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Pantsmaster Bill posted:Oh man, probably going to get a MBA in the next couple weeks, just gotta decide between the 11" and the 13". It's a shame my iMac is the pre-thunderbolt one, so I won't be able to use it as a huge monitor. I thought you could use the Display port on iMacs as an input? Or is that not compatible with Thunderbolt?
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# ¿ Jul 21, 2011 11:59 |
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# ¿ May 2, 2024 17:08 |
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Anyone tried Left 4 Dead 2 on it on the new Airs yet? If so how playable would you say it is on OSX or Windows? I do have quite low standards as I currently play on an AMD E-350 with Radeon 6310 at the moment.
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# ¿ Jul 23, 2011 05:47 |
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Mu Zeta posted:Notebookcheck says the Intel HD3000 can play it at over 60fps in high settings, expect a minor performance hit on OSX. If I'm reading that correctly those numbers are for a quad core I7 desktop processor (and the faster clocked GPU that goes along with it). I'm wanting to know how much slower it runs on the Air. Edit: Found a comparo between the old and new MBP, still interested as to how much slower the Air runs http://www.techyalert.com/2011/02/25/macbook-pro-2010-vs-macbook-pro-2011/ dissss fucked around with this message at 06:32 on Jul 23, 2011 |
# ¿ Jul 23, 2011 06:13 |
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movax posted:I think you should absolutely get the 13". 1440x900 @ 13" is usable, 1280x800 @ 11" gets too close to your run-of-the-mill netbook. The 11" is 1366x768, just like any other netbook and personally I don't think you'd want anything higher at such a small screen size. IMO its the 13 and 15" MBP that are looking really weak as far as resolution goes, the 15" especially is so close to being a desktop replacement in most other regards.
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# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 02:24 |
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flyboi posted:I guess being 27 makes my eyes old as gently caress because if my high res display on my 15" were any higher I would most definitely not be able to read the text. Then again this is Something Awful where goons care more about numbers than usability of a computer. Which is why ideally text size should be decoupled from resolution, then higher res panels would be good for everyone. Pity no one has really got that right yet. If your vision is fairly good then a bump in resolution is single biggest usability improvement you can do to a modern computer system.
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# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 05:30 |
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flyboi posted:Ideally and realistically are two different things. The resolution on the 15" is fine, I can read it but I could not imagine a 1920x1200 panel as I would have to jack up the text size to even be able to read anything. My eyes aren't horrible, I wear glasses but the prescription is minimal and moot. 1680x1050 @ 15.6" is the same as 1440x900 @ 13.3". IMO it should be the standard panel, not an extra cost option.
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# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 06:20 |
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madprocess posted:If you knew anything about screen tech you'd know it is. Also what dpi are these "retina" displays you're talking about? Yeah Apple has defined "Retina Display" as 300ppi which is a pretty crazy resolution at 13.3" (well above the 2560x1440 of the current 27" displays). Although I guess there is nothing to stop them redefining the ppi required given that you could argue you'd typically be further than 12" away from a laptop.
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# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 03:09 |
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Small White Dragon posted:A "2x" screen for an iPad would be 266 or so. Are you not considering that "retina"? Apple isn't, at least not at the moment.
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# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 03:44 |
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SourKraut posted:I have a friend who is thinking of picking up a 13" MBP for school, and I've been able to answer most questions, but they asked about whether the i5 is sufficient (they're a architectural major, so it'd probably be stuff like AutoCad, etc.), or if they should pay extra for the i7. I just don't think 1280x800 is enough screen resolution for stuff like Autocad - something else to consider anyway. As far as CPU goes the I5s are still blazingly fast, doubt it'll be much of an issue.
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# ¿ Jul 29, 2011 02:59 |
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That'd be down to your network speed.
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# ¿ Aug 3, 2011 23:48 |
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Actually the Pros are often competitive too - at that level everything is mega pricey. I think its the lower end where Apple is less competitive - thats one of the reasons why they dropped the plastic Macbook.
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# ¿ Aug 4, 2011 02:30 |
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They also don't change their exchange rates anywhere near as quickly as everyone else - not an issue for US buyers but its a big deal for those of us overseas. Even considering sales tax its significantly more expensive for me to buy an Apple computer here than it would be in the USA.
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# ¿ Aug 4, 2011 02:41 |
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vty posted:I've always preferred the older wide screens. I have a 24" dell 16:9 and a new 28" 16:10 right next to it, and I for what I do, which is terminal sessions to routers constantly.. or reading forums, I feel like it's much nicer to split the windows for width than height. Except in general older screens were 16:10, newer ones are generally 16:9 (except for high end models which retain 16:10)
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# ¿ Aug 12, 2011 09:05 |
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BlackMK4 posted:The only dot I have connected is that all three 13" MBPs were of the mid-2010 variety. I had a 2009 13" for almost a year and a half completely problem free. Could it be excessive heat somehow? (grasping at straws here)
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# ¿ Aug 13, 2011 04:25 |
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Question about running Windows on an Air When people say the Windows trackpad drivers 'suck giant donkey dick' do they mean that about the Macbook trackpads under Windows, or trackpads in general under Windows? I guess what I'm asking is would the Air trackpad provide a worse experience than what I'm used to in a generic Asus Windows laptop or be comparable? Also can anyone comment on battery life running Windows (I'm assuming because the Air only has the single graphics card it should be much of an issue)
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# ¿ Aug 16, 2011 01:43 |
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carry on then posted:I've found the trackpad to be marginally better than most PC trackpads on Windows (compared to leagues ahead of everything else under OS X,) Thanks guys that's reassuring. Hopefully I can get get my money back on my wonky-trackpad Asus netbook and go and spend double on an 11" Air w/ 4Gb RAM upgrade Edit: 2 minutes of looking at the Apple site and I've already started thinking the base 13" looks like better value. drat you Apple and your sequence of 'just $100 more' configurations dissss fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Aug 16, 2011 |
# ¿ Aug 16, 2011 02:49 |
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SourKraut posted:Which is strange for their newer devices, since they do have some Bluetooth mice and keyboards. Their Bluetooth ones never worked very well though, and their alternatives with the normal receiver have always been pretty reliable. Perhaps they just gave up?
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# ¿ Aug 18, 2011 05:07 |
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Bob Morales posted:So basically a cheap, expandable Mac wouldn't really be worth expanding? It just seems like an iMac or MBP with a stack of disks connected via TB are as good as anyone needs. Unless you want to upgrade the graphics card(s). Sure I guess technically its going to be possible with Thunderbolt, but you just know that externals are going to command a hefty price premium (assuring they ever take off at all)
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# ¿ Aug 23, 2011 06:08 |
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Bob Morales posted:Leave it plugged in. Don't sperg about the battery. The newer batteries will last a very long time. How do you define 'newer'? The non-removable models? Because one Google search for 'swollen macbook battery' will show you exactly what will happen if you leave a pre-unibody model plugged in for too long.
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# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 13:15 |
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~Coxy posted:No, that shows you what will happen when you bad luck out and you get defective hardware. So it was confined to the pre-unibody models then?
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# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 13:29 |
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I don't think the importance of the extra screen real estate on the Air should be understated - it really is night and day as far as usability goes.
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# ¿ Sep 25, 2011 10:50 |
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japtor posted:I think once you move down to 1920x1080 (or 1200) 24"ish, there's a significant price drop though, just watch out for the massive abundance of lovely screens in that size. You really can't go wrong with the IPS Dell models, the only real complaint I've heard is they have TOO MUCH anti-glare coating (which sounds like it won't be an issue here).
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# ¿ Sep 25, 2011 12:18 |
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Nerdrock posted:Also : I'm sick of the computer being uncomfortably hot to the touch even sitting atop a little laptop "cooling pad" with fans blowing on it. Even the latest Airs can get roasting hot if you're doing anything intensive.
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# ¿ Oct 1, 2011 02:08 |
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KingEup posted:This is an IPS panel. Try again. That doesn't mean it has a good coating. Compare with an Ultrasharp or other quality panel.
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# ¿ Oct 3, 2011 07:57 |
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flyboi posted:I'm sorry but a 15" 1080p display would be horrible unless you use magnifying glasses when you compute and like straining to read regular-sized text. Then again bigger numbers = better right? right? It looks fine to a lot of people, certainly better than the default panel in a 15" MBP at the moment. Perhaps they could just split the difference and make the 'high res' panel standard (it's 1680x1050 so close to the same ppi as a 13" Air)
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# ¿ Nov 7, 2011 01:35 |
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~Coxy posted:Actually gaming is a big reason to get a Mac Pro (or a Hackintosh.) Or just bite the bullet and build a Windows PC for gaming. Is there a way of using the Thunderbolt iMacs as a monitor for a generic PC yet? It worked really well on old models with the Displayport.
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# ¿ Nov 7, 2011 11:26 |
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Binary Badger posted:Or even better, get any console and save even more money. Lets not get crazy now :p Still interested in the second bit though, is there anything on the horizon that'll let a Thunderbolt iMac (or Thunderbolt display or that matter) work as a target for generic displayport/HDMI/DVI inputs?
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# ¿ Nov 8, 2011 02:13 |
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How much design work do you really expect to get done on a 13" screen anyway? With the 13" models I'd tend to opt for a cheaper one and external monitor over something more expensive.
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# ¿ Jul 14, 2012 06:45 |
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ACID POLICE posted:So the temperature is just a consequence of the design, then? That's too bad if even changing the thermal paste doesn't help much, but all my Apple laptops are from around that time period so I guess I'm just used to them running pretty hot. Keep an eye on the battery too - fairly sure that was one of the ones that would expand and ruin the machine if you didn't remove it soon enough
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# ¿ Jul 22, 2012 02:10 |
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Thanatus posted:What is the difference in terms of performance between the 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 and the 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7? I am looking into either purchasing the 2.3GHz macbook pro or the 2.6GHz macbook pro base model? However, if I get the 2.3GHZ, I'll probably get the 750GB HD and install some RAM myself. The disk is going to be the way bigger bottleneck for most stuff anyway - you'd be much better off spending the difference on an ssd.
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# ¿ Jul 31, 2012 03:15 |
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Arivia posted:You want the ~$2200 2.6 quad-core 15" model for longevity's sake; it has 1GB of VRAM on the 650M while the 2.3 quad core only ships with 512. Huge difference, will definitely add some more life to your new MBP. What outside of games needs that much video memory?
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# ¿ Jul 31, 2012 10:07 |
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Ardent posted:Well, I've considered Windows based machines already. The only models which really fit my criteria (high speed quad-core i7 in 15" or below with SSD) would be a 13" Sony Z which requires you to carry a "media dock" everywhere with the ati graphics adapter, or a 14" Dell/Alienware M14x which is 50% heavier, 2x thicker, very poor battery, worse screen and considerably uglier. There doesn't appear to be anything by Toshiba, Samsung & HP that fits the bill. For reference, I'm considering the 2.7Ghz model. The screen is pretty enticing to me since I'm a fairly serious hobbyist photographer. Look at the Lenovo W-series, or possibly the 15" HP Elitebooks. You don't want to be buying a consumer grade Windows laptop at the premium prices you'll need to pay for those specs
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# ¿ Aug 6, 2012 07:51 |
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Ardent posted:Price isn't really an issue for me, but I took a look at the Lenovo W series which was something I'd not looked at before. An near-identically specced one with a 512GB SSD I buy myself (the largest SSD they seem to offer is 180GB) works out at roughly the same price as the Macbook in GBP, obviously with a lower screen resolution, 35% heavier and 2x as thick. The other thing to watch with the W530 is the power brick - it really is a brick. Thinkpads have their own appeal but I can see how one wouldn't suit if you want portability (the smaller, lighter ones are also much less powerful than an MBP)
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# ¿ Aug 7, 2012 07:36 |
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I feel pushed for space on a dedicated Windows laptop with a 128GB drive - if you want parallels then I'd want more space
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# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 22:37 |
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Just do the SSD and forget the rest
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# ¿ Sep 9, 2012 01:04 |
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Jolan posted:The only thing I'm really worried about is people saying the battery might explode. Is this a real issues? I've heard the possibility thrown around a lot, but have not found actual stories or examples of it happening. And I don't really feel like buying a new battery now if I'll be tossing the whole thing in a few months. It's more likely it will suddenly start expanding really, really quickly (and they can get massive when they start doing that) Definitely remove and dispose of it.
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# ¿ Sep 9, 2012 20:30 |
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mediaphage posted:One of Toshiba's Ultrabooms that premiered at IDF last year had a magnesium case. It was quite nice, build quality-wise. Too bad the screen was awful, though. T-Series ThinkPads have a magnesium rollcage. Again most of the screens are pretty bad though.
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# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 07:16 |
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Star War Sex Parrot posted:Because it would look retarded. My Lenovo has two blue USB ports and one bright yellow one. Lets just say the resulting look is something Apple would never be happy with.
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# ¿ Sep 19, 2012 09:01 |
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Bob Morales posted:Yea, the 11" makes the 13" look like the 15". Both the MBAs have quite a lot of bezel around the screen. I'd love to see an 11" MBA body with an awesome 12.5" screen.
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# ¿ Oct 6, 2012 02:04 |
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# ¿ May 2, 2024 17:08 |
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What gives you that idea? Anecdotally I don't know anyone who has bought a 13" Pro since the 2nd gen Air was released.
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# ¿ Oct 11, 2012 02:14 |