Official Mac Tech Support Thread.

[jeffdrafttech]

Originally Posted by da_ticklah

my colleagues actually run Office for MAC as they dont like iWork

iwork is awesome once you get used to it. I have MS office on mine now for opening things that people send me, and if I started with it I probably would not have gotten good with iwork. iwork makes it easy to polish the look of documents. It's more like publisher combined with some really easy to use graphics software. It's really tough to use office after getting used to iwork because you can't really make things look great easily in office.

the big drawback to iwork is that no one else uses it so it isn't good for working on anything with a group. I use office for group projects and sharing. iwork is shit at importing and exporting all office formatted stuff

[Grapist]

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

It'll print, just not like Leopard did. It needs to have a driver installed to print, just like windows

My last computer was an HP desktop which I paid $900 for. Bought it when Vista came out. Vista was preinstalled. Not all that whimpy, it had twice the specs Vista called for and scored about a 5 on that MS scale. It wouldn't work at all til SP1 came out which forced me to spend $150 on XP, just to use my new computer. After Vista SP1 I reinstalled Vista (XP media center was really buggy) it worked marginally til another update broke it again. Another update fixed that, but it would still crash if watching HD video for more than 30 mins (and I bought it mostly to use as a DVR/ATSC tuner). I finally spent $200 on a video card that had reliable vista drivers, which would make it work, but meant I needed a bigger power supply.

Also, the internet at my office blocks macs, so I must boot windows and use MS office (this is a horrible experience if you get used to iwork).

I think my bias against windows is well earned.

Agreed, iWork is the goodness. You just have to be open minded enough to get un-used to Office.

[bithead]

Based on this commerical, there really shouldn't be any reason for a Mac Support Thread.

[jeffdrafttech]

Originally Posted by bithead

Based on this commerical, there really shouldn't be any reason for a Mac Support Thread.

That commercial is so filled with awesome. Wow, that's fucking funny

I disagree with the last one, the combination Miami vice/Chandler from friends look is bogus. Windows 3.1 was pretty awesome compared with trying to remember what to type into DOS.

I'll also give it to them that XP was awesome under SP 1 and 3.

No one willing to spend a grand is going to buy a windows machine, unless they're kids, their parents bought all of their previous models, and they haven't felt the sting of a $1000 piece of hardware fucking up repeatedly. I think you'll find that most of the stuff here is tips and tricks rather than flaws. I'm not saying the mac is flawless, it just feels flawless when you compare it to an modern-day windows machine.

I'm sure that Windows 7 is awesome. Have fun closing that bubble telling you to update acrobat reader.

[bithead]

Originally Posted by yoav

i accuse you of trying to start a fight!.. not really.

Who, me?

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

That commercial is so filled with awesome. Wow, that's fucking funny

I'm a PC guy but jesus christ I LOL'd when I saw this commercial on TV tonight.

[jeffdrafttech]

My 250GB hard drive is getting a bit crowded. I've read that it's easy to clone the drive using USB and an external enclosure then just install the new drive.

I've looked at videos and it looks easy to change the hardware (MBP 13" unibody, yadda yadda).

I'm a bit confused about what exactly to buy. I'm going to go ahead and upgrade the ram while I have it apart.

Is there anything in particular I should look out for? I'm browsing Macmall.com and it looks like I can get Kensington memory (4gb ddr3) for about $110. The best selling 2.5" hard drives are 500GB WD Scorpio Blue, but they also list a 750gb model for $150. Is there any reason not to get the 750GB model?

Is there a hard drive that you would recommend for the best speed and capacity without sacrificing battery life?

Any advice on particular brands of memory? It looks like 4gb is about the biggest affordable upgrade, but I don't know if one brand is better than another.

[Grapist]

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

My 250GB hard drive is getting a bit crowded. I've read that it's easy to clone the drive using USB and an external enclosure then just install the new drive.

I've looked at videos and it looks easy to change the hardware (MBP 13" unibody, yadda yadda).

I'm a bit confused about what exactly to buy. I'm going to go ahead and upgrade the ram while I have it apart.

Is there anything in particular I should look out for? I'm browsing Macmall.com and it looks like I can get Kensington memory (4gb ddr3) for about $110. The best selling 2.5" hard drives are 500GB WD Scorpio Blue, but they also list a 750gb model for $150. Is there any reason not to get the 750GB model?

Is there a hard drive that you would recommend for the best speed and capacity without sacrificing battery life?

Any advice on particular brands of memory? It looks like 4gb is about the biggest affordable upgrade, but I don't know if one brand is better than another.

I'd check Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC First. Not only do they help you figure out what will work in your Mac, they also have the tools available to do the upgrade. Essentially, in order to remove the bracket to get to the memory and hard drive, you need the smallest phillips head screwdriver in the world, and they have it in a kit for 5 bucks.

[jeffdrafttech]

Can anyone here speak to how much improvement in speed and decrease in battery life is achieved by moving up from a 5400rpm drive with 8mb cache, to a 7200rpm drive with 16mb cache?

Edited to add:
There seems to be little advantage, a very slight power penalty, and a big price bump, so it isn't worth it.

In case anyone is searching for similar HD upgrades, I found this useful
Five 2.5-inch hard drives at 500GB - The Tech Report - Page 1

Originally Posted by Grapist

I'd check Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC First. Not only do they help you figure out what will work in your Mac, they also have the tools available to do the upgrade. Essentially, in order to remove the bracket to get to the memory and hard drive, you need the smallest phillips head screwdriver in the world, and they have it in a kit for 5 bucks.

That site has great info and is awesome for getting started finding what I needed. They also sell drives in packages that include the 00phillips and an enclosure to use when cloning your drive, and for use to make your old drive an external portable. I wear glasses so I already own a set of tiny screwdrivers.

I didn't buy from them because their prices were higher than amazon, and I trust amazon for service if I have issues.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the enclosure I wanted anywhere for a reasonable price. It seems that a 2.5" 12.5mm thick enclosure with Firewire 800 and USB for a reasonable price is fiction.

I really wanted a 12.5mm 750gb drive, adn a 12.5mm firewire 800/usb enclosure, but I compromised and bought a moderately overpriced 9.5mm firewire enclosure, and a 500GB WD drive so it will fit in an enclosure. Maybe some day I'll fill that one up and regret it, but by then there might be a decent kit for 12.5mm drives and the 1tb drives will be widely available (everyone is backordered on them now). I could have bought a slow USB sata cable, a cheap 9.5mm usb enclosure for my old drive, and a 750gb 12.5mm hard drive I guess, but I was frustrated.

[da_ticklah]

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

....
No one willing to spend a grand is going to buy a windows machine,....

I will I'm honestly against closed hardware models that inhibit tinkering.

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

....
I'm sure that Windows 7 is awesome. Have fun closing that bubble telling you to update acrobat reader.

so Adobe issues are Windows issues

[Grapist]

Originally Posted by jeffdrafttech

Can anyone here speak to how much improvement in speed and decrease in battery life is achieved by moving up from a 5400rpm drive with 8mb cache, to a 7200rpm drive with 16mb cache?

Edited to add:
There seems to be little advantage, a very slight power penalty, and a big price bump, so it isn't worth it.

If you ever want to really amp up system speed, and want to fork over the cash, invest in an SSD (Solid State Drive). Seek time = 0.