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My year-and-a-half-old 16" M1 Pro is still a delight and way more computer than my usage patterns (which are NOT lightweight) put on it. The only thing that will cause me to want to upgrade it any sooner than like 5 years from now is apparently that the top case develops permanent handprints 
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Jun 11, 2023 17:26
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Data Graham posted:My year-and-a-half-old 16" M1 Pro is still a delight and way more computer than my usage patterns (which are NOT lightweight) put on it. No ring
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Jun 11, 2023 17:30
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In a quest to actually put my M2 Max to task I’ve started puttering with LLM/AI nonsense. I wish I cared about it because it’s drat good at it. That said the entire scene is a mess in about every way so actually finding out what works and how/why is an unholy mess. Is anyone here puttering with this stuff?
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Jun 11, 2023 19:08
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Warbird posted:In a quest to actually put my M2 Max to task I’ve started puttering with LLM/AI nonsense. I wish I cared about it because it’s drat good at it. That said the entire scene is a mess in about every way so actually finding out what works and how/why is an unholy mess. Is anyone here puttering with this stuff? As soon as I order a new laptop (next 6-8 weeks) I will be! Curious how diffusion Bee runs on your machine too.
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Jun 11, 2023 21:35
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I don’t have a drat clue what that is (too many platforms too man models) but post a link and I’ll let you know. E - Got around to digging it up. Seems to be a frontend deal like AUTOMATIC1111 but with fewer knobs to tweak and levers to pull (this isn't necessarily a bad thing). It generated an image from the prompt "a butt" in about 10 seconds with all the usually uncanny horror you'd expect. People sure can get some stuff out of these deals but the amount of work that goes into tweaking a prompt to be just so just isn't goddamn worth it imo. Warbird fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 01:21
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https://youtu.be/HlYn2fVfl1M
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Jun 12, 2023 03:38
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teraflame posted:DPreview says that the only true 10-bit panel is Pro display XDR. The rest uses 8-bit +FRC. Sure, if that's your criteria the Pro Display's the only one. But there aren't too many use cases where you absolutely have to have true 10-bit, and those are exactly the set of people who are ready and willing to pay $6K+ for a pro-grade display, so vOv.
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Jun 12, 2023 05:28
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BobHoward posted:Sure, if that's your criteria the Pro Display's the only one. But there aren't too many use cases where you absolutely have to have true 10-bit, and those are exactly the set of people who are ready and willing to pay $6K+ for a pro-grade display, so vOv. That’s the rub. Digital cinema is 10bit. Why can’t we have that at home ityool 2023? HDR is becoming more standard more consumer. People need to be able to edit and author HDR content. People at home not just studios with big $$$. I would expect at a minimum MacBook pros to be native 10bit displays relatively soon.
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Jun 12, 2023 06:13
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Ended up picking up a mac mini - at the very least to take it for a 14 day test drive (thanks thread). I really like macOS. It also turns out I'm eligible for an education discount, which helped. But that discount means I can also just spring for an M2 MBA, which is really tempting me, as it seems like I could still use it docked as a desktop replacement, and, obviously, have a full proper computer on the go. It would however mean trading in my 11' iPad pro and magic keyboard. I love the high refresh rate of that thing, and the fact that I can take it out the keyboard and read books and articles in bed. But I suppose it is a luxury item (for a non-visual artist like me - I don't even own an apple pencil) in the way that a laptop probably isn't. Is the display on the MBA significantly better/worse than the 11' M1 iPad pro? Is there some hassle to do with docking/undocking from an external display on the reg that I should know about? Am I likely to see big performance dips with this fanless design if it gets used to drive a 1440p, 120hz monitor? Would my eyes used to the gauche luxury of the ipads 120hz screen ever readjust to a 60hz MBA display? Grateful for anyone to talk some sense into me either way before this 2 week return window dries up.
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Jun 12, 2023 09:23
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The Grumbles posted:Ended up picking up a mac mini - at the very least to take it for a 14 day test drive (thanks thread). I really like macOS. It also turns out I'm eligible for an education discount, which helped. But that discount means I can also just spring for an M2 MBA, which is really tempting me, as it seems like I could still use it docked as a desktop replacement, and, obviously, have a full proper computer on the go. It would however mean trading in my 11' iPad pro and magic keyboard. I love the high refresh rate of that thing, and the fact that I can take it out the keyboard and read books and articles in bed. But I suppose it is a luxury item (for a non-visual artist like me - I don't even own an apple pencil) in the way that a laptop probably isn't. why would you need to get rid of your iPad? It’s like a $200-300 difference between a Mini and an Air.
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Jun 12, 2023 10:54
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Ok Comboomer posted:why would you need to get rid of your iPad? It’s like a $200-300 difference between a Mini and an Air. It’s a Ł500 difference between the m2 mini and the m2 air. (and 500 dollars in the usa so i don’t know where you’re getting that price point). also why is it whenever someone asks for advice in this thread and says ‘here is the exact upper end of what i can afford and how i can afford it’ there’s always a response saying ‘just spend hundreds of pounds/dollars extra instead’
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Jun 12, 2023 11:04
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The Grumbles posted:It’s a Ł500 difference between the m2 mini and the m2 air. (and 500 dollars in the usa so i don’t know where you’re getting that price point). I thought you were considering the M1 models. You can currently get a base M1 Air for $850 on Amazon, which is roughly $300 away from the base price of a Mac Mini. Less if you go refurbished/preowned (btw have you looked at SAMart/etc?) If money is this much of a bottleneck for you, then I probably wouldn’t be looking at M2 models, even refurbs
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Jun 12, 2023 11:30
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Money is a bottleneck for most people. That's why it's money. And why I'm trying to figure out which of these is right for me because I can't afford them all, but can afford one (either an M2 MBA or a mac mini and iPad Pro). I don't think it's helpful to suggest that someone spends over their budget, and then when they push back to suggest they're too poor to be having the conversation about the thing they say they can afford if they trade in some other thing. Like, I would still need to sell something (probably my ipad pro) if I wanted an M1 macbook in any case (which I don't, because I could then afford an M2 via education pricing anyway, and they are newer, more powerful, and more beautiful looking). Why are you like this The Grumbles fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 11:35
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The Grumbles posted:also why is it whenever someone asks for advice in this thread and says ‘here is the exact upper end of what i can afford and how i can afford it’ there’s always a response saying ‘just spend hundreds of pounds/dollars extra instead’ I’m sorry, have you given an “exact upper end” to what you can afford? afaik you came in here saying you wanted a base M1 Mini but could spring for an M2 Air by selling your tablet. That’s a pretty wide range, like you’ve said, and could mean any number of things. my counteroffer is “maybe you can buy an M1 Air, possibly refurbished or preowned, for more than an M1 Mini but less than an M2 Air, and maybe not have to sell your iPad, or only have to sell the MC” for starters it would help if you actually gave us a number budget, and also maybe told us a little bit more about how you plan to use the computer. You mention that you have a Win11 desktop. Is that just gonna be for gaming?
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Jun 12, 2023 11:46
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Ok Comboomer posted:I’m sorry, have you given an “exact upper end” to what you can afford? Generally, if somebody says 'I can afford to buy X if I sell Y and Z', then that is what they can afford to do. I've bought an M2 mac mini, which I am debating returning for a Macbook Air, which would be possible if I also sold my iPad pro and magic keyboard. I phrased it like this, with a binary choice and some specific questions, because this is what I can afford. I was really looking for answers to those questions - the benefits/comparisons between the ipad and the macbook, and between the macbook air and the mac mini - to help me make that decision. I don't have an extra 300 quid to spend without selling those things, which is why I have asked these questions. This is exhausting. The Grumbles fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 12:10
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This really isn’t that complicated. If you’re getting a Mac for gaming, don’t. Just get a pc. It will cost thousands more than the pc to get a mac that’s half as good as a PC for gaming. If it’s not for gaming, any Mac with 16GB is likely going to serve your needs just fine for the foreseeable future and 32 GB is only a little bit more money. The vast majority of what people use their computers for doesn’t actually need the processing power we throw at stuff so just get a decent machine and be done with it. If you’re doing video editing or CAD go higher end. Photoshop, software development, web development? Any m1 with 16/32gb is fine. Just get the computer that feels the best to use. Edit: in short, every Mac currently available (with 16GB or more of memory) will serve 99% of people well for the next few years. Just get the one you like the form of that meets your budget. GutBomb fucked around with this message at 12:32 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 12:30
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GutBomb posted:This really isn’t that complicated. If you’re getting a Mac for gaming, don’t. Just get a pc. It will cost thousands more than the pc to get a mac that’s half as good as a PC for gaming. If it’s not for gaming, any Mac with 16GB is likely going to serve your needs just fine for the foreseeable future and 32 GB is only a little bit more money. The vast majority of what people use their computers for doesn’t actually need the processing power we throw at stuff so just get a decent machine and be done with it. I don't think this is aimed at me, but just in case (as the last few posts got a bit muddled), I'm not getting a mac for gaming. I've got a windows gaming PC that I'm happy with that now lives under the TV. edit: Anyway, sorry for the detour. Still keen to hear people's thoughts on the below, if they they have any experience with the two devices. This is the crossroads I'm at currently. As I say, I really just write for a living, light computing really. Edit podcasts once in a blue moon (which the iPad pro handled without a hitch, beyond the occasional app bug) quote:Is the display on the MBA significantly better/worse than the 11' M1 iPad pro? Is there some hassle to do with docking/undocking from an external display on the reg that I should know about? Am I likely to see big performance dips with this fanless design if it gets used to drive a 1440p, 120hz monitor? Would my eyes used to the gauche luxury of the ipads 120hz screen ever readjust to a 60hz MBA display? The Grumbles fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 12:48
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The Grumbles posted:I don't think this is aimed at me, but just in case (as the last few posts got a bit muddled), I'm not getting a mac for gaming. I've got a windows gaming PC that I'm happy with that now lives under the TV. It was aimed at you, you’ve been really vague about what you’re gonna do with the computer you want so I was covering all bases.
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Jun 12, 2023 12:52
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Shaocaholica posted:That’s the rub. Digital cinema is 10bit. Why can’t we have that at home ityool 2023? HDR is becoming more standard more consumer. People need to be able to edit and author HDR content. People at home not just studios with big $$$. I would expect at a minimum MacBook pros to be native 10bit displays relatively soon. You know that consumers at home can just... author HDR content anyways? Nobody sends you to Color Correction Jail if you edit a youtube video while using 8-bit FRC LCDs. People at home are not color grading to cinematic standards, and even if they had the equipment they probably wouldn't get the results. I don't expect native 10-bit panels in MBPs until Apple can do it without significant extra cost or power consumption.
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Jun 12, 2023 12:58
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GutBomb posted:It was aimed at you, you’ve been really vague about what you’re gonna do with the computer you want so I was covering all bases. Sure. I guess I'm just asking specific questions about screen quality and MBA-as-desktop performance because those are the things that'll most help me figure out my setup, because I know that I an either afford - a base model 8GB/256 MBA, or the current setup of a base m2 mac mini and M1 11' ipad pro, because those are the two options I like the most and can afford. I'm not really looking to, nor am I in a financial position to, consider anything else.
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Jun 12, 2023 12:59
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The Grumbles posted:Sure. I guess I'm just asking specific questions about screen quality and MBA-as-desktop performance because those are the things that'll most help me figure out my setup, because I know that I an either afford - a base model 8GB/256 MBA, or the current setup of a base m2 mac mini and M1 11' ipad pro, because those are the two options I like the most and can afford. I'm not really looking to, nor am I in a financial position to, consider anything else. You should probably just keep what you have because it costs less than your alternative and you don’t have a good reason to switch. There is no use case you gain that you are missing with what is in your house. Most people like to spend less money for the same features, it’s kinda the nature of money.
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Jun 12, 2023 13:21
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The MBA and the Mac mini have the same cpu in them. The performance will be identical for all meaningful purposes. An M2 is an M2 no matter what it’s been put in. The only difference is the mini has a fan, which will make a small difference in workloads which require sustained high load - for the typical home user the only thing that will do that is a video game. The screen on the mba is probably one of the best you’ll get in a 13” laptop; but it’s still a 13” screen. Compared to the iPad Pro aside from the refresh rate they’re honestly pretty close. If you have a desktop screen already; (presumably you do since you already have a pc and you’re also considering a mini) then that isn’t a problem because you can dock it to your screen whenever you want. So now the question is, do you want a mini and an iPad or just an MBA. The only thing you really lose with the mba vs the iPad is touch. The iPad is marginally more portable, but i would think it a stretch for that to be a major concern for most people. Do you care about touch? Would you be happy using a laptop in situations where you currently use your iPad? The air is much lighter than most windows laptops in the same class and with it being fanless personally I’d be fine using it on the go. Battery life is no longer an issue with AS chips - it’ll last as long or longer than an iPad would between charges. In exchange for losing touch you will get a more capable full computer experience. Personally I’d be tempted to get an M1 MBA rather than an M2 and use the saved money to increase the RAM to 16gb. 8gb is kinda tight these days. Also - I probably wouldn’t buy the air if you have to sell your Magic Keyboard to do it. Using it docked is going to suck without a seperate keyboard and either mouse or trackpad. If you can step down to an M1 mba and keep the Magic Keyboard that is also a reasonable option. The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 13:26
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The MBA has a 60hz screen. I couldn't tell you if it is better or worse than the iPad pro screen outside of that one feature.
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Jun 12, 2023 13:31
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The Lord Bude posted:The MBA and the Mac mini have the same cpu in them. The performance will be identical for all meaningful purposes. An M2 is an M2 no matter what it’s been put in. The only difference is the mini has a fan, which will make a small difference in workloads which require sustained high load - for the typical home user the only thing that will do that is a video game. That's really useful, thank you. (By Magic Kayboard, I meant the attachment for ipad pro with kb/touch pad - I have a nice mechanical keyboard + trackpad I'd use at a desk.)
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Jun 12, 2023 13:45
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The one other edge case I forgot to mention, is you can use sidecar to turn an iPad into a second monitor - this might be of use to you in your desktop scenario.
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Jun 12, 2023 14:05
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I grabbed a Titan X from someone on Kijiji and dropped it in my MP 5,1 today. She runs, the fan and lights on the card are on, but I'm getting no video. Is there something I need to install before this card will work, or is it a lemon?
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Jun 12, 2023 14:20
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Did you connect all the power cords to the dedicated PCIe power ports? You might need an 8-pin to 6 pin adapter cable along with a standard 6 to 6 pin.. Also zap the PRAM and clear out NVRAM before plugging in the card.. you can use the CUDA button on the logic board for that
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Jun 12, 2023 14:46
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Imo I’m not sure Sidecar is a bonus. It’s neat but has always been weird for me. It’s a drat shame you can’t reach over and scroll with your finger or whatever. I do need to try it some more though.
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Jun 12, 2023 14:55
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Warbird posted:Imo I’m not sure Sidecar is a bonus. It’s neat but has always been weird for me. It’s a drat shame you can’t reach over and scroll with your finger or whatever. I do need to try it some more though. I’ve never used it, nor do I know anyone who uses it; but it is a thing that exists and presumably it makes someone out there happy so I figured it was worth mentioning it. My ancient rear end iPad air 2 is too old to support it. That thing basically continues to exist in my house for two purposes - backup alarm clock and FaceTime device that I can plonk in front of my granddad every sunday morning for family FaceTime so he doesn’t have to haul his 98 year old rear end upstairs to my room to sit at my Mac.
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Jun 12, 2023 15:13
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I've been toying around with it (because new mac and so wanting to play with all the things), and I got it working for a while, and then it's kind of been janky. I'm having to use BetterDisplay, which is an app that lets the os play a bit nicer with 1440p monitors, so that might be the issue - moving windows over to the iPad also moves the dock over for me, and it's just generally a bit unreliable. Universal control (moving the cursor over to the iPad from your desktop) however, works great!
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Jun 12, 2023 15:15
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Binary Badger posted:Did you connect all the power cords to the dedicated PCIe power ports? I connected all the power cords, yeah. They're designed to connect to specific pins, right? I mean, there's no way I should be able to gently caress up plugging them in? I'll zap the PRAM/NVRAM, thanks for the reminder. The card is a GeForce GTX Titan X, according to the markings on its own PCB, if it makes a difference. I'm still wondering, maybe there's a driver I need to download? Thanks again for your help.
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Jun 12, 2023 15:20
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The Grumbles posted:That's really useful, thank you. At the end of the day, most users are just picking a form factor and screen size when they buy a device - they're running the same apps, going on the same websites, and accessing the same data, regardless of whether or not they're using an iPad or MacBook or Mac Mini. If I didn't work in IT and use all sorts of weird apps that don't really have an iPad equivalent, I'd probably use an iPad 95% of the time. It's really up to you to decide whether or not you feel more comfortable lugging around a laptop or tablet or both.
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Jun 12, 2023 15:31
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The Grumbles posted:I've been toying around with it (because new mac and so wanting to play with all the things), and I got it working for a while, and then it's kind of been janky. I'm having to use BetterDisplay, which is an app that lets the os play a bit nicer with 1440p monitors, so that might be the issue - moving windows over to the iPad also moves the dock over for me, and it's just generally a bit unreliable. Universal control (moving the cursor over to the iPad from your desktop) however, works great! Does BD let you interact with the shared screen via touch? It’s not a dealbreaker but my natural inclination is to reach over and scroll the document I have up for reference at any given time.
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Jun 12, 2023 15:46
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Mister Speaker posted:I connected all the power cords, yeah. They're designed to connect to specific pins, right? I mean, there's no way I should be able to gently caress up plugging them in? Built-in OS nVidia drivers only support up to GTX 780s as I recall, because that's as high as they got when they installed them default on old 2013 iMacs.. you need to download the nVidia web drivers, I think this is the last revision they ever made: https://images.nvidia.com/mac/pkg/387/WebDriver-387.10.10.10.40.140.pkg BTW if you google real hard, you can find guides to let these drivers work on Big Sur and Monterey..
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Jun 12, 2023 16:07
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Binary Badger posted:Built-in OS nVidia drivers only support up to GTX 780s as I recall, because that's as high as they got when they installed them default on old 2013 iMacs.. The guy who sold me the card talked about something called 'Open Core', said he's running current OS on his own 5,1. Is that something worth exploring? Techs at a local shop also said it could be the GPU power cables when I talked about my 'dead' RX580... That couldn't be the case though if other cards' fans are spinning just fine when plugged in, right? But if I can get the 580 working again I'll be happy as a clam. Thanks again, you're being incredibly helpful.
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Jun 12, 2023 16:28
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The Grumbles posted:Sure. I guess I'm just asking specific questions about screen quality and MBA-as-desktop performance because those are the things that'll most help me figure out my setup, because I know that I an either afford - a base model 8GB/256 MBA, or the current setup of a base m2 mac mini and M1 11' ipad pro, because those are the two options I like the most and can afford. I'm not really looking to, nor am I in a financial position to, consider anything else. Dogg, nobody but you can decide if a laptop is good for your needs or not As far as your questions about quality of experience are concerned, there shouldn’t be any difference. The M1 is more than capable of comfortably driving a 1440p display, or even an external + the internal screen simultaneously, and a MacBook Air perfectly happy working in docked mode. Disconnecting/connecting it shouldn’t cause any problems beyond the extremely minor annoyance of maybe resizing or moving your active windows as the available display dimensions change. Also, using AirPlay to work on a TV or whatnot is a nice feature on occasion
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Jun 12, 2023 16:29
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I will say that ITT we tend to agree that 256gb is way too small for a laptop, especially one that you plan to work off of and do creative/multimedia projects with and use for many years. 512 is kind of the minimum we tend to advise, after years of experience. It’s not rly an issue with the Mini because you can just bung an extra drive onto it with TB. It’s also not nearly as bad as it used to be, when Apple offered laptops with 128gb and ppl would insist that it was all they needed before coming back literal months later like “I’m all out of room, what do?” Nothing ruins the Apple laptop experience quite like getting to Year 2 or Year 3 of happy ownership and hitting the Swap Zone, having to delete personal files or apps just to be able to download OS updates/etc, having to juggle external drives to keep working on too-big projects, and so on. If getting an Air with at least 512gb is going to be prohibitive then I’d personally steer you toward a Mac Mini that you can add storage to later, and maybe encourage you to keep the setup you’ve currently got.
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Jun 12, 2023 16:39
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Mister Speaker posted:The guy who sold me the card talked about something called 'Open Core', said he's running current OS on his own 5,1. Is that something worth exploring? Mmm, yeah, you mean Open Core Legacy Patcher which patches your EFI image on your hard drive to load up a firmware set that has all sorts of patches and mods to let the new OS work on the machine it was never intended for. It works pretty well for me, so much so that I haven't bothered to upgrade the built-in wireless card to 802.11ac, and I'm running Monterey 12.6.6 with no issues. The only thing to remember that OCLP on a 5,1 is the most trouble free if you have one of the Apple recommended Metal compatible GPUs installed.. the default favored CPU is the Sapphire Radeon RX 580. BTW, did you ever officially update your machine to Mojave? Mojave installs BootROM 144.0.0.0 which cures many of the ills 5,1 users used to have and OCLP leverages heavily on having this installed.. quote:Techs at a local shop also said it could be the GPU power cables when I talked about my 'dead' RX580... That couldn't be the case though if other cards' fans are spinning just fine when plugged in, right? But if I can get the 580 working again I'll be happy as a clam. Either buy new cables or break out a micrometer and test each of the pins..
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Jun 12, 2023 16:49
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Binary Badger posted:Mmm, yeah, you mean Open Core Legacy Patcher which patches your EFI image on your hard drive to load up a firmware set that has all sorts of patches and mods to let the new OS work on the machine it was never intended for. I did upgrade to Mojave, yeah. I'll check out OCLP, thanks again. Uhh, well this isn't good. 
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Jun 12, 2023 17:03
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I ordered a base model 15” M2 MacBook Air and was pleased to get a decent discount by combining the educational pricing with the Back to School promotion; it knocked $100 off the price of the laptop, comes with a $150 Apple gift card, took $50 off 3 years of AppleCare+, and topped off with around $45 of Apple Card cash back. This will strictly be a web browser / Word / Excel machine for my family; I have a 32GB/512GB 14” M2 MacBook Pro for work but need a separate machine for personal use and will be curious to see how the 8GB/256GB Air feels in comparison. I like the design of the newest model MacBook Airs and didn’t really want to pay upwards of $1,500 for an MBA or MBP with better specs, so hopefully this base model 15” Air will get the job done at around $1k. edit: Ars Technica just posted their 15” MacBook Air review this morning. Parker Lewis fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Jun 12, 2023 |
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Jun 12, 2023 17:07
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