What HD TV for my MBP?

I would like to purchase an HD TV to use with my MBP. I’m new to the whole “HD” thing, and was wondering if anyone has suggestions on what to get for use with my MBP: Plasma of LCD. These TVs have come WAY down in price lately and I’m looking for something in the $700-800 range (and there are a lot in this price range). I mainly plan on using the TV as an extra monitor in my recording studio, and to watch videos via my computer on occasion. And, of course, I plan to watch HD TV on it as well. Any advice or specific suggestions on what TV/Brand to get would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

You've a huge choice these days and LCD's have come down in price a lot ...
My personal choice was to go with Plasma, I got a Panasonic 42" and use a DVI-HDMI lead for the video and Toslink for the audio connections. If I was looking again today I'd possibly got down the LCD route as I think they deliver better text performance, it all depends what you're going to use it for.
I have to say that the Plasma is exceptional with Blu-Ray discs (I just bought a Panasonic Blu-Ray Recorder/Player the other day)

Similar Messages

What is better for a MBP, shut down or sleep?? when you go to bed.

hi everyone, my question is, what is better for a MBP, to shut it down o sleep, i undestand to pun it into sleep when you go out for a time, or you need to move, but what shoul i do when i go to bed and the mac won´t be use for about 8 hours.
thanks regards

If you don't have any documents or programs open that need to stay open for the night then give your Mac a rest and Shut it down.
If you're updating or have stuff loaded that you want to start back on right in the morning, you could just put it to sleep so you're all set for the morning(make sure you plug it in though). It's personal preference really.

What is better for a fast MBP sleep or shutdown

Hi
is it okay to shutdown the computer instead of sleep like 4 time in 24 hours?
I would like to know what's best for the MBP. because I shut it down like once every three days or so. But when I leave it sleeping a lot of times I come and find it dead and needs to be plugged. So I'm thinking of shutting it down more often to save the battery.
what do you think?
P.S. running Lion OS X 10.7.2

If the computer will not be used for more than 8 hours then it would be better to shut it down and save power. Otherwise, use sleep. However, if you will leave the computer near an AC outlet then connect the AC adaptor. Use the battery when you cannot connect to an AC outlet.
About Batteries in Modern Apple Laptops
Apple - Batteries - Notebooks
Extending the Life of Your Laptop Battery
Apple - Batteries
Determining Battery Cycle Count
Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance
MacBook and MacBook Pro- Mac reduces processor speed when battery is removed while operating from an A-C adaptor
Battery University

What to watch for when switching to Leopard?

I just ordered a new Macbook Pro and it will come preinstalled with Leopard. What software can I expect not to work? I believe there is no classic support so my OS 9 apps are out, But with my backed-up stuff from tiger should I expect a smooth migration? I really dont feel like ugprading alot of software just after spending what I did for the MBP. Any help would be appreciated.
Jerry

Are you connecting to the internet wirelessly? If so I would be interested to hear how it goes for you with a brand new macBook and 10.5. If you hadn't noticed (from these usergroups), 10.5, (10.5.2 in particular) is playing havoc on formerly bulletproof wireless systems.
Regarding apps. Photoshop CS 3 and Golive are the two main apps I use and I haven't noticed any difference with Photoshop, it supposedly fixed an issue with Photoshop under 10.4 regarding measurment units but I never had the problem in the first place so I can't say if it fixed it. Time machine is the big selling point IMHO as I now know my stuff is properly backed up all the time.
Apart from time machine (big plus) and the wireless problems (huge minus) its really not a huge upgrade for us non geeks. I was quite happy with 10.4 and would have stayed with it had I known what 10.5.2 was going to do to my MacBooks wireless capability.

What DVI connector do I need for a MBP

what type of DVI connector do I need to get for my MBP to connect to a standard LCD projector

From the Apple Store: Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter

What is the best system maintenance software to use for a MBP??

Hello everyone, I was formerly using Mac Tune-up for my Macbook Pro and it did an okay job but I am not sure what Mac software I should be using to keep my system clean while keeping it running at optimal performance. Turns-out I can no longer use Mac Tune-Up since I upgraded to Mavericks from Snow Leopard. Can anyone recommend to me the best system maintenance software to use for my MBP with Mavericks OS and where I can get it (a link or site URL)? Thanks in advance!

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make two or more backups of all your files, keeping at least one off site at all times in case of disaster. One backup is not enough to be safe. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of trouble with system updates.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac" and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for, and doesn't change the way other software works.
Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
6. Don't fill up your disk/SSD. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform. A well-made computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention, use a PC.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

What's the typical benchmark for 17" mbp c2d?

Did anyone here run the bencmark testing?
my feeling -
#1) machine is running just cool (a little hotter than my previous compaq laptop)
#2) hard disk making some noise
#3) speed is just fine, I assume the speed will boom after installing leopard since the c2d is 64-bit architecture
#4) screen is georgious

You ask:
"what's the typical benchmark for 17" mbp c2d"
On a dusty/ sticky table, 4 little round feet near the corners of the unit, leave their imprint on whatever the mbp has been sitting on. They do smudge if you'rre not careful when you pick it up, then they smudge or your fingers can leave a mark in the dust too.
Couldn't resist lol

Whats better for my mbp 2013 retina in the long run? Keep it plugged in as much as possible or letting the battery hit 10% and then recharge it?

Whats better for my mbp 2013 retina in the long run? Keep it plugged in as much as possible or letting the battery hit 10% and then recharge it?

Odd you ask that, since both are HORRIBLE,   ... especially often draining your battery low.
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 only 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."
Keep it plugged in when near a socket so you keep the charging cycles down on your LiPo (lithium polymer) cells / battery, but not plugged in all the time. When not being used for several hours, turn it off.
DoD (depth of discharge) is far more important on the wear and tear on your Macbook battery than any mere charge cycle count. *There is no set “mile” or wear from a charge cycle in general OR in specific.    As such, contrary to popular conception, counting cycles is not conclusive whatsoever, rather the amount of deep DoD on an averaged scale of its use and charging conditions.
                          (as a very rough analogy would be 20,000 hard miles put on a car vs. 80,000 good miles being something similar)
*Contrary to some myths out there, there is protection circuitry in your Macbook and therefore you cannot overcharge it when plugged in and already fully charged
*However if you don’t plan on using it for a few hours, turn it OFF (plugged in or otherwise) ..*You don’t want your Macbook both always plugged in AND in sleep mode       (When portable devices are charging and in the on or sleep position, the current that is drawn through the device is called the parasitic load and will alter the dynamics of charge cycle. Battery manufacturers advise against parasitic loading because it induces mini-cycles.)
Keeping batteries connected to a charger ensures that periodic "top-ups" do very minor but continuous damage to individual cells, hence Apples recommendation above:   “Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time”, …this is because “Li-ion degrades fastest at high state-of-charge”.
                    This is also the same reason new Apple notebooks are packaged with 50% charges and not 100%.
Contrary to what some might say, Lithium batteries have an "ideal" break in period. First ten cycles or so, don't discharge down past 40% of the battery's capacity. Same way you don’t take a new car out and speed and rev the engine hard first 100 or so miles.
Proper treatment is still important. Just because LiPo batteries don’t need conditioning in general, does NOT mean they dont have an ideal use / recharge environment. Anything can be abused even if it doesn’t need conditioning.
Storing your MacBook
If you are going to store your MacBook away for an extended period of time, keep it in a cool location (room temperature roughly 22° C or about 72° F). Make certain you have at least a 50% charge on the internal battery of your Macbook if you plan on storing it away for a few months; recharge your battery to 50% or so every six months roughly if being stored away. If you live in a humid environment, keep your Macbook stored in its zippered case to prevent infiltration of humidity on the internals of your Macbook which could lead to corrosion.
Considerations:
Your battery is subject to chemical aging even if not in use. A Lithium battery is aging as soon as its made, regardless.
In a perfect (although impractical) situation, your lithium battery is best idealized swinging back and forth between 20 and 85% SOC (state of charge) roughly.
Further still how you discharge the battery is far more important than how it is either charged or stored short term, and more important long term that cycle counts.
Ultimately counting charge cycles is of little importance. Abuse in discharging (foremost), charging, and storing the battery and how it affects battery chemistry is important and not the ‘odometer’ reading, or cycle counts on the battery.
Everything boils down to battery chemistry long term, and not an arbitrary number, or cycle count.
Keep your macbook plugged in when near a socket since in the near end of long-term life, this is beneficial to the battery.
In a lithium battery, deep discharges alter the chemistry of the anode to take up lithium ions and slowly damages the batteries capacity for the cathode to transport lithium ions to the anode when charging, thereby reducing max charge levels in mAh. In short, radical swings of power to lithium cells disrupts the chemical ecosystem of the battery to hold charges correctly which likewise impedes the perfect transfer of lithium ions both in charging and discharging. In charging your lithium battery, lithium ions are “pushed uphill” (hard) to the anode, and discharged “downhill” (easy) to the cathode when on battery power. Deep discharges, damages this “upward” electrolyte chemistry for the battery to maintain a healthy charge and discharge balance relative to its age and cycles.
Optimally, in terms of a healthy lithium battery and its condition, it is most happy at 50% between extremes, which is why low-power-drain processors such as the Haswell are ideal on lithium battery health since a partially charged battery with a low-drain processor has, in general, much more usage in hours
Battery calibration, battery memory, battery overcharging, battery training, …all these concepts are mostly holdovers from much older battery technology, and on older Apple portable Macbooks ranging from early nicads, NiMh and otherwise; and these practices do not apply to your lithium battery and its smart controllers.
Calibrating the battery on older Apple portable Macbooks with removable batteries.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14087
There is no calibration of current Apple portable Macbooks with built-in batteries.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490
There is no battery calibration with current Apple portable Macbooks with built-in batteries. Lithium batteries have essentially a 0-‘memory’, and all such calibration involve the estimations fed to the system controller on the SOC (state of charge) of the battery over long periods of time as the battery degrades. The software based battery controller knows the battery's characteristics, or SOC and adjusts itself. This is why there is both no need and purpose to periodically deeply drain your macbook battery, since it doesn’t affect the characteristics of the battery, and further still deep discharges are something you should not do on purpose to any lithium battery.
From BASF: How Lithium Batteries work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PjyJhe7Q1g
Peace

What Apple Care for MBP Retina 15" Mid 2012 ?

Sorry for this dumb posting, but there are existing two different apple cares when i search for it:
Item Numbers: MD013D/A or MF218D/A.
Maybe someone could help me and say what worked for him. I have an MBP 15" Mid 2012 with Retina (short back after a repair - got 8 dead pixels...).
Thanks for your help!

You are referencing German versions? I am not familiar with those part numbers. In the US, the current appropriate Applecare part number is MD012LL/A for your machine; however, I have seen (and purchased) the older version of Applecare for a Mac if it was offered at a lower price. Whenever a new Mac is introduced, the Applecare product numbers are updated, but there may be third party sellers which still have the older product in stock. In any case, as long as your part numbers are both for the appropriate machine and say "Applecare for 15" MBP, etc", it should be fine.
Having said all that, the question comes up: if your machine was purchased in 2012, your one year warranty has expired and you can only purchase and register Applecare during the original warranty period.

Upgraded 2012 MACBOOK PRO 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB an alternate for RETINA MBP 15 or NOT?How good is its potential, reliability ?

I am a student and an aspiring filmmaker.I am also into digital cinematography (Canon 550D) and now will be venturing into editing. I am in DIRE NEED of help
I have a few problems regarding the purchase of Macbook pro.I live in Kolkata(India).I have been waiting for the past 1 and a half years to buy a Mac but after the release of Retina Macbook pro 15.I am left confused. Its near unupgradability and unreparibility rumors, delayed delivery, and 1st generation hardware issues especially the lack of Optical drive made me reconsider my decision of buying one.
I want to know whether I can go for the top model of Non Retina - 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB 1 GB Nvidea as an alternate choice for Retina MBP pro or NOT ?
1.I wanted to buy the Retina Base model. Though it is very recently launched and there is a big risk buying it because they say it is unrepairable and unfixable as 'everything is glued into the motherboard' dialogue scares me. Something goes wrong after purchase and they send it back to US, is what the Apple officials said. Moreover they don’t keep one on a demo at Apple stores in kolkata. I have searched almost everywhere and have been to many resellers in my city but no use.
NOW,I am very sceptical about custom ordering a Macbook 15 non retina with High-Res 1680X1050p from US.I don’t know how much custom duty or expenses I have to pay and is it safe or not. Time is also a factor. Sadly, I have to buy one in Kolkata (my city) it seems.
2. I am opting for Macbook Pro 15,2.6 Ghz,8GB RAM. Buying it for the sole purpose of editing(audio, video, photos).I need something which is fast along with a good screen size. My original decision was to buy the 17inch but after the launch of Retina and the upgraded 15 inch, I am only looking forward to the upgraded models. Many say 13 inch is fast, but it features a dual core with a maximum of 2.9Ghz clockspeed. I on the other hand want a quad core i7 with good upgradability options and a good screen size. The 13 inch may be a favorite for many, but I want nothing less than a 15 inch. One good option I get with non Retina 15 is its upgradability, while many say Retina MBP 15 can be made upgradable in future but that time is yet to come and by the time the whole web becomes ‘retina friendly’ and all applications supporting its 2880X1800 resolution, I may end up waiting only. Yes the picture quality remains unbeatable when compared to Retina Pro and it will always be. Though friends, I am a student, I want something which is fast, can run almost anything and future dependable. Retina Mac book Pro in India is 2799 USD - Base model. I cannot pay that amount just for the screen. As far as speed is concerned, I plan to get an OWC SSD and a 16 GB OWC RAM in the future resulting in greater speed when comparing the configuration with Retina 15.That problem is solved.
My problem here is this: The web is filled with reviews and videos of Retina Macbook Pro and the upgraded Macbook Pro 15 is just no where, if you even find a few videos, they only feature unboxing videos of Macbook pro 15 (i7-2.3Ghz-4GB-500GB-500MB Nvidea).Other videos compare the 2.3ghz model with Retina 15 pro. They are not elaborate like the 15 Retina Pro reviews.
1. I want to know about the real performance, potential, pros, cons of Macbook Pro 15 (i7 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB 1GB Nvidea graphics).
So my question to you is what is your opinion on the 15 inch non retina ? HOW FAST do you think is the new upgraded 15inch non retina i7-2.6Ghz-8GB-750GB model really is ?I have read on many mac forums and seen on a particular youtube video that 15inch 2.3Ghz model takes an alarming 40 seconds to start because of traditional hard drive ! A normal DELL Inspiron starts at 15 secs max with i3+4 GB RAM and this particularly confuses me about the whole quad core processing and stuff and speed when running applications like C6,FCP,Lightroom etc is to be determined in regard to the model I want to buy.
2. Is it necessary to buy APPLE CARE WARRANTY when buying a laptop from Apple.What are the benefits and how is it different form the normal customer care ?
3. Please enlighten me on some nice headphones from Sennheizer under 90 USD.I am considering Sennheiser HD 439.I am not a bass freak and I want something to use for listening to voice, loud clear. In short, a headphone for all purpose. I heard the HD 449 is not that good compared to HD 439.They say it is Jazz oriented. Another confusion !
Finally, If you know anyone who knows about this configuration (15inch 2.6 8GB RAM 750GB) and its performance than please help me out my friends. Any small detail, input, you feel like please let me know. Please help me be sure and satisfied am buying my Macbook Pro very soon and I am awaiting your response.

Well, are you talking about a 750 Hard Drive or SSD? If SSD (quite expensive) it will certainly be as fast. One option is to get the smallest HD they have and with the Non Retina you can upgrade the HD to an SSD later or now but save a little money. Check with iFixit or OWC for instructions. HD's do take longer to start up and load, but once open, the processor and video work just the same as on the Retina model. The SSD speed is nice, but really not critical. So you have to wait a minute for your computer to boot up. The other big question is you need to find out if the non-retina model will take 16GB of ram. According to OWC's site, it will, 16GB for 150USD. Once you get programs open and resident in ram, everything will fly.

MACBOOK PRO 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB(Upgraded MBP 2012) an alternate for RETINA MBP 15 or NOT?How good is its potential, reliability ?

I am a student and an aspiring filmmaker.I am also into digital cinematography (Canon 550D) and now will be venturing into editing. I am in DIRE NEED of help
I have a few problems regarding the purchase of Macbook pro.I live in Kolkata(India).I have been waiting for the past 1 and a half years to buy a Mac but after the release of Retina Macbook pro 15.I am left confused. Its near unupgradability and unreparibility rumors, delayed delivery, and 1st generation hardware issues especially the lack of Optical drive made me reconsider my decision of buying one.
I want to know whether I can go for the top model of Non Retina - 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB 1 GB Nvidea as an alternate choice for Retina MBP pro or NOT ?
I wanted to buy the Retina Base model. Though it is very recently launched and there is a big risk buying it because they say it is unrepairable and unfixable as 'everything is glued into the motherboard' dialogue scares me. Something goes wrong after purchase and they send it back to US, is what the Apple officials said. Moreover they don’t keep one on a demo at Apple stores in kolkata. I have searched almost everywhere and have been to many resellers in my city but no use.
NOW,I am very sceptical about custom ordering a Macbook 15 non retina with High-Res 1680X1050p from US.I don’t know how much custom duty or expenses I have to pay and is it safe or not. Time is also a factor. Sadly, I have to buy one in Kolkata (my city) it seems.
I am opting for Macbook Pro 15,2.6 Ghz,8GB RAM. Buying it for the sole purpose of editing(audio, video, photos).I need something which is fast along with a good screen size. My original decision was to buy the 17inch but after the launch of Retina and the upgraded 15 inch, I am only looking forward to the upgraded models. Many say 13 inch is fast, but it features a dual core with a maximum of 2.9Ghz clockspeed. I on the other hand want a quad core i7 with good upgradability options and a good screen size. The 13 inch may be a favorite for many, but I want nothing less than a 15 inch. One good option I get with non Retina 15 is its upgradability, while many say Retina MBP 15 can be made upgradable in future but that time is yet to come and by the time the whole web becomes ‘retina friendly’ and all applications supporting its 2880X1800 resolution, I may end up waiting only. Yes the picture quality remains unbeatable when compared to Retina Pro and it will always be. Though friends, I am a student, I want something which is fast, can run almost anything and future dependable. Retina Mac book Pro in India is 2799 USD - Base model. I cannot pay that amount just for the screen. As far as speed is concerned, I plan to get an OWC SSD and a 16 GB OWC RAM in the future resulting in greater speed when comparing the configuration with Retina 15.That problem is solved.
My problem here is this: The web is filled with reviews and videos of Retina Macbook Pro and the upgraded Macbook Pro 15 is just no where, if you even find a few videos, they only feature unboxing videos of Macbook pro 15 (i7-2.3Ghz-4GB-500GB-500MB Nvidea).Other videos compare the 2.3ghz model with Retina 15 pro. They are not elaborate like the 15 Retina Pro reviews.
I want to know about the real performance, potential, pros, cons of Macbook Pro 15 (i7 2.6Ghz 8GB RAM 750 GB 1GB Nvidea graphics).
So my question to you is what is your opinion on the 15 inch non retina ? HOW FAST do you think is the new upgraded 15inch non retina i7-2.6Ghz-8GB-750GB model really is ?I have read on many mac forums and seen on a particular youtube video that 15inch 2.3Ghz model takes an alarming 40 seconds to start because of traditional hard drive ! A normal DELL Inspiron starts at 15 secs max with i3+4 GB RAM and this particularly confuses me about the whole quad core processing and stuff and speed when running applications like C6,FCP,Lightroom etc is to be determined in regard to the model I want to buy.
A. Is it necessary to buy APPLE CARE WARRANTY when buying a laptop from Apple. What are the benefits and how is it different form the normal customer care ?
B. Please enlighten me on some nice headphones from Sennheizer under 90 USD.I am considering Sennheiser HD 439.I am not a bass freak and I want something to use for listening to voice, loud clear. In short, a headphone for all purpose. I heard the HD 449 is not that good compared to HD 439.They say it is Jazz oriented. Another confusion !
Finally, If you know anyone who knows about this configuration (15inch 2.6 8GB RAM 750GB) and its performance than please help me out my friends. Any small detail, input, you feel like please let me know. Please help me be sure and satisfied am buying my Macbook Pro very soon and I am awaiting your response.

Well, are you talking about a 750 Hard Drive or SSD? If SSD (quite expensive) it will certainly be as fast. One option is to get the smallest HD they have and with the Non Retina you can upgrade the HD to an SSD later or now but save a little money. Check with iFixit or OWC for instructions. HD's do take longer to start up and load, but once open, the processor and video work just the same as on the Retina model. The SSD speed is nice, but really not critical. So you have to wait a minute for your computer to boot up. The other big question is you need to find out if the non-retina model will take 16GB of ram. According to OWC's site, it will, 16GB for 150USD. Once you get programs open and resident in ram, everything will fly.

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 louey

OK, 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)

Getting new MacBook Pro, what to look for once i get it?

i'm moving to Oahu next month, and selling everything to make the move easier. one thing going is my PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 with 20" ACD, which i'll be selling soon. so....
i bought a new 15" MacBook Pro 2.16 off ebay as 'new, sealed in box'
just wondering what things i should check for when i get it, in regards to a lot of the problems, etc i've been reading about here.
thanks

Brian, if you look at posts in this discussion forum you will see a number of complaints about the MacBook Pro. If you look at any other Mac model discussion forum you will see a number of complaints about each model.
I have no doubt that some owners have problems, as no consumer device as complex as a computer can be made with zero defects at consumer-affordable prices, if only because they are assembled from many parts, each of which has a tolerance range in its specifications.
My week 12 MBP is perfect. Fast, stable, quiet, perfect screen, perfect fit & finish, good WiFi connectivity and no heat problem. It's been working hard since March 30, 7 days a week. So I have to give Apple an A+ for design, engineering, assembly and QA.
We don't know the actual percentage of MBPs that have had problems. MacNN did a recent survey and reported that about 16% of MBPs had problems requiring service. That's higher than normal, but such polls tend to over-select for problem reports. The major complaint has been about heat, but IMHO heat isn't really a hardware problem for the MBP.
The other major complaint has been a "whine" noise associated with CPU circuitry. Some MBPs are noisy enough to be irritating, especially on battery power. There are user workarounds, but Apple has announced a logic board replacement that can minimize such problems. Mine doesn't whine.
Some people have had assembly problems such as misaligned cases, poorly installed keyboards and what not. Inevitably, a very small percentage of hard drives will fail early -- that's the nature of the beast, even though most hard drives will probably operate beyond their specified operating life.
The odds are that you won't have problems; but if there is a hardware defect Apple has been very responsive and has a good reputation for trying to satisfy customers.
If your computer qualifies for AppeCare, I would recommend it, as that adds two years to the warranty coverage -- and repairs on a notebook can be expensive. I've bought AppleCare for all my notebooks, and have never had to have any of them serviced.

Shopping For Ram: What to Look For?

I'm looking at NewEgg for ddr2 67mhz ram for my MBP (mid 08) and I see a "cas latency" of either 4 or 5 (mostly 5's).
What should I look for when getting ram? Is there much of a difference between 4 or 5? Any other "features" I should look for?
Thanks

I'm reading that the ram I'm looking at (around $35-$40) is "slow" ram and not worth it. Is this true? Computer use= occasional game of Tiberium Wars, Office, iTunes, occasional video encoding, internet apps such as safari (with LOTS of tabs open), ichat. I run a lot of these "small" apps at once though and my computer has seemed to be slowing down a bit (I'm reinstalling the system tomorrow)...
Anyway, any more insight would be appreciated.

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.

What HD TV for my MBP?

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