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Khablam posted:On par with: lol Maybe if you let the Air drag down the average.
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Mar 16, 2017 12:37
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I've been tasked with finding a refurb MacBook Pro for my girlfriend for work/grad school and I really don't know much about mac laptops at all. The specs I was given are simply has to be a 15" screen, and will be used for heavy MS Office/Law School research and needs to be able to run light Photoshop/Vectorworks (Vectorworks in an emergency, so not daily but just in case something goes very wrong at work) "without turning into a shiny brick". No gaming. How low can I go on the specs to keep costs down (ideally sub $1k but I don't know anything about macs) but still be able to work as intended? It seems like price on the refurbs is mostly tied to the CPU? Should I be looking at sites like macofalltrades for refurbs?
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Mar 16, 2017 15:15
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No, refurbs you want to buy directly from Apple. Google 'refurb tracker' it will let you know when certain models are in stock. $1k is pushing it, though. Not sure Apple will sell one that cheap. A base 15 inch rMBP will be fine for that workload, more than fine really, it's a great machine, the cost in the 15 inch comes from adding a dGPU and lots of storage. Without a dGPU and minimal storage, it's still a very capable machine, but it's not a < $1k machine. If you want to get a used Macbook you can find decent ones on eBay if you shop carefully (post the link in this thread I guess and we can help you judge) but since it's going to be for work/school I think it'd probably be better to get a refurb direct from Apple so you have the warranty.
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Mar 16, 2017 15:22
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tuyop posted:That is an extremely expensive 1-2TB external drive, though I covet those speeds for sure. What do you use it for? $100 less than the Samsung T3, which isn't a mini-RAID array.. use it for VMs and deploying system upgrades, boots really fast on most modern Macs, also for quickly backing up machines with dying hard drives where time is essential..
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Mar 16, 2017 15:24
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Pivo posted:No, refurbs you want to buy directly from Apple. Google 'refurb tracker' it will let you know when certain models are in stock. $1k is pushing it, though. Not sure Apple will sell one that cheap. A base 15 inch rMBP will be fine for that workload, more than fine really, it's a great machine, the cost in the 15 inch comes from adding a dGPU and lots of storage. Without a dGPU and minimal storage, it's still a very capable machine, but it's not a < $1k machine. This is all great to know. Would an Air be able to do these things as well, assuming I could find a 15" refurb on that as well? Good to know about the <$1k thing. I could go a bit higher if it's necessary, I was just ballparking given what we were looking at the other day. Edit: I mean, going down to a 13" there is an Air refurb listed as Originally released March 2015 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory 256GB PCIe-based flash storage 720p FaceTime HD Camera Intel HD Graphics 6000 Versus a 13" MBP refurb listed as Originally released October 2016 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSD 720p FaceTime HD Camera Intel Iris Graphics 540 So what, better graphics card (and slightly better RAM speed/storage) but that should be of little/no importance given the work requirements, right? Fhqwhgads fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Mar 16, 2017 |
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Mar 16, 2017 15:35
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Binary Badger posted:$100 less than the Samsung T3, which isn't a mini-RAID array.. use it for VMs and deploying system upgrades, boots really fast on most modern Macs, also for quickly backing up machines with dying hard drives where time is essential.. Yeah, I use a T3 for the same. It was wicked fast on the low-end model of the 2016 rMBP. It's also plenty fast on my 2014 rMBP as well (albeit USB3.0 speeds instead of USB3.1). I did have to move back to my 2014 rMBP, because apparently a quad-core i7 and 16 GB of memory is much better with VMs than a dual-core i5 with 8GB of memory. I mean, I knew there would be an impact, I just didn't think it would be as big as the one I got. I should have purchased a 15", but I wanted to see if I could get away with a lower end and no touch-bar (I could not). I do totally love the keyboard and trackpad on the new ones, and the screen looks great. I'll probably gift the 13" to my niece and look for a refurb when they hit the stores.
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Mar 16, 2017 15:40
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Fhqwhgads posted:This is all great to know. Would an Air be able to do these things as well, assuming I could find a 15" refurb on that as well? Good to know about the <$1k thing. I could go a bit higher if it's necessary, I was just ballparking given what we were looking at the other day. No such thing as a 15" air. If she's dead set on a 15" screen it's going to have to be a MPB. For what it's worth, if she's doing a lot of text editing the 15" screen is worth it. I used a 15" MBP all through grad school in history for just that reason. In my case I would frequently work with multiple documents at once, and 15" was just about the perfect size for getting two word docs or a .doc plus a .pdf side by side at a useful size.
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Mar 16, 2017 15:41
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Cyrano4747 posted:No such thing as a 15" air. If she's dead set on a 15" screen it's going to have to be a MPB. (Didn't realize 15" Airs did not exist) I edited my post to note the 13" refurbs (there are no 15" refurbs on Apple's site right now) but this is really helpful actually. (I'm also not a laptop person at all, never had one, always desktops so I don't think of these things). Yes, there will be a LOT of text editing going on.
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Mar 16, 2017 15:46
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Fhqwhgads posted:(Didn't realize 15" Airs did not exist) I edited my post to note the 13" refurbs (there are no 15" refurbs on Apple's site right now) but this is really helpful actually. (I'm also not a laptop person at all, never had one, always desktops so I don't think of these things). Yes, there will be a LOT of text editing going on. YEah, 15" all the way then. You CAN text edit on a 13" screen, but personally it drives me nuts. Those extra two inches are a pretty big quality of life boost (  ).
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Mar 16, 2017 15:49
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Binary Badger posted:https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/03/13/apple-inc-building-graphics-chip-team-in-the-uk.aspx The only "dividends" I could see based on that article would be Apple putting their own processors and graphics cards in laptops and basically turning them into iPad Pros with permanently attached keyboards. I just don't see a comment like "the pro area is very important to us" actually having any meaning behind it.
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Mar 16, 2017 16:04
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There's been talk of Apple using their own processors in MBPs for years now and it just never happens
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Mar 16, 2017 16:19
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Fhqwhgads posted:This is all great to know. Would an Air be able to do these things as well, assuming I could find a 15" refurb on that as well? Good to know about the <$1k thing. I could go a bit higher if it's necessary, I was just ballparking given what we were looking at the other day. If there's going to be a lot of time spent staring at the screen. the rMBP is much, much easier on the eyes than the Air's screen. Less strain = ability to spend more time staring = slightly better productivity? rMBP will be better for Vectorworks; see if you can get a 512 GB SSD, 256 GB might be a little tight if you're editing a lot of poo poo. Remember that Photoshop always opens a VM file 3X the size of your original documents. MacBook Air will have longer battery life at cost of speed; both 13-inch rMBP and Air are equal in weight (3.02 lbs vs. 2.96 lbs)
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Mar 16, 2017 16:38
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If you're primarily using the machine for document editing and Photoshop, 100% buy a 15" Pay the extra price, they'll last you for years and you won't regret buying the smaller model to save a few hundred dollars
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Mar 16, 2017 16:50
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Quantum of Phallus posted:There's been talk of Apple using their own processors in MBPs for years now and it just never happens Does the touch bar & Touch ID module count? 
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Mar 16, 2017 18:24
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FCKGW posted:I get ads for OneDrive in explorer now and cannot defer updates and Windows will forcefully reboot my machine if it's idle for any period of time. Both of those are very easily fixed.
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Mar 16, 2017 19:33
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Quantum of Phallus posted:If you're primarily using the machine for document editing and Photoshop, 100% buy a 15" This is the direction we're going in, especially the idea of paying a bit more for something that will last. Her current laptop is going on 7 years old and still does what she needs it to do.
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Mar 16, 2017 19:50
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Prescription Combs posted:Both of those are very easily fixed. Maybe don't put ads in the first place and Microsoft helpfully removed deferred updates in the creators update so you can't fix that one.
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Mar 17, 2017 18:24
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Windows is just so odd sometimes. It gets the major things right, but the little stuff - like activation are hosed up. I was unable to activate my last two legally purchased copies of Windows. The first time Microsoft just threw up their hands and said, "oh well" forcing me to pirate a key to get full functionality. The second time they at least gave me another serial that did work. But there shouldn't have been a first time. I haven't seen ads yet in Windows 10. I think they gave me a higher trim version of 10. Maybe it's just the basic edition folks who get intrusive advertising.
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Mar 17, 2017 19:00
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Krispy Kareem posted:I am enjoying my new refurb 13 inch MBPNTB. The lack of ports hasn't annoyed me yet. With the exception of the fact that I have a lot of encrypted USB storage at work, I absolutely love my 13 MBPTB. Got it kitted out with 16GB RAM and a fat SSD and now I hate my 2013 rMBP at home. Really starting to wish I could justify upgrading it. I thought I would hate the keyboard but I love it. I thought I would hate the touchbar (I use vi all the time) but I love it. I thought I'd hate battery life but it's great. I thought I'd miss my full size USB ports but.. oh.. well, still mostly a hit!
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Mar 17, 2017 20:08
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So I stopped by the Fruit Stand and wow I really like the current iMac models. Those screens are incredible. How well do they run with the scaling turned off? (so resolution pushed to max) Running a bunch of stuff side by side would be pretty great I think.
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Mar 18, 2017 02:02
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Arivia posted:So I stopped by the Fruit Stand and wow I really like the current iMac models. Those screens are incredible. How well do they run with the scaling turned off? (so resolution pushed to max) Running a bunch of stuff side by side would be pretty great I think. Scaling doesn't mean it's running at a lower resolution. Text still renders at the native res, at least for compliant apps. It just means 10 pixels are 20 physical pixels or what have you. With scaling off you won't be able to see anything because for example 12 point font will be 12 literal pixels tall and that's loving tiny on a 5k 27 inch panel. Don't try running games at the native res tho.
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Mar 18, 2017 02:08
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What is the most likely cause of frequent kernel panics in a 2013 rMBP 15"? The log files do not indicate any consistent pattern to which application causes the panic so I'm guessing bad RAM... Anyone had experience like this and how much did it cost to fix at the fruit stand?
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Mar 18, 2017 02:17
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Smashing Link posted:What is the most likely cause of frequent kernel panics in a 2013 rMBP 15"? The log files do not indicate any consistent pattern to which application causes the panic so I'm guessing bad RAM... Anyone had experience like this and how much did it cost to fix at the fruit stand? Bad ram or video - it'll be a motherboard replacement either way
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Mar 18, 2017 02:41
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I'm thinking about fixing up a 2010 MacBook (A1342) I've got lying around. Any recommendations for a battery?
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Mar 18, 2017 15:00
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Anker or Nupower
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Mar 18, 2017 18:10
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Arivia posted:So I stopped by the Fruit Stand and wow I really like the current iMac models. Those screens are incredible. How well do they run with the scaling turned off? (so resolution pushed to max) Running a bunch of stuff side by side would be pretty great I think.
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Mar 18, 2017 18:23
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I have to imagine that the Buyer's Guide is going to show all but one Mac model as "DON'T BUY" at any given time until Apple shuts down for good.
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Mar 18, 2017 18:34
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fleshweasel posted:I have to imagine that the Buyer's Guide is going to show all but one Mac model as "DON'T BUY" at any given time until Apple shuts down for good. RIP Fruit Company. Thought of actually creating good hardware and died.
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Mar 18, 2017 18:54
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fleshweasel posted:I have to imagine that the Buyer's Guide is going to show all but one Mac model as "DON'T BUY" at any given time until Apple shuts down for good. Eventually Apple will drag the average up so far that it encompasses multiple models.
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Mar 18, 2017 19:04
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Smashing Link posted:What is the most likely cause of frequent kernel panics in a 2013 rMBP 15"? The log files do not indicate any consistent pattern to which application causes the panic so I'm guessing bad RAM... Anyone had experience like this and how much did it cost to fix at the fruit stand? Could also be a lovely kernel extension driver for something. Logitech's causes a MBP of to hang a bunch.
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Mar 18, 2017 19:39
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TACD posted:Just in case you're not aware, the iMacs haven't been updated in almost a year and a half. If you can wait, you'll be able to get a much better machine when Apple (hopefully) updates them (though I wouldn't be surprised if any new iMacs also lose all their ports). Yep, I'm waiting until the refresh. I just went to the Fruit Stand because I'm not very familiar with the iMac form factor - though a couple minutes spent definitely sold me on getting one when it comes out.
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Mar 18, 2017 20:36
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Arivia posted:Yep, I'm waiting until the refresh. I just went to the Fruit Stand because I'm not very familiar with the iMac form factor - though a couple minutes spent definitely sold me on getting one when it comes out. At this point I'd wait as well, but this fall when I was looking to get a new machine I had to grab one. I did, and it's literally the best computer I've ever opened. I can't recommend one enough, especially for photo editing and any text heavy use. (I'm a publisher).
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Mar 18, 2017 21:05
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The haptic engine in the new touchpad is really incredible except it sounds like a touchpad that's worn out and is about to fail. Which is remarkable since nothing is actually moving, but if my old MBP sounded like this I'd be concerned. I wish we had a more satisfying click.
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Mar 19, 2017 00:41
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lol if you ever actually have to physically click stuff with an mbp touchpad
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Mar 19, 2017 01:12
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Tap to click for life
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Mar 19, 2017 01:15
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Quantum of Phallus posted:Tap to click for life  my best tip for everyone with an apple touchpad: go to accessibility -> mouse & trackpad -> trackpad options -> enable dragging with three fingers Bulgogi Hoagie fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Mar 19, 2017 |
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Mar 19, 2017 01:18
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Bulgogi Hoagie posted:lol if you ever actually have to physically click stuff with an mbp touchpad When I went to the Fruit Stand every trackpad had tap to click turned off. It was horrifying.
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Mar 19, 2017 01:18
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It's off by default, I think.
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Mar 19, 2017 01:21
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Biodome posted:It's off by default, I think. It is, and thank god for that.
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Mar 19, 2017 01:22
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seriously tho the tap to click + double click with two fingers + three finger drag makes using the trackpad incredibly fast and i now prefer it to a mouse
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Mar 19, 2017 01:23
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