stuff.

The best thing about having a Mac is the sort of 'leave it be' attitude you can adopt, and not have to worry about crazy maintenance routines.

For the most part.

Some apps will require specific extensions and drivers. Many will actually create .plist file (sort of a text file that contains preferences for that app), but I tend to not worry about it and just do the recommended thing of just deleting the app.

The .plist file is insignificant and doesn't cause any issues generally, and can be a boon if you ever reinstall teh app, you're back to where you left off.

That said, there are some app cleaning apps, that will remove this stuff for you. I forget what they were called. Look up Mac app cleaner or something.
 
Windam said:
Thanks. One final thing: is there a program like Revo Uninstaller to remove programs on the Mac?
Click to expand...
I use Hazel. Removing app leftovers is only an afterthought with Hazel. It's main purpose is being fucking awesome. It's $28 but it's worth every penny. One of its non-main features is watching for apps in the Trash and finding all files that might belong to it to delete as well. Optionally of course. Definitely look into it.

There are other programs whose main purpose is to do this but Hazel is soooo much more.

Fuchsdh said:
Haha, some people must love it otherwise Apple would have stripped it out in the name of battery performance long ago, I'm just an odd duck I guess. I'm genuinely surprised and startled when I accidentally turn it on. "Light? From my keyboard!??"
Click to expand...
They tried a while ago. People got really mad. They will never try that again. Hopefully. It's extremely convenient. Extreeemmely conveeenient. It's just a few LED's. The battery impact is probably really low. Plus you can set it to lowest setting and it still helps a lot in the dark.
 
Anybody have any suggestions for the best mouse to go with a Macbook Air?


I am looking for:

High DPI - preferably switchable

Programmable buttons

Wireless/Wired is not so important


I am going to be using it with programs like Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
 
Windam said:
Thanks. One final thing: is there a program like Revo Uninstaller to remove programs on the Mac?
Click to expand...

I use AppZapper on the rare occasion that there's a big application that doesn't come with a good installer. It usually catches the leftover system prefs and .plist files too.

As others have mentioned, your average Mac app you only need to trash the .app file itself. Programs like Adobe Photoshop, hardcore graphics, editing, and publishing applications might require a bit more, but usually these people are good about including installers.

Dennis said:
Anybody have any suggestions for the best mouse to go with a Macbook Air?


I am looking for:

High DPI - preferably switchable

Programmable buttons

Wireless/Wired is not so important


I am going to be using it with programs like Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
Click to expand...

I've got one of these: http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-taipan

I stick with wired because I hate dealing with Bluetooth dropouts and batteries. Really though, I've got a bog-standard Microsoft optical mouse and for all purposes except things like RTS gaming it's fine. I'm zooming in to do detailed illustration and graphics work anyhow, the extra 7000 dpi aren't doing me any good.
 
Fuchsdh said:
I've got one of these: http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-taipan

I stick with wired because I hate dealing with Bluetooth dropouts and batteries. Really though, I've got a bog-standard Microsoft optical mouse and for all purposes except things like RTS gaming it's fine. I'm zooming in to do detailed illustration and graphics work anyhow, the extra 7000 dpi aren't doing me any good.
Click to expand...

That looks like it does what I need.

I have a few questions:

Does the programmable buttons work fine on Mac?

Can the DPI be adjusted on the fly? Sometimes you need accuracy above all else.....
 
I was trying to install a second hard drive on my Macbook Pro 2010 model but one of the screws is already wearing off and Im afraid of doing anymore that would make it impossible for it to come off.

Any advice on dealing with these kinds of screws?
 
Dennis said:
That looks like it does what I need.

I have a few questions:

Does the programmable buttons work fine on Mac?

Can the DPI be adjusted on the fly? Sometimes you need accuracy above all else.....
Click to expand...

I like and use the Razer Lachesis myself. Yes to both of your questions for that model, plus there's bluetooth for when you need it, wired when you don't.
 
So I got my 2011 Macbook Air yesterday and I'm absolutely in love. It's my first mac. Any tips and tricks for OSX? Any apps I should be looking at?
 
So GAF, I bought a 2013 Haswell Macbook Air with 512 GB SSD because I want to do a 256 GB/256 GB OS X/Win 8 Bootcamp partition.

Any important pitfalls I should be aware of?
 
Dennis said:
That looks like it does what I need.

I have a few questions:

Does the programmable buttons work fine on Mac?

Can the DPI be adjusted on the fly? Sometimes you need accuracy above all else.....
Click to expand...

It's one of the devices that has a "...for Mac" designation, and it comes with its own special software. I believe you can change the DPI via a slider in system prefs.
 
Just ordered a new 13' Air with an i7, 256gb flash and 8gb ram. First time Mac User (do have an iPad and iPhone), any tips or essentials applications i must try?
 
Dennis said:
That looks like it does what I need.

I have a few questions:

Does the programmable buttons work fine on Mac?

Can the DPI be adjusted on the fly? Sometimes you need accuracy above all else.....
Click to expand...

Well, judging from your questions you don't know a lot about mouse-based gaming and are about to fall into the expensive Razer PR trap. Pro gamers use cheap to mid-priced mice, but what you need is a mouse that feels comfortable. It really depends on your grip and hand size, so you'll have to find out on your own.

Whatever you do, don't get an expensive gimmick over 9000 dpi pro hardcore ultragamermouz. Razer and Logitech both offer Mac drivers for your programmable button needs. Logitech has better build quality & warranty. Razer is pretty gimmicky, but they do make good mice like the Deathadder...just stay away from the expensive models, their sensors are actually less accurate, the dpi number only quantifies max sensitivity.
 
Dennis said:
So GAF, I bought a 2013 Haswell Macbook Air with 512 GB SSD because I want to do a 256 GB/256 GB OS X/Win 8 Bootcamp partition.

Any important pitfalls I should be aware of?
Click to expand...

none - are you happy wit the display? you could check if its an lg and add a color profile for better looks
 
So this magnetic charger on the macbook air.

Genius.

No lie. I can forgive jobs for all his misgivings jut for this thing.

It's that amazing.
 
Crazymoogle said:
It's great. But I still have no idea why they dropped the T connector. :/
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Which is the T? The one they have now is a straight out wire which looks like a T. The one they had for a few years that I loved was an L shape where the wire went straight out to the back. I miss that one. It was so much harder to knock out when you didn't want to.

Also, every single wire they've released in the past 5 years has been shit. I have an iPod cable from 2002 that is great, but my year old iPhone cable and all my other newer iPod touch cabled have shredded to pieces within 6 months. My 2007 MacBook MagSafe connector is great. But the one from my 2010 MacBook Pro and now my Air have shredded as well. I fear for the day my iPad mini's Lightning cable does this.

WTF is wrong with your quality control now, Apple? When I get home sometime I will take a picture to show how bad it is. It's terrible and I can't believe they'd let this happen.
 
The Real Abed said:
Which is the T? The one they have now is a straight out wire which looks like a T. The one they had for a few years that I loved was an L shape where the wire went straight out to the back. I miss that one. It was so much harder to knock out when you didn't want to.
Click to expand...

and that is why they changed it - the wire is ment to fly off when you trip over it so that your macbook doesnt fly off the table. with the relativly low weight air and a harder to knock off l shape cable this didn't work as good anymore
 
Hmm, I guess "L" is a better way to put it, yeah. No problem with it coming off if you trip over it but just made so much more sense in most sitting environments to not have the cable stick directly out, which as far as I can tell just (a) makes it more of a trip target and (b) puts more torque on the cable because you constantly end up bending it around chair arms and things.
 
The Real Abed said:
Which is the T? The one they have now is a straight out wire which looks like a T. The one they had for a few years that I loved was an L shape where the wire went straight out to the back. I miss that one. It was so much harder to knock out when you didn't want to.

Also, every single wire they've released in the past 5 years has been shit. I have an iPod cable from 2002 that is great, but my year old iPhone cable and all my other newer iPod touch cabled have shredded to pieces within 6 months. My 2007 MacBook MagSafe connector is great. But the one from my 2010 MacBook Pro and now my Air have shredded as well. I fear for the day my iPad mini's Lightning cable does this.

WTF is wrong with your quality control now, Apple? When I get home sometime I will take a picture to show how bad it is. It's terrible and I can't believe they'd let this happen.
Click to expand...

I'm still not entirely sure what people are doing with their cables. Of all the apple products I've had over the years, I think only one has actually failed on me.

I'm a bit more careful with my cables perhaps, beig aware the joints can wear down and break with two much stress. For example, I never wind the cables around the fold out prongs on the power adaptor - unusually just give a lot of slack at the joint and wind around the block itself.
 
The Real Abed said:
Which is the T? The one they have now is a straight out wire which looks like a T. The one they had for a few years that I loved was an L shape where the wire went straight out to the back. I miss that one. It was so much harder to knock out when you didn't want to.

Also, every single wire they've released in the past 5 years has been shit. I have an iPod cable from 2002 that is great, but my year old iPhone cable and all my other newer iPod touch cabled have shredded to pieces within 6 months. My 2007 MacBook MagSafe connector is great. But the one from my 2010 MacBook Pro and now my Air have shredded as well. I fear for the day my iPad mini's Lightning cable does this.

WTF is wrong with your quality control now, Apple? When I get home sometime I will take a picture to show how bad it is. It's terrible and I can't believe they'd let this happen.
Click to expand...

Now? Apple's cables have been always horrible. It's the soft rubbery plastic they use for the sheathing, always breaks down at the connection to the connector.
 
mrkgoo said:
I'm still not entirely sure what people are doing with their cables. Of all the apple products I've had over the years, I think only one has actually failed on me.

I'm a bit more careful with my cables perhaps, beig aware the joints can wear down and break with two much stress. For example, I never wind the cables around the fold out prongs on the power adaptor - unusually just give a lot of slack at the joint and wind around the block itself.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not sure how you can shred a 30-pin cable after six months, I've still got a drawer full of them that I've never touched because they've all lasted. The power cables do take much more punishment, but if you actually follow Apple's instructions there's not much of an issue (I would say that the fact that there have to be instructions might be a failing--the prongs do intuitively suggest tightly winding the cable, which is of course really bad for it.

On my MBP, the L-shaped Magsafe's might as well have been screwed in because they wouldn't release if I tripped on the cord.
 
SeanR1221 said:
My wife's MacBook harddrive has 190gb worth of "other". What the heck is this?
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Anything that's not an Application, Music, Movie, Photo or Backup is counted as Other. As well as anything NOT indexed in Spotlight. If you have Spotlight turned off for a disk or folder it will count as Other.

If you are still uncertain that you have hidden junk somewhere, download GrandPerspective. It'll give you a visual account of all your files.
 
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