I read various reviews and they all praise its read (time) and write still seems faster than any 2.5" hdd and on par with 3.5" hdds!
But (the most important part) read time is incredible.. anyone here use it one in their mbp?
A great friend of mine got me an intel SSD drive for my bday. I installed it into my dv7t (replaced one of the two 500GB drives I had in there) and installed Win7 onto it.
I don't know if it's just me, but this drive FLIES! true, the bootup time did not change drastically (~50 seconds from the second i press the power button). however, from the second i click shutdown, my laptop is fully powered off in 7 seconds!
for kicks, i copied my 33gb itunes folder to the SSD drive. i launched itunes and had it "import" my 7,000+ songs - this took less than 3 minutes! as the top of itunes says "song 1 of 7,000".... "song 2 of 7,000" etc, this literally flies so fast you can't read any of the song titles. i had my 33 gigs of music imported in less than 3 minutes! i could not believe that.
even copying files to a usb drive is much quicker. I am able to copy a 4GB ISO file onto an external hard disk (not powered) in about 2 minutes. the copy is amazing - right when the copy starts, the SSD drive says it's transferring at over 600MB/sec! it then comes down to the 80-120mb/sec range.... why oh why can't it stay steadily at 600mb/sec!
anyway, just sharing my experience. IE loads as soon as you click it, msword loads in a second or 1.5 seconds roughly. the drive was about $250 w/taxes+shipping and i did notice a boost in many areas like i've mentioned.
i play unreal tournement 3 and the game play seems much more fluid now. going between menus is much quicker as well......
which intel chips are being used in the new 17" Macbook pros released in the last month?
I think they run at 2.66Ghz and 2.93Ghz but I haven't been able to track down the exact Intel numbers (e.g. T9600 or T9800)..
A friend has a macbook pro 17" with an SATA 113GB usable drive, Intel 2GHz core duo drive (not core 2). I normally work on PCs- I know very little about macs other enough to find system specs.
Is there any limit to the storage capacity size of a notebook drive I can install? I typically use the Seagate Momentus 7200 drives on laptops.
Also are there any links or threads to instructions on replacing the drive? I found the one for how to do it on Sony Vaios on this site invaluable.
Intel Claims Core i5-Based MacBook Pro Promotion a Marketing Error
Quote:
Spanish site faq-mac.com, which was first to note an Intel promotion yesterday apparently revealing at least one forthcoming MacBook Pro based on the company's new Core i5 processors, now reports [Google translation] that Intel has revised the promotion to offer HP Envy notebooks instead of MacBook Pros, blaming a marketing error for the incorrect promotional materials. [url]
My trusty Acer Extensa 6602WLMi is giving a "SMART Failure Predicted" warning at boot so it looks like I'll have to fit a new hard drive
The current drive is a WD800UE 80GB and my BIOS is 3A28.
Does anyone if there are any BIOS limitations stopping me fitting a new 120GB, 160GB or 320GB drive? I'd like to fit a new 320GB drive if possible
Just replaced the stock 80GB WD800BEVS drive in my E6500 with a 320GB 7200rpm WD3200BEKT Scorpio Black.
Here's the before and after benchmarks which basically doubled.
Other than doubling the ram to 4GB it's the best $90 upgrade I've made to the E6500 so far. Vista flies with this thing
To start I should remind everyone that i'm not a mac user. I have never owned a mac or used OSX properly before today. As such, my opinions should be taken as coming from someone who has much knowledge and experience as far as PC's are concerned, but who is a total mac n00b.
First Impressions
When I first walked over to the Macbooks I was quite taken aback. The build quality is out of this world. In fact, I immediately walked over to the latest PC laptops to compare and immediately thought "manufacturing FAIL". Really, the Macbooks are italian sports cars, and PC's are 30 year old farm tractors to use the typical "car analogy".
The Macbook
I really only had any interest in the Macbook when I first went to the Apple stand, but came away with the intention of buying a MacBook Pro. Let me explain:
The MacBook's build quality is awesome. It's solid, no creaking plastic or flexable build, completely and utterly solid. Awesome.............
I have been speculating over this prospect giving the direction that Apple took with the starting price of the 24" iMac (upgrade everything else and downgrade the VRAM).
I mean, this is something I would like to see, but I wonder if it is a smart move on Apple's part given how much they make off the current MBP's with the so called Apple Tax.
And, if they made this move, one has to wonder if it still would be considered a Pro.
This is going to be my very first Mac. I'm really excited about it, but I don't know which one I should go for... I narrowed it down to these two models. Which one should I go for and why?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI bought a black macbook this summer and every night when I'm in bed trying to do work I can barely see which keys is which. Obviously this wouldn't be a cheap fix but is there a way or is it possible to install the new light up keys of the new macbooks onto a pre-remodel macbook?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI downloaded this updated for my unibody Macbook Pro, and I think it's pretty vital. However, it gave me this error when I tried to install it: "You cannot install Macbook, Macbook Pro software update on this volume. This update requires Mac OS X 10.5.5 or newer." Now don't tell me that I have selected the wrong partition to install the update, or that I need to update my OS to 10.5.5 because I already have 10.5.6 and I chose the Macintosh HD partition to install the update.
View 6 Replies View RelatedSo I'm definitely getting a 13" Macbook or Macbook Pro. Apple has some great prices on refurbs so that's probably the route I'll be going however I'm having trouble discerning the difference between the 13" Aluminum Unibody standard macbook and the 13" Unibody Macbook Pro. From what I've read they both have the upgraded screen, they're obviously both unibody, both have the large button-less trackpad, and both have the 9400m. They even have the same dimensions and the only difference I can see between the images is a slightly different case bevel (also the firewire and sd card ports, both are useless to me).
Unfortunately, none of the Apple stores or BestBuys in the area have a non-pro unibody 13" Macbook for me to actually handle and compare. So, basically, what makes the pro version with the slower cpu and smaller hard drive at the same price point worth it?
If I make an image of my hdd from my white macbook with disk utility onto a hard drive I take out of a unibody macbook pro will it work and boot properly?
I will do this by taking the 250gb hdd out of the unibody macbook pro and putting it into a sata external usb hdd enclosure, then making an image of my current 120gb white macbook and writing the image onto the 250gb. After, I plan to put the 250gb hdd back into the macbook pro and boot it up normally as if everything from my white macbook was just copied onto the macbook pro.
Was curious what is the difference between the short-lived aluminum macbooks and macbook pros. Only thing i could spot is the illuminated keyboard.
View 8 Replies View RelatedShe has a white macbook with leopard I think, and has a separate partition in which she has boot camp, she uses specialized software that can only run in windows (doesnt run in vm). She got a new macbook air but wants to keep everything intact.
Do programs like duper clone drives with all files intact, including partitions? Keep in mind that the windows side is more important, installation of this software can only be done remotely from Russia, so it's a bit of a hassle if we screw up, we have to contact IT at a specific time and get them to do it.
Would I have to take the drive of the macbook air out? Or can i just clone to an external hard drive and then move that to the mba hard drive, in target disc mode or something.
I really love the black color of MB404, but is it good? does it crack easily?(is it plastic?)
Hows screen quality?
What do you think? which one should i buy?
I really wanted to buy Alu one before i hear about slanted keys and loose battery covers(i know %99 of them don't have that, but it's hard to risk when there's no way to fix it in here), because there's no Mac center in my country and i'm SO picky.
I've been looking at basicly two models, both got almost the exact same price tag here in Norway, so I'm not sure which one to go for.
The first ones is a MacBook Pro 15" with High-resolution 1650x1080 glossy screen, featuring the top of the line Intel Core i7-620M CPU the other is a MacBook Pro 17" with even higher resolution (1920x1200) glossy screen, featuring the slightly slower Intel Core i5-540M.
I don't list the other specifications as I don't really care about them, I already got a pair of 4GB 1600MHz CL7 (2x2GB) DIM's and a Intel X25-M 80GB SSD that I'll be using anyway.
There will be lots of movies and series played on my MacBook Pro, that's why I don't really considering paying a premium for the anti-glare screen, even though I love anti-glare and tend to struggle with glossy screens I don't see the point in actually paying more for it. And when watching movies and series, in often very dark rooms the glossy screen actually have some advantages.
The hard thing to decide here is slicker and lighter, with smaller screen and lower resolution, but better CPU versus the bigger, more heavy but featuring bigger screen and Full-HD+ resolution but slower CPU.....................
I realized while browsing through Apple's site that they are offering the new 17" with this processor, yet I don't see it listed on Intel's site.
What are the differences of the 2.93 Ghz in the 17" and the 2.8 Ghz found in the 15"?
To anybody's knowledge do they have plans of updating the 15" to accomodate the 2.93 Ghz?
Ordered a 160GB G2R5 SSD to replace the 500GB 5400rpm drive in my 15" MBP and received the drive yesterday. Opened up the MBP, removed the 500GB and put in the 160GB Intel SSD. The SL installation started fine, I used the disk utility and formatted the drive (MacOS extended (journaled)) and the installation began...
When the bar was almost at the end (said 10 min remaining), a big yellow exclamation point icon appeared on the screen and said "OS installation encountered an error, please contact the software manufacturer (something along these lines)". I was surprised of course...
I re-started the machine, initiated the SL installation again, started disk utility and it took about 10 minutes (spinning beach ball) to detect the Intel drive. Once it did, I formatted it again and initiated the installation. This time, the installer quit a lot earlier (about 25% in) with the same message.
Thinking that this could be a SL related issue, I popped in the Leopard DVD and started Disk Utility. The drive was detected immediately, but it showed up as "8MB Intel SSD". I tried formatting, etc, but it never reverted back from that 8MB stage. It was detected as an 8MB drive with the SL installation DVD as well....
Can I get a quick survey of people who installed Intel X-25M and Firmware 1.7 on 2009 MBPs?
View 3 Replies View RelatedDoes anyone know if the magnifier featured in OSX requires a spesific video card to run? I ask as I'm looking at buy a mac, but on a tight budget. I may have found a G3 but I need to know if it can run the magnifier option as that is the only way I will be able to use the computer. Any one know the minimum to say run Tiger + magnifier in terms of hardware, I'm look for the bare minimum as money is tight.
View 10 Replies View RelatedI'm planning on installing an Intel X25-M G2 in my UMBP. Do you guys have any before/after installation tips? Also, the company I purchased the drive from has a very limited return policy, so I want to push the SSD to its limits within the first week. What tasks should I perform? Any signs I should look for indicating a bad drive?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI am thinking of getting the 8600 MBP with 2gb, the basic hard drive, etc. Then replacing the hard drive with the 80gb intel x25-m and selling the the original. This would come out to a few dollars more than the 2.53gb macbook with 4gb and the 320gb hard drive.
I don't need a lot of space because i have multiple terabytes of external media collection hard drives.
Doesn't the 2.4 consume less watts than the 2.53 as well? This would be better for battery life, which I care about.
What are some Softwares that you guys recommend for OSX Leopard (10.5.5) on Intel CPU?
Free is great, but recommend some paid ones too.
I'm planning on making the switch to a Mac but I don't need a new notebook till Q3 09/Q1 2010. I know the next major hardware refresh is coming soon and I want a Macbook to last through uni but I don't know Apples sales strategies.
My main concern is the integrated graphics that the MB may come with when it is refreshed. What I wanted to ask is if anyone knows the likelihood that Apple will drop NVIDIA and go back to Intel.
Because if that was to be the case, I might as well buy one now (or once SL is released) because i'd rather have a Centrino 2 based MB w/ NVIDIAs iGPU then go back to Intel (harsh, i know... but it's the truth).
Even with all the benefits the Calpella chipset/Westmere CPU would bring i.e. USB 3.0, SATA-III, Bluetooth 3.0, native SSD support, removal of FSB, integrated memory controller, DDR3-1600, improved wireless tech (w/ finalized 802.11n spec), lower power consumption, 32nm Nehalem.
Man I wish Apple would stick with NVIDIA for their next platform. NVIDIA has greater compatibility than anyone else and I know for a fact that the integrated graphics that will come with Arrandale are just a higher clocked 4500MHD so it will still be a lot weaker then even todays Macbook offering (9400m) which is like taking two steps back.
Would be frickin AWESOME if we could get Calpella with a variant of Arrandale without its integrated graphics core. Instead, couple it with a 40/32nm shrink of the current 9400m based on the G300 architecture.............
Intel has issued a notification to AMD stating that their x86 license expires in 60 days. That itself isn't news to Apple seeing as they don't use any AMD x86 CPU or AMD anything really. Where it gets a tad interesting is the fact that AMD owns the x64 extension to x86 (Intel/ EMT64 is a licensed version of AMD64) . If I am not mistaken Snow Leopard is supposed to be native 64 bit of course running on Intel CPU's. If Intel goes through with their threat and AMD plays the same card with x64 could we see Intel with the capacity to only produce 32-bit CPU and AMD completely out of the market until the legal squabble is settled in court?
Correct me anywhere I am wrong but I think Apple has a very big stake in this upcoming legal battle.
equipping 2 machines:
1-a 13" MacBook Pro, primary use will be Internet and e-mail and manipulating music files. Will my husband really notice a difference/benefit between the basic 2.26 and the 2.53GHZ (and is it worth about $250 more)? If he uses it for video downloading will that make a difference?
2- a 15" MacBook Pro- here I'm debating between the 2.66 and 2.8. My daughter uses it for Office apps, PhotoShop, music, Internet and e-mail. Again, would video downloading make a difference?
do you find intel hd graphics performance for non intensive tasks sluggish like scrolling on certain sites and maximizing a youtube video, i see a white screen for two seconds before the full screen renders. not like this when i disable automatic graphics switching... i also used migration assistant to get my data back from my 2009 c2d i sold. happens with firefox not chrome or safari...
View 10 Replies View RelatedI am currently returning a dell studio xps 16" as its so sooo much hassle to deal with dell and the fact that i got 3 messsed up replacements in a row. i am looking to get a macbook or macbook pro. i would prefer a macbook pro (lowest model) although the cheapest method i can find is £1163 from the higher education store. is there any other way or place that sells it for less? apple seem to charge crazy prices for a low spec. een £100 would be expensive but maybe afordable. only discounts i found for the macbook/macbook pro are 14% higher education (the one i am looking to use) and 6% EPP and school discount. iv looked at the macbook but im going to use the laptop for movies, work and internet. movies on a 13.3" arnt exactly enjoyable to watch so thats why im looking for a macbook pro.
View 10 Replies View Related