Macbook Air 2014 Refurb or Macbook Pro 2012 Non-Retina Refurb?

Hi,
I'm a freshman in high school and need a laptop to bring to school. I'm debating the above. On the Air side, it has a longer battery life and is newer, but it's not upgradable. On the Pro side, it's more 'powerful' (GHz) I think it has turbo boost to 3.1 GHz. I have a Programming and Engineering class and want to run Parallels smoothly. I need parallels for Visual Basic and Java, maybe Inventor. I hope to use until college; Just a last side note, On the AIr I'm looking at the 8gb Ram model, so both MBs are $929

EDIT: I found beta drivers for the MacBook Pro 2012 NVIDIA GPU and one of the fixes is V-Sync problems, which is exactly my issue. However, when I try to install it, it will not work because it says no compatible hardware is found, even though it says it supports GeForce 650M GPUs, which is it pretty much saying I need to get the update from Apple. So, I guess my real problem is... What's the holdup Apple?

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PLEASE HELP me select new internal hard drive for Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina)

Good afternoon.
I just bought a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch from a friend. I think it is running Mountain Lion (has not been upgraded to Mavericks yet), and has iLife on it. It came with the stock 500 gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive. At home, I only have the Snow Leopard OS installation Cds and a copy of iLife 2011 installation Cds. I am going to buy 16 gb of RAM from Other World Computing to install.
I want to replace the hard drive with a 1 tb hard drive, preferably something that is $100 or less.
I talked to Other World Computing (OWC) and looked at the Data Doubler Option to replace the optical drive with a Solid State drive, but decided that for now I want to keep the optical drive inside the computer for portability issues.
I know that Solid State drives are better, but they are still too small, and I want the ease and portability of a 1 tb size INSIDE my computer.
Initially I was going to order this from Other World Computing: 1.0TB 2.5" HGST Travelstar 7K1000 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 9.5mm Notebook Drive 32MB Cache. *'New' Factory Replacement with 2+ Year HGST Warranty*    As of April 4, 2014 it's on sale for $79
But then I started reading some of the discussions online and thought maybe I should get a hybrid solid state drive?
I saw on Amazon the Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch ST1000LM014 It's on sale for $94.
But according to some reviews, this Seagate has a platter that is only 5400rpm, unlike the previous Seagate Momentum that has a platter speed of 7200rpm.
How reliable are the Seagate, versus a Toshiba or Western Digital or Hitachi or something else?
Here are my questions about replacing the hard drive:
1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
I would love to get some recommendations about the smartest option to upgrade my hard drive with something that will be fast (I edit lots of photos) and large (1 tb) that isn't going to cost too much. I don't know much about the different brands or options (and there are so many listed in tons of online reviews), that I got really overwhelmed and confused by the info out there.
I would really appreciate any help and advice. I've never switched out a hard drive before.
PLEASE HELP !!! Thanks!
Here is the "About this Mac" Info:
Macbook Pro 15-in Mid 2012
Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,1
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Software: OS x 10.8.5
Storage (Hard drive): APPLE HDD ST500LM012 Media, Rotational, SATA, GPT (GUID Partition Table)

1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
The boot drive, regardless of what it is, needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This is standard with OS X.
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
There are arguments pro and con. Bottom line, SSD's and hybrid drives are still quite expensive per GB than standard hard drives. If you have the bucks and are a speed demon, go ahead.   I have better use for my money.   Standard hard drives are mechanical and may wear out over time. But even though SSDs are not mechancial, they can still go bad and ultimately they even have a limit to their write capacity. The jury is still out on this debate.
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
No
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
You can physically put the hard drive in but probably not install Snow Leopard on this MBP.
The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled.   It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac (even if you replace the hard drive).
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
Not via Snow Leopard on this MBP. See my response to #4.
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
No. They are completely independent of each other; they are just independent storage units (drives) and their RAM does not interact.

Does macbook pro 2012 non retina support 16gb?

Does the macbook pro (mid June 2012, non retina) support ram of 16gb?
Will it be capable of it or would it slow the computer down.
Even though the website of apple says that its maximum capacity is 8gb,
what happens if I install 16gb into it?

You are welcome. The models have been tested by outside RAM vendors to operate with 16gB. There may have been an update since that eating, but doubtful.
You can check at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade to see if they recommend more RAM.

My USB drive won't show up on my MacBook Pro (2012 non retina)

Okay, so I have 2 Macs. 2012 MacBook Pro, and a PPC iMac G4. I want to load music onto my USB drive, but it dosen't show up on my MacBook Pro. My iMac can read the USB without a problem, but the MacBook Pro will not. Iv'e made sure to check off everything in Finder Preferences, and also reveal everything in the Finder Side Bar, but still nothing will happen. I even tried looking for it in Disk Utility, and still nothing. Please Help.

Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
Try a different cable.
If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
Disconnect all other devices on the bus, or as many as possible.
Test the drive with another Mac. Test another drive with this Mac.
If the drive is bus-powered, but has an AC adapter, connect the adapter.
Boot into Recovery and launch Disk Utility. Is the drive recognized?
If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, and if another drive does work with the same Mac, then the drive has failed. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

MacBook Air 2014 or MacBook Pro 2012

Hey,
I am a college student that makes a lot of editing on Final Cut Pro X and uses Photoshop, Illustrator... I don't have enough money to buy a Retina model (and don't have access to the refurbished versions), so I am between the 2014 Air (4 gigs of RAM and 256GB of flash storage) and the Pro 2012 (non-retina, 4 gigs of RAM and 500 of storage -not flash). I know the Pro has a faster processor, but with this model I am concerned about the hardware age, since it is from 2012, while the Air is almost recent and it has Haswell processor. What do you advice to me?
Thanks in advance.

You could upgrade the non-Retina MB/Pro with more memory (RAM) & also
consider a later upgrade to an SSD such as the OWC macsales.com offers...
Maximum Memory 16 GB (Actual) 8 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots 2 - 204-pin PC3-12800 (1600 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
•MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
an example of upgrade source (RAM, SSD, & etc)
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook-ibook-macbook/
•SSD for MacBook/Pro (non-retina) 2009 to current:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/
There is no upgrade path to the user with the retina MB/Air model; an
authorized service provider may be able to change a few parts for you.
•MacBook Pro (13-inch) repair guide - ifixit:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_13%22
For the technical minded, online guides to attempt upgrade or repair
are available; the OWC macsales site above also has helpful guides.
I'd consider the most recent 2012 series MB/Pro non-retina, only
because you could upgrade it or have it done in most AASP shops.
And recommend checking the specs and exact parts per above.
Good luck & happy computing!

Is Macbook Air still relevant? Should I go for refurbished Macbook Air (2014) or Pro (2014)??

Hi Friends,
I need your help in making the decision on Mac. I am buying a refurbished Mac. Here are the options before me:
1. 13' Macbook Air (2014). 4GB RAM, 256 GB SSD. Price: AUD 1179/-
2. 13' Macbook Pro (2014). 8GB RAM, 128 GB SSD. Price: AUD 1359/-
3. 13' Macbook Pro (2014). 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD. Price: AUD 1569/-
My personal favorites are 1st and 3rd options (due to 256GB SSD). There is significant price gap between these two.
This would be my first Mac. I already have a 15 inch Windows Laptop with 4'th gen i5-4200 U CPU, 8GB RAM, 2GB GeForce GT 740M Graphics card, 1366*768 resolution. I am keeping the Windows laptop as well. So, I won't be using VMs or Boot-camp for now. I would use is mostly for light work, like - browsing, taking backup of iPhone, movies, photos, etc.
But I have following doubts.
A. Would Macbook Air be relevant in the market after launch of new retina Macbook?
B. Would 4GB of RAM be sufficient for next, say, three years?
C. Would the lack of retina display in MBA be a problem in future? (Personally, I did not find much difference (may be, my bad) for 13' screen.)
D. If I decide to go for MBP with 8 GB RAM, but only 128 GB SSD, would it be preferable over (4GB RAM with 256GB SSD of MBA) or (8GB RAM with 128GB SSD of MBP)?
E. Finally, What is your opinion after looking at above three options and their respective pricing?
Thanks a lot for your patience and help mates! Cheers!

Until a month ago my main computer was a 13" 2011 MBA (4GB w/ 256GB SSD) when I replaced it with a 13" 2015 MBP retina (8GB w/ 512GB SSD). The MBA is now my backup computer (and will remain my travel computer). I bought the MBPr when it became time to replace the Air due to the display pure and simple. My older eyes appreciate the incredibly clear display and the fact that changing between its default resolutions all result in crystal clear text. Using the Air for hours at a time, with some apps, my eyes became fatigued and while I could change the resolution for larger text, the text was fuzzy. The MBPr is a dream. However the Air is significantly lighter and thinner and much nicer to travel with. Were my eyes better I'd have chosen the 2015 Air.
I strongly recommend 8GB of RAM and a minimum of 256GB SSD. Depending on what software you use, 4GB will be sufficient now but three years down the road? I doubt it. Each new version of the OS has required more memory. With Mavericks (OS X 10.9) the 4GB was fine but with Yosemite I now see a moderate level of what Apple now calls memory pressure. That means my computer is now relying heavily on virtual memory. I suspect that with 10.11 and certainly 10.12 (or whatever Apple calls the next two versions of its OS) I'll have to change how I use the Air. In other words I won't be able to run 3-5 programs at a time which is how I prefer to work.

Macbook Air 2014 hinges loose

Dear Everyone,
The first i want said sorry about my english is not good
I just bought a 13" MBA a 20 days ago, after 2 weeks of usage, i noticed the hinge were kind of loose whenever i lift the MBA up, the screen/display will tilt backwards easily. Thus i call to the service centre to ask about it issue , the technician mentioned that he will tighten the hinge and do not worry but But I think a new product within 20 days of purchase, but must go to a service center, it is so bad
Anybody encounter the same issue as well? Should i go to the service centre for repair it ? Actually if not better more and do not want use apple computer anymore, default i love machine and OS software and even used over 3 years from the macbook pro, Retina and now macbook air 2014. The first is battery and now hinges is loose.
Regards,
Hien Duong

It's under warranty. Take it in for service.

Macbook Pro 15in mid 2012 Non-Retina Freeze

Macbook Pro 15in mid 2012 Non-Retina Freezes randomly. OSX 10.7.4. Do not have Google Chrome installed. I have to press the power button to restart. Any idea how to fix this?
When ever the computer restarts it looks like this:
http://i45.tinypic.com/2mrin7t.png

I would like to share my experience with the random freezing on my brand new Retina MacBook Pro.
This may apply to non-Retina and MacBook Airs, too.
My rMBP had randome freezes; seemingly starting from Safari, then spreading to the whole system, refusing to launch programs, etc., forcing me to restart every 1-2 hours. There was just no other way to come out of this coma other than forced rebooting.
Tried all the usual recommended remedies, but nothing worked. It's been about 2 weeks like this.
Then I remembered from my past experiences that with every new hardware there seemed to be issues with graphics card/driver. I did the following and so far I havent' had a crash for 24 hours and counting.
1. Turn OFF "automatic graphicss switching". You can do this in System Preference>Energy Saver. It's the top tick box. Untick for both AC Power and Battery Power.
2. Turn OFF "automatically adjust brightness". System Preference>Displays.
Can't tell if it's the combination of the two or one effecting the other, but seems to work!
I have a feeling it's the "automatically adjust brightness" could be the culprit.
2012 Retina MacBook Pro, 16gig RAM 256 SSD, Moutain Lion.
- Landing Gear

Can mid 2011 macbook air use early 2011 macbook pro's RAM?

I just upgraded my macbook pro's ram from 4gb to 8gb.
Can I put my stock early 2011 mbp's ram into a mid 2011 macbook air?

No. The MacBook Air's RAM isn't upgradable, except when configuring a model in the online Apple Store.
(69186)

I want to daisy chain my 15 inch mid 2012 non retina macbook pro to a 2012 27inch imac and then to a 27 inch thunderbolt display

I have a mid 2012 non retina 15inch macbook pro, and a 27inch 2012 imac, and a 27inch thunderbolt dsplay and I want to use the imac and the thunderbolt display as dual monitors for my macbook pro and daisy chain them together. I have an extra thunderbolt cable, How would I go about doing this, every time I try to connect it via Target Display mode it only shows up on the imac and the thunderbolt diplay shows the imac screen but I cannot access anything on it. I would love some help, I am probably just missing something simple.

Yes there is on Mac computers that do not come from the factory with "Built In", Note the Words Built In, DVD drive.
On all Mac computers that come with Built In DVD drive Apple has Restricted the installation of Windows from ONLY That Built In drive and Only when it is Physically installed inside the system.
Many people have tried what you want to do and to my knowledge None have been successful.
It is something that is Hard Wired, Written, into the Firmware of these Mac computers.
Some have tried installing Windows on the standard HDD and then moving that HDD to the optical bay or leaving it in the main bay and installing a SSD into either the main drive bay or optical bay and have been greeted with the system not booting to either OS or not booting to Windows.
Something about how boot camp sets up the drive and possibly makes changes to the Firmware or EFI partition on the drive that Windows is installed to or to both that restrict it. You can't even make another Mac OS X partition on that drive without screwing up the Windows install.
To your last post the Answer is NO as stated above.

Loading Adobe Photoshop on my MacBook Air (2014) without an optical drive

My lab at the University already has Adobe Photoshop. I am wondering how do I download it on my new MacBook Air (2014) without an optical drive.
Another query is about the usability of photoshop on MacBook Air. Mine is a 1.4Ghz, 128gb, 8mb (RAM) MAB. I am not a heavy user of Photoshop, but I need it once in a while for improving images from experiments. These images are mostly kept in a dropbox. I am wondering if the above specification sufficient.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank

Downloads for most Adobe applications are available thru the following page:
Download and Installation Help -
https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install.html
As far as your machine versus the software goes, check the following for whatever version of Photoshop this involves:
System requirements | Photoshop

Macbook Air 13" 2011 vs Macbook Pro 13" for a uni student?

Hi all,
I am a university student studying Humanities and Psychology, so I write a LOT of essays. My other computer activities include watching movies, surfing the web, the occasional MMO (WoW and/or EVE Online) and listening to music.
I have a 1Tb external HDD connected to my wireless so hard drive space isn't an issue.
I am torn between the new MacBook Air 13" 256Gb, 4Gb RAM, and the 13" MacBook Pro 500Gb, 8Gb RAM.
The cost of either isn't an issue.
Let me know what your experiences are with either, and leave your opinion on which would be the best for me.
Thanks.

First off EatsRainbows, DO NOT get a new computer without a solidstate drive (SSD) it is the most important component of your computer (prorams open faster, saving is faster, transfering files is faster, everything happens fast). IMO the better screen, slightly better keyboard of the Air will be better for you. Also it wins in my hardcore comparision:
2011 13” MacBookAir vs. 2011 13” MacBook Pro
Both are the base models, the Pro has the optional128GB SSD to match the Air.
Cost:
MacBook Air - $1299
Macbook Pro - $1449
Winner = MacBook Air
Screen:
MacBook Air – 13.3” 16:10 1440x900
Macbook Pro - 13.3” 16:10 1280x800
Winner = MacBook Air
CPU Performance:
MacBook Air – i5-2557M
Macbook Pro – i5-2410M, Single Thread 5.5% faster,Multithread 13.5% faster
Winner = MacBook Pro
GPUPerformance:
MacBook Air – 384MB Intel HD 3000 (IntegratedGraphics)
Macbook Pro - 384MB Intel HD 3000 (IntegratedGraphics)
Winner = Tie
Size:
MacBook Air – 0.68 in thick max, 45.2 in^2
Macbook Pro – 0.95 in thick max, 108.5in^2
Winner = MacBook Air
Weight:
MacBook Air – 2.96 lbs
Macbook Pro – 4.5 lbs
Winner = MacBook Air
BatteryLife:
MacBook Air – 50WHr, 7 hours
Macbook Pro – 63.5WHr, 7 hours
Winner = Tie
Winner:
13.3”MacBook Air by A LOT
So you give up slight loss in single thread speed,for something that is much heavier, much larger, and has a worse screen. Basically you would be mad to pay more for aMacBook Pro.

HT202731 Macbook air 2014 model screen flickers when ever it is connected to minidisplay port to vga adapter?

Macbook air 2014 model screen flickers when ever it is connected to minidisplay port to vga adapter?

Hello EmPuah,
The article linked below details a number of troubleshooting steps that can help resolve issues with your display.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201177
Cheers,
Allen

Macbook Air (2014) sound fluctuation

Hi guys,
My macbook air 2014, running on yosemite has been having sound fluctuations in particular during video playback. Both on quicktime and VLC. Fluctuations happen even when I have my headsets plugged in.
Anyone able to assist?

Perhaps a PRAM reset will work:
http://web.archive.org/web/20140711222006/http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
Ciao.

Macbook Air 2014 is very slow after waking from sleep

Constantly, when using my Macbook Air 2014 without power cord (which I am required to do at College), when my laptop goes to sleep, and I then immediately click to wake it up, it takes at least 20 seconds before the log on screen will come up. The machine has also crashed twice in the past week. Is there a solution for this?

You posted in the iPad forum instead of the Mac Book Air forum. To get answers to your question, next time post in the proper forum. See https://discussions.apple.com/welcome I'll request that Apple relocate your post.
 Cheers, Tom

Macbook Air 2014 Refurb or Macbook Pro 2012 Non-Retina Refurb?

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