Gaming on the MBP or MB?
Hello everybody.
First I would like to say that I am by no means a huge "gamer." I have just been waiting for several years to have a computer (laptop) that will be able to run a game or two. For example, maybe Battlefield 2...I'm really not sure, I just want the possibility. Sorry, to get to my question, how would playing these games on the MB be? Do my hopes justify to upgrade to the pro? If it helps, I would most likely get the top of the line MB (probably not black) or the bottom level MBP, but with 1 GB of RAM I think. Thanks for any help or insight.
I have not even seen many gaming benchies for the Intel 950 because games are just really not the target market. I have included a link here showing the Intel 950 performance in Half Life 2 if that helps any. It is basically getting its butt kicked by a bunch of graphics cards long gone from the market.
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2427&p=4
Edit: found what I was looking for earlier..a list from Notebook Reviews from lowest to highest in terms of gaming performance.
n order of performance:
Intel Extreme Graphics
SiS Integrated
Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Intel GMA900
Intel GMA950
Nvidia GeForce 4 440 Go
ATI Mobility Radeon 9000
Nvidia FX Go5200
ATI Radeon Xpress 200M
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
Nvidia FX Go5600/5650
ATI Radeon 9600
ATI Radeon X300
Nvidia GeForce Go7300
ATI Radeon X1300
ATI Radeon 9700
ATI Radeon X600
Nvidia GeForce Go7400
ATI Radeon X1400
Nvidia Go6600
ATI Radeon 9800
ATI Radeon X700
Nvidia Go6800
ATI Radeon X800
Nvidia Go7600
ATI Radeon X1600
Nvidia Go6800 Ultra
ATI Radeon X800XT
Nvidia Go7800
ATI Radeon X1800
Nvidia Go7900GS
Nvidia Go7800GTX
ATI Radeon X1800XT
Nvidia Go7900GTX
Message was edited by: SeanDonnelly_Colorado
Similar Messages
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Will long periods of gaming hurt my MBP?
I am thinking seriously about selling my PC and just installing bootcamp on my MBP.
But, as I use my MBP specifially for cutting my films and other multimedia projects, and I can't afford to buy another MBP anytime soon, I am worried about wearing out the hardware too quickly.
I've had it now for almost a year and have been very happy with it and had no problems.
But I game for extensive periods of time and I don't want to take any chances of screwing anything up.
I understand that the more you use something, the faster it is going to wear out.
But how much faster? Am I am putting the computer at a higher risk for failure if I play for two to three hours a day?
Thanks!Hi Trenchf00t,
You have absolutely nothing to worry about, the hardware can take it
Whether you game a few hours a day or run heavy apps like CS3 or do video editing, the MBP can handle it.
The general rule is, everything you use wears out, nothing lasts forever. Those few hours of gaming will probably make the MBP's fans speed up and make the comp hot but like i said.. the hardware can take it
No need to treat the MBP like it's made of glass, i use it to the max every single day and it has not failed me once, enjoy ! -
How well does the MBP work for gameplay?
Now I know what you're thinking. If I'm solely looking for a gaming computer than I should get a computer solely for gaming, but this is not the case. I would just simply like to play World of Warcraft occasionally. The game is pretty intensive. I'm willing to upgrade the ram to 8gb, but that won't really drastically change the gameplay. How good is the gamecard that comes with it or should I upgrade it? If I can even upgrade it. What's the fps? All that stuff. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jesse,
I'm thinking you might have posted this question in the wrong forum. This is the MacBook Air forum, in your title you ask about the MBP and in your question you ask about going to 8GB of RAM. The MacBook Air does not support upgrading the RAM, maximum of 4GB. In addition the MacBook Air is commonly abreviated as MBA.
If there's been a mix up and you're legitimately asking about the Air, here's my impressions of it -
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15682909#15682909
For what it's worth, the GPU in the 13" MBP is identical to the one in the 11" & 13" MBA. Although the 11" MBA allocates slightly less system RAM.
World of Warcraft, as you know, can run reliably on some pretty old machines. It definitely runs just fine on the Intel HD 3000, in the fair-to-good category. I can't say I was thrilled with the performance in a 25-man Firelands raid last week but it's acceptable. -
i already have 590 battery cycles. the MBP is only 1 year old. is this healthy? any tips? Im already at 80% capacity.
battery cycles dont mean anything except in the old age of the battery
short term abuse kills a battery, NOT battery cycles.
General consideration of your MacBook battery
Contrary to popular myths about notebook batteries, there is protection circuitry in your Macbook and therefore you cannot ‘overcharge’ your notebook when plugged in and already fully charged.
However if you do not plan on using your notebook for several hours, turn it off (plugged in or otherwise), since you do not want your Macbook ‘both always plugged in and in sleep mode’.
A lot of battery experts call the use of Lithium-Ion cells the "80% Rule", meaning use 80% of the full charge or so, then recharge them for longer overall life. The main quantified damage done in the use of Lithium Ion batteries are instances where the internal notebook battery is “often drained very low”, this is bad general use of your notebook battery.
A person who has, for example, 300 charge cycles on their battery and is recharging at say 40% remaining of a 100% charge has a better battery condition state than, say, another person who has 300 charge cycles on their battery and is recharging at say 10-15% remaining on a 100% charge. DoD (depth of discharge) is much more important on the wear and tear on your Macbook’s battery than the count of charge cycles. There is no set “mile” or wear from a charge cycle in specific. Frequent high depth of discharge rates (draining the battery very low) on a Lithium battery will hasten the lowering of maximum battery capacity.
All batteries in any device are a consumable meant to be replaced eventually after much time, even under perfect use conditions.
If the massive amount of data that exists on lithium batteries were to be condensed into a simplex, helpful, and memorable bit of information it would be:
1. While realistically a bit impractical during normal everyday use, a lithium battery's longevity and its chemistry's health is most happy swinging back and forth between 20% and 85% charge roughly.
2. Do not purposefully drain your battery very low (10% and less), and do not keep them charged often or always high (100%).
3. Lithium batteries do not like the following:
A: Deep discharges, as meaning roughly 10% or less on a frequent basis.
B: Rapid discharges as referring to energy intensive gaming on battery on a frequent basis (in which case while gaming, if possible, do same on power rather than battery). This is a minor consideration.
C: Constant inflation, as meaning always or most often on charge, and certainly not both in sleep mode and on charge always or often.
From Apple on batteries:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446
"Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time." -
To do so I purchased (2) DisplayPort to HDMI cables and (1) Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. As for setup, I have one monitor directly connected to the HDMI port on the MBP and the other monitor connect to the Thunderbolt adapter.
I am getting no signal whatsoever on either monitor. I've ensured that each monitor is set to DisplayPort. I can understand a signal issue existing between the monitor and the adapter, but I cannot understand the issue with the monitor connected directly to the MBP via the HDMI port. I checked System Report > Hardware > Thunderbolt and my Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter shows, but port2 contains no connected device (this is where the Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter is plugged). Does anyone know where I can check the status of the HDMI port?
I'm hoping that the issue isn't as blunt as the monitors not being compatible with the MBP. I've used my previous MBP with another, older, Dell monitor via a Thunderbolt to VGA adapter with no issue whatsoever. I've scoured the interwebs with the hopes of finding someone with a similar issue, but I've found nobody.When the dock is defined as on the bottom, it will appear on the screen of the extended desktop that is lowest.
Move the second monitor where the bottom edges are equal or the Dell is lower and the dock will move there.
Regards,
Captfred -
My iPad (3rd Gen) seems to stop charging if it is plugged into my MBP if either the iPad is closed or if the MBP goes to sleep. My iPhone charges whether the MBP is awake or asleep or even if the MBP is closed. There is a screen display that shows the iPhone is charging. The iPad only has the tiny icon at the top of the screen that show it is charging. However, the battery's % charged does not increase if the lid is closed when I am charging the iPad if the lid is closed on the iPad or if the iPad off after pressing the on off button. Is this normal?
The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.
Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.
At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html
Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at
Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About
http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/
Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/
New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html
Cheers, Tom -
How can I edit lightroom 5 smart previews on mac book pro (mbp) when the lightroom 5 master image files are on my external hard drive is disconnected from the mbp? So far when I try to disconnect the external HD from the mbp, I get the following pop up window: The disk "external hard drive A" couldn't be ejected because "Lightroom" is using it. Quit that application and try to eject this disk again. When I do that and restart Lightroom 5, the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Select Catalog screen pops up but doesn't list my external hard drive A as a choice.
I've reviewed Adobe's Lightroom Help | Smart Previews Lightroom 5 web page and still haven't been able to figure what I'm doing wrong. Any help would be appreciated.Your internal HDD. by default, is named 'Macintosh HD'. From what information you supplied, it looks like there is already a Lightroom catalog installed on you local (internal) HDD using the standard naming convention Adobe uses as well as a Lightroom catalog on your external drive which you created. To be sure of which catalog Lightroom is loading when it starts up, To do this, start Lightroom as you normally would. After it starts, select the Lightroom menu item, then select the Catalog Preferences item and finally, navigate to the General tab. The Location information will tell you exactly what catalog Lightroom is opening by default. This will likely be the Photography Mac Book Pro Versions catalog on your external HDD. Once that is confirmed, you are ready to proceed. As an additional test/verification, you can shut down Lightroom and, this time, start Lightroom while holding down the ALT/OPTION key. This will cause Lightroom to pause and display a screen which will allow you to chose a different catalog to open. Navigate to the /Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom folder and select the Lightroom 5 Catalog.lrcat file. When Lightroom comes up, there should be no previews or folders as this catalog should be empty. Now you can be certain which catalog is being used and which catalog has all your data and you are ready to migrate your current catalog. Shut down Lightroom.
To migrate your current catalog, use Finder to locate your Photography Mac Book Pro Versions folder on your external drive. Select the folder and select COPY from the context menu. Next, use Finder to navigate to the /Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom folder on you internal HDD. You can start at the Macintosh HD level and work your way down by opening each level (Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures). Select the /Pictures folder and then select PASTE... from the context menu. When the COPY/PASTE is complete, you should see the following files on the Macintosh HD:
Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom/ and
Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures/Photography Mac Book Pro Versions
The Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures/Lightroom folder will contain the empty default catalog the Adobe created when Lightroom was installed and Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures/Photography Mac Book Pro Versions will contain a copy of the catalog you created on your external HDD.
You are almost done now. Make sure your external drive is still attached for this step. Restart Lightroom using the ALT/OPTION key again. When the Select Catalog screen appears, select the Choose a Different Catalog button (lower left side). When you do, a Finder window will open to allow you to navigate to a catalog of your choosing. Navigate to Macintosh HD/Users/[user name]/Pictures/Photography Mac Book Pro Versions and select the file Photography Mac Book Pro Version.lrcat. This is the copy you just created. Select the Open button and Lightroom should start. You should see all of your previews and settings just as before. Also, in the left hand panel, all of your folder should show up and none of them should be dimmed and none of your previews should display a small exclamation point badge. Either a dimmed folder name or an exclamation point badge indicates that Lightroom can't find the associated image file. If everything looks good, go to the Lightroom menu, select Preferences and then select the General tab. Under Default Catalog, select an option to either load the LAST catalog opened or select the Users/[user name]/Pictures/Photography Mac Book Pro Versions catalog from the drop down. Shut down Lightroom and then restart it normally. This time, when Lightroom starts, you should be viewing the new copy of your catalog. You can confirm this by looking at the General tab on the Catalog Preferences screen (Lightroom/Catalog Preferences menu items). Shut down Lightroom once again and this time, eject your external drive before restarting. This time, your folders in the left hand panel will be dimmed but you should be able to work with your smart previews. If Lightroom should display a Select Catalog screen with the external drive detached, double check your settings as it indicates Lightroom is still looking at the copy of the catalog on the external drive rather than the new copy you made.
Finally, if you are seeing dimmed folders and/or exclamation point badges with the external drive attached, this indicates a problem. You can select any folder and select Update Folder Location from the context menu. This will allow you to navigate to the copy on the external drive and select it. Lightroom will then update the catalog (select to synchronize the content). This will not only clear the dimmed folder problem but also remove the exclamation point badges for all photos in that missing folder. However, it may indicate that not all went well with the copy of the catalog so make sure to verify all went well. You can use the Get Info option on the two folders. You should see the same number of files/folders for both the copy on the internal drive as well as on the external drive but you can't rely on the byte count because of the possibility of differences between the geometry of the two drives. Hope this all helps! -
Can you lock the SPDIF IN of the MBP to an external SPDIF clock?
I've read a lot of inconclusive posts about this. Can it be done?
The corollary question of course is: can the SPDIF OUT of the MBP sync to a clock at the SPDIF input?
Can both input and output lock to an external SPDIF clock?
TIAQzxptl wrote:
OK: once more into the breach... BTW, I really appreciate the followups Pancenter.
Heh... sorry if I misunderstood any of this.
This is the setup:
- The RME Digiface is synced to another device via ADAT Optical sync; it's set up as a slave to that sync signal.
- The Digiface SPDIF Optical (not ADAT: it IS set to SPDIF) out to MBP optical In.
- The Macbook Pro Optical out to Digiface SPDIF Optical In.
But now you have two different clock INPUTS into the Digiface, in fact you are looping the clock signal back in. Even though you have the RME Digiface set to ADAT sync input you are still receivng clock input at s/pdif. You can't have Two Inputs receiving digital clock as there is only ONE clock per device. This setup will not work as "a device receiving digital IN must lock to external that incoming clock." (unless of course there's separate wordclock for all devices)
This sounds similar to the infamous MIDI Y cable I invented in 1985, the one that didn't work!
Unplug the s/pdif out of the Macbook into the RME.
Of course the Digiface settles down, right?
- I can get audio into the MBP this way, no problem.
- I can get audio out of the MBP this way, no problem.
HOWEVER: the SPDIF sync on the DIGIFACE preferences keeps switching between "Sync" and "Lock" every 20 seconds or so indicating that the signal is not perfectly locked to the Digiface clock.
The Digiface clock is nonexistent as it's clock is running off of ADAT clock, whatever that external device is. There is not a separate s/pdif clock output on the Digiface... it's the ADAT clock.
pancenter- -
Creative Gaming Audio & the EAX2 R
Partially as a response to this thread about "Onboard sound versus X-Fi review/shootout?"...?http://forums.creative.com/creativel...message.id=430?... this post further expands the subject of on-board sound on to gaming & continues deeper into the needs/wants of a "gameaudiophile".
[color="#ff6600">- GG's!?Even though the link below points to an old article / review from 2005 03 07, it might give people here some guidance in finding their temporary way back to the still not so old HDA on-board sound until Creative's driver technologies see a brighter day. Intel High Definition Audio Aricle on the C-Media CMI-9880 & Realtek AL C880
http://www.behardware.com/articles/5...ition-dio.html?-------------------------------------------------------------- - Now I'm a pretty frequent gamer who have come to rely heavily on Creatives post EAX2 systems in regards to great positonal audio, doppler effects etc. As we all know, EAX on the higher notes is TBA & ETA unknown for the time being. This gives us time to fool around with eventual on-board stuff. So I did & let me tell you that the Sensaura 3DPA, which is implemented on the CMI-9880 (on my ASUS P5AD2 Premium MOBO) does not come close to a love affair. Setups for up to 7.CH is at your disposal, virtual modes as well. 6 Ds3D voices , EAX-2 & Jack Sensing... It's all working as in runnig but just doesn't reach any particular high.
[color="#ff6600">Gaming Audio & the EAX2 Roof?Some of you might wonder what my nit-picking about EAX is about. You might not be a gamer. The regular mp3-cowboy regards EAX to be merely a bug. You simply have to hear it in a game, preferably an online-shooter where picking up enemy footsteps & sounds etc are the difference between knowing where to turn your sights or getting it in the back. It's about anticipation as well as immersion. The EAX3+ modes make a huge difference in those regards. For many gamers, the importance of audio quality & positioning might not be clear when first starting out with a game. But as they grow into it, get accustomed with their surroundings, they start to notice & realize how important audio really is. Many of my friends who I have lured into gaming over the years have often been astonished by the difference between on-board audio solutions & the Creative addon cards. Then amazed about what miracles a good headphone setup can do. The real jaw-droppers were the higer EAX modes. EAX became their "eyes on their back". To put it bluntly: Gamers are a new but different breed of audiophiles. We are not content with movie-style directional audio alone, we also demand depth, distance, elevational sound possibilities. True 3D audio. EAX has been the best answer so far as to keep us somewhat happy. No EAX, no satisfaction. Part of the problem is that we have always been trusting Creative to keep deli'vering, and they probably will. But what if, just if, we would like to step out & try something different for a change. Just to know that some other company might do it just as good for us? Well, the options aren't many & they're limited.
[color="#ff6600">Other Cards, Other Technologies
Thats why it would be very refreshing to catch some reflections from someone about positional audio in different high-end gaming setu
ps.
Anyone running the AuzenTech X-Meridian 7. card for instance? I understand the X-Mer being very high quality as far as everything besides gaming is concerned. Reading a lot of reviews, primary concern would be the "higher than X-Fi" FPS hit - what is your real-world experience outside of the constructed RightMark 3D tests? Audio positioning / doppler? How does the Dolby Headphone, Dolby? Pro Logic IIX, Dolby? Digital Li've, DTS? Interacti've & DTS? Connect technologies hold up against their Creative counterpart EAX3-5, CMSS/CMSS2 etc? IMHO, EAX2 alone is not good enough & does not cut it when it comes to fast FPS-games. Maybe some of you have had first-hand experience with the Razer Barracuda AC- card instead? The reviews tell me a story about "nice first try" for Razer, considering it's their first shot at serious gaming audio. Positional is mentioned to be somewhat over optimistic etc. As I understand it, their "EAX3-and-up-killers" are called Razer Fidelity?, Razer Enhanced Sonic Perception? (ESP) architecture and Razer?s 3D (720?) Positional Gaming Audio Engine?. Any hardcore gamers tried it's?Of course, both the X-Mer & AC- utilize EAX2, but as I mentioned.., that's an obstacle to get around for the companies serious about getting gamers to migrate from Creative. It's simply not enough for some of us The substitute technologies must at least come very close of making up for the lack of EAX3-5. Many reviewers barely touch the gaming audio aspects of the tested card, simply stating that "it's adequate enough" (?!!). Well.., that might not hold true for those of us who expect to invest several more hours on virtual battlegrounds than playing mp3's or mixing etc.Happy hunting!
-------------------------------------------------------------- - Auzentech X-Meridian 7.
http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-meridian.php?Feature-by-Feature Sound Card Comparison
http://www.auzentech.com/site/support/Gaming.php
http://www.auzentech.com/site/support/Audio_Quality.php
http://www.auzentech.com/site/suppor...c_Playback.php
http://www.auzentech.com/site/support/Connectivity.php?Auzentech X-Meridian 7. Reviews
http://www.guru3d.com/article/content/399
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/revie...dian/index.htm
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/auzentech/index.php
http://www.elite*******s.com/cms/ind...=282&Itemid=27
http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/auzent...an/index.shtml
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006//2...ech_x-meridian
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post9339200
http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...threadid=88528?X-Fi Elite or X-Meridian
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...37&page=&pp=30?-------------------------------------------------------------- - Razer Barracuda AC-
http://www.razerzone.com/Products/Ga...ing-Sound-Card?Razer Barracuda AC- Reviews
http://www.virtual-hideout.net/revie...AC/index.shtml
http://www.modders-inc.com/reviews-story--62.html
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/razerbar...dio/page.shtml (Sponsored by Razer)?-------------------------------------------------------------- - [color="#ff6600">Great Headphone Stuff Baby!?HeadRoom - Headphone Amplifiers
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps?HeadWize - A Quick Guide to Headphones
http://headwize.com/articles/hguide_art.htm?HeadWize - Technologies for Presentation of Surround-Sound in Headphones
http://headwize.com/tech/sshd_tech.htm?HeadWize - Judging Headphones For Accuracy
http://headwize.com/articles/judging_art.htm?HeadWize - Preventing Hearing Damage When Listening With Headphones
http://www.headwize.com/articles/hearing_art.htm?HeadWize - The Elements of Musical Perception
http://headwize.com/tech/elemnts_tech.htm?Aureal - 3-D Audio Primer
http://headwize.com/tech/aureal_tech.htm?Ethan Winer - Audiophoolery
http://www.ethanwiner.com/audiophoolery.html?HeadRoom - The Psychoacoustics of Headphone Listening
http://headwize.com/tech/headrm_tech.htm?Sensaura 3DPA (3D Positional Audio)
http://www.sensaura.com/technology?-------------------------------------------------------------- - [color="#ff6600">H4rl3qun?s Audio Setup? |? Creative Labs SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS? |? C-Media 9880 High Definition Audio Device? |? Sennheiser HD 650 Reference Class? |? Sennheiser PC55 USB? |? Sony MDR-V700DJ? |? PreSonus HP4 Headphone Amplifier? |?Danke Cat.., but it's pretty much just a pure love letter to honey EAX, who happens to be sorely missed by my big rig if you manage to take notice? - Not dangerous at all really since Creative will hopefully outperform the competition anyhow in the end, right? I'm counting on it anyway. In general, these OS-shift problems currently stirring up are most likely a passing thing; taking audio & audio technology more into the spotlight than anything else. - Which is a good thing for Creative as well (handled nicely), promise, & so is acknowledging / discussing differences between soundcards.
If you are referring to the reviews as inhibiting some sort of advertisement character then yes, advertisement leaning towards Creative since none of the other products have been able to outperform any of the Creative cards when it comes to the topic of gaming ^^ as of yet. Many also use Creative cards as reference in tests, link to & publish Creative specifications etc. Does not necessarily have to be a one way street. Or do you perhaps mean that it's not ok to namedrop? Or hyperlink? Ahwell.., I should have read the manual I guess.
As marshall_lai also kindly pointed out, there is also a huge business opportunity helping lesser incorporated to implement EAX+ & technologies in a proper manner!
Anyway.., Parental Advisory & brainpower recommended in any reply & Enjoy!
:P -
This is a workaround for the MBP wireless issue
There have been many topics on the MBP wireless issues already, but I thought some people might find this workaround helpful.
Firstly, my system is a 2.2Ghz MBP, running 10.4.10, and also airport extreme update 2007-04. I am using an airport express base station. My previous Powerbook never had any wireless problems, so I really couldn't blame the basestation for the MBPs poor wireless.
Warning - The workaround requires a little bit of work in the terminal. A little bit of understanding of how networks work is assumed here as well. So it is probably not for everyone ...
What I have observed - whenever the MBP loses connection, the airport basestation IP and MAC addresses are missing from the ARP table.
- To view the ARP table, type (in a terminal window) arp -a.
So, when the MBP wireless hangs, open up the terminal and type that in.
Do a Cntrl-C if the arp command is hanging and not returning anything.
In normal situations, a list of IP addresses and MAC addresses will show up.
As others have already noted, clicking on the airport icon in the menubar, will magically bring the wireless back to life. When this happens, the ARP table also gets magically populated correctly. Coincidence? I think not!
So, the workaround is to store a PERMANENT entry in the ARP table for the airport basestation IP and MAC address. In my case, I can use the Airport Utility software to confirm what the basestation IP and MAC addresses are (note MAC address = Airport ID in Airport Utility). I found the basestation IP=10.0.1.1 and the MAC=0:11:24:07:d7:f
To create a permanent ARP table entry for my airport basestation, I opened up a terminal window, and did the following -
1) login to my administrator account
2) type in the following command sudo arp -s 10.0.1.1 0:11:24:7:d7:f
3) type in my administrator password to authorise the change
4) type in (to confirm the changes have been made) arp -a
5) logout of my administrator account (from the terminal)
Ever since I did this, my MBP wireless performance has been flawless.
Note, if you shutdown or restart your computer, the arp entry disappears. This is ok for me as I hardly ever power down my MBP. As insurance I have added an account startup item to remind me to do the arp table entry.
This workaround is great for me because I don't have a need to use multiple wireless networks. It might not be practical for people who roam around onto different networks.
Give it a go and see if it works for you.
Message was edited by: michael loueyOK, after some further experimenting, I changed the multicast rate on my airport express. It was set at 6Mbps, and I changed it to 2Mbps.
I have read that the default multicast rate for previous 802.11g versions of Airport basestations is actually 2mbps. Excellent results so far !! I have set up a terminal command to continuously ping my airport router address every 15 sec, and there have been virtually no dropped packets so far over many hours.
ping -i 15 10.0.1.1
Interestingly, in Apple's Airport Admin software in my MBP there is no option to set the rate at less than 6Mbps (!!!!), so I had to use the Windows XP version of Airport admin software to make this change using a windows machine. Using the XP software you can set the muticast rate as low as 1Mbps.
If you are using Apples airport admin software (Tiger and Leopard) and you commit any sort of change in settings, the multicast rate will be re-set at a minimum of 6Mbps. My understanding of the multicast rate is that setting it too high is similar to shrinking the coverage area of the basestation, and limiting access only to clients who can transmit at the required multicast rate.
So my new theory is that the dropouts are caused by the MBP dropping off the airport due to not being able to achieve the set multicast rate. (this could be due to factors such as low signal strength, excessive interference or noise).
If you are using Apples more recent Airport admin software, you are having a minimum 6mbps muticast rate set, and this might be too high for your particular environment.
Just a theory.
(oh yeah, I enabled interference robustness on the MBP and the basestation just for good measure) -
My mid-2009 MacBook Pro has just died via a painful (for me) hard drive failure. I backed up a good percentage of files recently but not enough to keep me happy. I need to access the dead drive on the MBP via a 2008 iMac. Best options?
I have ordered a 800 firewire to 800 firewire cable and am hoping to use the target mode option to copy files from the MBP.
Is this possible?
Hope so!
Any advice and or help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
NeilThanks Ogelthorpe.
Just bought an enclosure to try that also.
Hoping the MBP isn't really dead but just feigning death
Fingers crossed. -
Is it safe to use the MBP in closed clamshell mode?
I've connected my MBP to my LCD TV and started to use it as my desktop.
I'm deactivating the main display of the MBP by putting it into sleep mode and moving my mouse, so it wakes the computer up and shows image only in the TV, keeping the main display turned off.
I'm constantly monitoring the temperatures of the MBP with iStat Menus. It seems that the temperature is always the same, no matter if the main display lid is open or closed.
So, based on these 2 articles:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1778
Is it really safe to use the MBP with the display lid closed?
If I decide to run a heavy load application (like a game) and the MBP starts to get warm, would it damage the display, because it is too close to the body of the MBP?Yes it's perfectly safe and designed to be used that way, 90% of the time this one's used in a similar configuration. The only time the fans come on 100% is when I watch Flash-based items from YouTube or similar. I've never run it for any extended length of time with the fans at maximum I must admit but as long as the air flow is good there shouldn't be any problem.
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I have dual displays. My dock is on the MBP bottom and the menu bar is on the extended monitors top.
I have a Dell 2408 acting as the main display and a 15" MBP. For some reason, today the dock ended up on the MBP screen at the bottom and the menu bar is on the Dell at the top. I can't seem to move the dock back to the Dell. Can someone help? I tried moving the menu bar to the MBP and then back, hoping the dock would follow but no luck.
Thanks for your help.When the dock is defined as on the bottom, it will appear on the screen of the extended desktop that is lowest.
Move the second monitor where the bottom edges are equal or the Dell is lower and the dock will move there.
Regards,
Captfred -
I made the mistake when configuring a external monitor, of changing the mhz to 75. When I close the MBP I now get a black screen on the monitor. How do I change it back?
I have a MacBook Pro with the latest operating system, trying to configure a Gateway flat monitor with vga.
ThanksApple menu -> System Preferences -> Displays.
System Preferences can also be found in the Hard drive -> Applications folder.
Resetting the PRAM can help bring displays back to factory settings if you can't find what you need:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379 -
IBook user - should I go for the mbp?
Ok, I have a 12inch iBook G4 800mhz, 640mb ram. Before people start badmouthing my little baby you sould all know this was my first mac and it was this that made me see the light
Ok so you know my setup. I am at college studying multimedia. For this I use apps such as photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator and I am starting video next year and would obviosuly be using a video app such as Final Cut. I am only in my first year so its nothing too heavey, but at the same time my iBook is really starting to show its age and next year I have no doubts it will not be able to keep up.
What would you guys recommend? Taking the plunge and getting the Macbook Pro or possibly wait and see what the Macbook has to offer? Im really tempted to go for the pro as it would surely last longer with it being a pro machine. The powerbook 15inch is still an option but once again if im going to fork out £1500 on a laptop on a students budget I want it to last. Does the MBP seem the right choice, or maybe a bit over specced for what I am doing and the MB (when announced) may look a better deal.
Thanks in advance for your comments.well thats the thing really, money. I am in the market for a new laptop and either way (MB or MBP) I will most probably have to pay through finanicing. If I am to do this over a 2-3 year period it would surely make more sense to go for the mbp right? Am I correct in thinking a pro machine should have a longer lifespan?
I could probably save up and buy a MB (supposing they keep the current ibook prices) but having just passed my driving test and paying for insurance on a car I think financing is the way to go.
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