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Kenny Logins posted:Really can't hurt to try. The unibody rule of thumb was (and still is?) at least 80% battery health for 1000 cycles (i.e. 5 years), so yours appears to be really falling short of that. Hm yeah, my AppleCare runs out in August now that I think about it, have to check my battery to see how that's doing health-wise and see if I can't find an amenable Genius to get that replaced. I really should use my MBP more 
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Jun 25, 2013 17:35
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So I've been following this thread for a week or two now.... And I'm still no closer to making a decision. I'm currently without a computer (I may have a win7 desktop on the way in a month or so?) and it's driving me crazy. Here are the things I'm mulling over. Uses: - Dual monitor - Programming - Web design - Photoshop, illustrator, etc... - Unity3D or the unreal engine? - indie game development - mobile app development - university / masters studies Considerations: - I have a pretty powerful windows desktop coming (maybe dated? 560ti vid card) - high resolutions and quality displays are important - portability is important for university use Concerns: - rMBP 13 has weak integrated graphics - MBA 13 is too weak, but maybe this doesn't matter because I have a desktop, although it seems crazy to spend 1k just for basic use/Internet. - rMBP 15 is costly and less portable - Why the hell can't I get a rMBP 13 with 16gb of ram and a dedicated graphics card?!?! Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Jun 25, 2013 18:01
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Ok, you guys have succeeded in steering me away from the cheap $40-$50 aftermarket Amazon/Ebay stuff, thanks for the input. One of you mentioned OWC though, is their $90 battery supposed to be decent? That's still a considerable savings compared to $130 for the official Apple one.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:16
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Chop Suey posted:So I've been following this thread for a week or two now.... And I'm still no closer to making a decision. I'm currently without a computer (I may have a win7 desktop on the way in a month or so?) and it's driving me crazy. Here are the things I'm mulling over. Won't your inevitable Win7 desktop handle everything except the portable issue? A 560 ti is certainly capable - it's not top-end, but definitely high-end. Unless you absolutely need a laptop right now, it makes no sense to buy any mac that doesn't have Haswell. It's likely that silent refreshes are coming.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:27
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Chop Suey posted:- MBA 13 is too weak, but maybe this doesn't matter because I have a desktop, although it seems crazy to spend 1k just for basic use/Internet. It won't seem crazy once you realize it has crazy good battery life, a working resolution that beats out 90% of crap in the same size range, and insane resale value.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:43
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Chop Suey posted:- Why the hell can't I get a rMBP 13 with 16gb of ram and a dedicated graphics card?!?! I have the exact same concerns as you, specifically this one. I don't know, on the last page I was just told it's because "most people" don't want 8gb of RAM. So I guess that's why. In all seriousness though I'm just going to wait until a better 13inch rMBP comes out. Hopefully Apple realizes I really don't want a 15inch Laptop. I mean gently caress, I don't even really want a 13inch one.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:44
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I on the other hand absolutely do need a laptop right now because the only computer I have is this dying Samsung netbook and the screen doesn't even work half the time.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:02
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carry on then posted:Yes. In three years, just about anything could happen, and it's very nice knowing you can just take your laptop into the nearest Apple store and drop it off to get it fixed without having to pay anything. I think there have even been a few anecdotes in here about machines breaking so bad the only thing the techs could do was replace it, all free under AppleCare. I got AppleCare for my 2010 Macbook. I had a good experience with phone support but a lovely one at Powell St in SF. They took 5 days or something to tell me that nothing was covered. The most profitable electronics company in the world shouldn't have such an impacted service schedule. When you want to talk to someone on the phone you can generally do it in less than 5 minutes during business hours but at lots of stores you have to wait a week or more to talk to a Genius (  at calling them that-- but that ground's been covered many times I'm sure)There was corrosion on some internal hardware and the liquid sensor was tripped. I guess something got in there but I couldn't tell you when it happened or what it was. The internal microphone doesn't work right and sometimes the displayport cable needs to be unplugged and replugged. Otherwise I've been using all these parts of it perfectly well that they said they'd have to replace if they were to work on anything. The airport card, battery... a laundry list of components that appear to have some amount of corrosion on the surface. Their estimates are ludicrous because they'd rather you bought a new computer. There's no exceptions to that practice in this industry. I don't want to pay to fix a bunch of poo poo that isn't broken and I wouldn't get applecare again in the future.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:23
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There's only a certain amount of people able to help you in the store, and they staff it well - I don't know about "more than a week for an appointment".
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Jun 25, 2013 19:34
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Chop Suey posted:So I've been following this thread for a week or two now.... And I'm still no closer to making a decision. I'm currently without a computer (I may have a win7 desktop on the way in a month or so?) and it's driving me crazy. Here are the things I'm mulling over. A 2013 Air should be able to handle everything you've mentioned quite comfortably aside from maybe the Unity3D stuff (and no notebook is going to really replace a desktop there any time soon). I don't know where you get the idea that it's "too weak" for things like Steam gaming, or iOS development, or general coding stuff, or most Adobe CS work outside of AfterEffects, or ~God forbid~ outputting to external displays (  ).You don't need a workstation-class notebook to do any of these things (and do them well). People have been developing iOS apps, playing TF2 on high, and working in Photoshop on Airs easily for the last three update cycles. You have a "pretty powerful" desktop on the way- do you really need your notebook to match it? Unless you're some kind of video professional who's constantly taking his work around the globe, a 2013 Air will be more than capable and you'll be happy with it. Its display is also really good, even though it's not "retina." You're a student. Take the extra money you would've spent on an rMBP and buy drugs or alcohol with it. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 19:38
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Electric Bugaloo posted:A 2013 Air should be able to handle everything you've mentioned quite comfortably aside from maybe the Unity3D stuff (and no notebook is going to really replace a desktop there any time soon). It was my understanding that laptops are limited in what resolutions they can handle... Based off of what I have read here and other reviews there are issues with the rMBP 13 handling higher resolutions and being laggy.... Say two 24" inch dell ultrasharp screens at 1920x1200. Is this wrong? quote:You don't need a workstation-class notebook to do any of these things (and do them well). People have been developing iOS apps, playing TF2 on high, and working in Photoshop on Airs easily for the last three update cycles. This is giving me peace of mind... Just got back from playing around in the apple store and I'm starting to lean towards a 13" air. quote:You're a student. Take the extra money you would've spent on an rMBP and buy drugs or alcohol with it.  Thanks for the info.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:54
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Chop Suey posted:It was my understanding that laptops are limited in what resolutions they can handle... Based off of what I have read here and other reviews there are issues with the rMBP 13 handling higher resolutions and being laggy.... Say two 24" inch dell ultrasharp screens at 1920x1200. Is this wrong? Well there is only one thunderbolt port on the air so you could only run one external monitor. Sounds like you might want the 13 or 15 rmbp. If you're already going the for the rmbp then get the 15. Or just deal with one external. Oh it looks like you were talking about the 13 rmbp and 2 externals. Either get the 13 air, or 15 rmbp. If you have a desktop I would much more heavily suggest the 13 air, the difference between the two in portability is huge. You can easily use the air one handed which is something I've never done with a computer before or after.
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Jun 25, 2013 20:06
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Stick100 posted:Either get the 13 air, or 15 rmbp. If you have a desktop I would much more heavily suggest the 13 air, the difference between the two in portability is huge. You can easily use the air one handed which is something I've never done with a computer before or after. Yeah the MBA rocks for people looking for a practical mainstream laptop.
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Jun 25, 2013 20:26
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Anand made a nice write up of his recommendations of mactops for most common uses http://www.anandtech.com/show/7099/best-mac-laptops-june-2013
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Jun 25, 2013 21:10
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Binary Badger posted:Yeah, we went over that already here and in the SSD thread, it happens with Macs that have the nVidia MCP79 chipset, which was nearly all iMacs and laptops from late 2007 to around 2010 models.
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Jun 25, 2013 21:48
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Chop Suey posted:This is giving me peace of mind... Just got back from playing around in the apple store and I'm starting to lean towards a 13" air. I just upgraded from my 2011/13"/i5/4GB to the 2013/13"/i7/8GB and while I'm no pro, Unity runs noticeably smoother for me compared to the 2011 model. If I start the 'AngryBots' demo project included with Unity it runs very smooth (no FPS counter, but feels like 40-60). This is also running inside the IDE fullscreen on my Dell U3011 @ 2560x1600 with the laptop screen open as well. Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6 are also more snappy and pleasant to work with...not that they were bad before but the improved graphics chip seems to be helping a lot for the resolution I run at. Anveo fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 22:03
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So now the choice is between a new Haswell MBA 13 inch with 8GB ram or a Ivy Bridge Refurbished rMBP. The rMBP is $50 more, has a much better monitor, and can support multiple external monitors. The MBA is slightly cheaper and has a far longer lasting battery. I don't see any other major differences. I won't be using it for gaming, mostly for software development, that's why I think the multiple monitors and the Retina display are kind of a big deal. The massive battery may be tempting, but I think I will go for the Retina Pro. Can the retina Macbook Pro run two 2560x1440 monitors using the Thunderbolt ports as MiniDisplay Ports, which then are used as Dual-Link DVI? I doubt I will ever get the chance to get this setup, but it's nice to think about it some times. Pseudo-God fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 22:24
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Pseudo-God posted:So now the choice is between a new Haswell MBA 13 inch with 8GB ram or a Ivy Bridge Refurbished rMBP. The rMBP is $50 more, has a much better monitor, and can support multiple external monitors. The MBA is slightly cheaper and has a far longer lasting battery. I don't see any other major differences. I won't be using it for gaming, mostly for software development, that's why I think the multiple monitors and the Retina display are kind of a big deal. The massive battery may be tempting, but I think I will go for the Retina Pro. Higher than that. Apple's own spec sheet states 2 @ 2560x1600. http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/ And if you really want to get wild, you can apparently run another off the HDMI, though I'm pretty sure that's limited to 1080p. http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/20/retina-macbook-pro-can-run-three-external-displays-simultaneously/
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Jun 25, 2013 22:39
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Pseudo-God posted:So now the choice is between a new Haswell MBA 13 inch with 8GB ram or a Ivy Bridge Refurbished rMBP. The rMBP is $50 more, has a much better monitor, and can support multiple external monitors. The MBA is slightly cheaper and has a far longer lasting battery. I don't see any other major differences. I won't be using it for gaming, mostly for software development, that's why I think the multiple monitors and the Retina display are kind of a big deal. The massive battery may be tempting, but I think I will go for the Retina Pro.
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Jun 25, 2013 22:43
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I'd really love to run two of these. The ultimate desk setup! Too bad I am poor as poo poo.
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Jun 25, 2013 22:45
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Pseudo-God posted:I'd really love to run two of these. The ultimate desk setup! Too bad I am poor as poo poo. I do that and it's awesome. Going to get a third within the year, hopefully. If you do anything that makes the real estate worth spending the money, it's so worth it.
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Jun 25, 2013 22:51
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Shmoogy posted:I do that and it's awesome. Going to get a third within the year, hopefully.
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Jun 25, 2013 22:54
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I'm getting ready to use AppleCare for the first time on my MBP 8,1. The "S" key has come loose and there appears to be dust behind the screen along with the bezel lifting off on one of the corners. 2 questions: 1. Can I just schedule an appointment at a store via the app/website or do I need to call AppleCare first? 2. My AppleCare is verified and good till 12/2014, however I don't have the AC purchase paperwork handy. This shouldn't matter since AC is tied to the MBP serial #, right?
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Jun 25, 2013 23:19
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1. Just do it at the store with the site/app. It's what the Applecare guys will do for you 2. All you need to bring is the computer
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Jun 25, 2013 23:21
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How bad is this? What am I doing wrong?
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Jun 26, 2013 02:48
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I'd like to get a general opinion on AppleTV. After I pick up my Macbook Air our entire house is going to be apple. Iphones/MacBooks/Ipads. Does AppleTV allow for any type of file I may have on the various mac device to be played in 1080p? Do I have to do anything weird like put it on ITunes and then play it or can I just say "play file X on device Y"? e: vvv thanks, I'll read that thread. Oceanlife fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Jun 26, 2013 |
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Jun 26, 2013 03:11
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You should probably look at the the Apple TV thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3481265 But basically, it's all designed to work through iTunes. iTunes-compatible or iTunes-purchased content will work seamlessly. Beyond that, you're looking at jailbreaking, Plex, or whatever else kids are doing these days to play pirated content on their Apple TVs.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:14
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Oceanlife posted:
You could technically mirror your display to the Apple TV, but I'm yet to see this play smoothly enough for it to not suck.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:33
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I won't derail too much, but it's sorta related. If you take the time to get all your media in a format iTunes likes and setup your ATV and media the way Apple likes, it's an amazing device. It's probably their most under-rated device.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:49
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Pollyanna posted:The reason I ask is to understand whether the Retina version is worth the extra $400, which is really my biggest concern, and other people's experiences with the rMBP are a good way to figure that out. Chop Suey posted:It was my understanding that laptops are limited in what resolutions they can handle... Based off of what I have read here and other reviews there are issues with the rMBP 13 handling higher resolutions and being laggy.... Say two 24" inch dell ultrasharp screens at 1920x1200. Is this wrong? Joe Don Baker posted:I won't derail too much, but it's sorta related. If you take the time to get all your media in a format iTunes likes and setup your ATV and media the way Apple likes, it's an amazing device. It's probably their most under-rated device.
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Jun 26, 2013 07:18
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gmq posted:How bad is this? 1. You're running outdated software. 2. I've had some wild readings on my old MBP in the middle of using a charge. I'd check out what it says on a full charge.
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Jun 26, 2013 11:10
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japtor posted:Lagginess had to do with the scaled modes running higher res on the built in screen (and supposedly better now, or otherwise still will get better in Mavericks apparently). It's rendering at 4x the pixels then scaling back down, kind of like full screen antialiasing for the whole OS (except for apps that draw directly to screen). For external screens without scaling it should be fine, not super powerful or anything (older Intel IGP after all) but just normal expected performance. If you can wait for it, Haswell will be a decent boost in performance there on top of the battery life improvements it'll bring. Doesn't the 15" retina have the same Intel video (in addition to the Nvidia chip) as the 13"? So whenever the 15" is running off the Intel chip, the scaling issues should be just the same or worse? I haven't noticed any scaling or performance issues on my 15" retina from 2012.
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Jun 26, 2013 12:24
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An interesting discovery I made tonight. I had a Toshiba laptop that got stepped on and the screen broke. at the time I had just bought an iMac and an iPad2 so didnt care, and thought I would throw the RAM into my iMac. it was 1066mhz DDR3, which brought my total from 4GB 1333mhz to 8GB 1066mhz (4x2GB) What was interesting is that tonight, I finally got around to replacing the screen in the laptop, and thus had to put the RAM back in to boot and test. My iMac now boots to desktop about 30% faster than previously and is behaving much snappier, even with less RAM, on 10.8.3. I can only assume this is due to the lower frequency and more than likely the 2 mis-matched SODIMMS killing the dual channel functionality. ordering some correct-spec RAM now to bring it back up and feel the full power of the future!
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Jun 26, 2013 13:12
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Ninja Rope posted:Doesn't the 15" retina have the same Intel video (in addition to the Nvidia chip) as the 13"? So whenever the 15" is running off the Intel chip, the scaling issues should be just the same or worse? I haven't noticed any scaling or performance issues on my 15" retina from 2012. This whole issue is one of those things that are only noticeable in some situations and only if you fully focus on it. It also depends on the resolution. Are you running it at 1920x1200? And obviously besides depending one what GPU is being used, it's it's also not a problem with external displays, which I'm using a lot with my rMBP. BTW, I'd love to have a 17" rMBP, crazy as that may sound.
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Jun 26, 2013 13:24
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Just want to thank everyone for the help... Ordered the refresh of the MacBook Air 13" as waiting for the pro refresh didn't really make sense especially when I already have a strong desktop. Cheers!!
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Jun 26, 2013 14:00
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Laserface posted:I can only assume this is due to the lower frequency and more than likely the 2 mis-matched SODIMMS killing the dual channel functionality. Placebo effect. 1333MHz vs 1066MHz isn't going to make a 30% difference in boot times, or much else for that matter.
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Jun 26, 2013 15:17
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I've got a white iMac with mismatched RAM (1 GB / 2 GB) that cranks through BOINC data faster than a first-generation iMac aluminum that has 4 GB and two perfectly matched DIMMs, and the aluminum is supposed to be faster (2.4 GHz vs 2.33 GHz) so I don't know either.
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Jun 26, 2013 16:36
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Is there any truth to the supposed quality difference in Samsung vs. LG displays in the new MBAs? People are always freaking out about this on the MacRumors forums, but then again it's the MacRumors forums. Still I'm slightly worried since I just bought one (but don't have it yet).
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Jun 26, 2013 17:05
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rufius posted:Got a 2013 MBA 11inch w/ i5/8GB/256GB and it's getting pretty solidly 9.5 hours of battery. I also bought an i7 MBA that I'm gonna try out for a little while to see what the battery performance is like. If it's negligible, I may just return the i5. So I've had a chance to use both the 2013 MBA 11inch that I bought. Specs are as follows:
I've just about full drained each one three times so keep that in mind that the sample set is relatively small. I found almost no difference in low to medium loads on the machine. I got roughly 9.5-10 hrs on both machines. On high loads, the i7 used more power but this was expected. Low, medium, and high loads are defined as follows.
Comments on the two machines:
TL;DR: For low-to-medium loads, there's almost no difference between the i5 and i7. For high loads, you'll see some impact in using the i7 but I find that when I'm doing a *lot* of CPU intensive work, I'm on the power charger anyway.
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Jun 26, 2013 19:46
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@rufius: Do you notice a different in heat and/or fan noise on the i5 versus i7? Also, do you find that the 11" is enough for "light" software development? (I'm also a software developer [.NET], but looking to learn more Objective-C and possibly Unity3D for iOS games, etc) My primary purpose is light gaming though (while watching TV with my wife, etc). I already have the i7, but I'm somewhat regretting the i5 just for longer battery life and supposedly less heat/noise (and getting pretty much identical graphics/gaming performance). Vinlaen fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Jun 26, 2013 |
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Jun 26, 2013 19:54
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