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| Moderated by: chrisbet, | ||
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi there I have been having sooooo much fun using the new macro lens I have not been here for a time. But now I have another issue my aging pc is getting sloooow. I an considering replacement, and Mac comes to mind  I know most of you use them so what do you think of the Mac Mini, please remember I am working with limited funds.What about the basic one with a 8gig ram upgrade? Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!  be well! and have a happy and safe holiday, (those of you here in uncle sam country) LOL Ed  |
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Robert
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Well Ed, I have three, they do what is says on the can, and some. The first one failed in two days and was immediately replaced. No trouble since and it's had some very hard use. I came from a dual core Mac G5 2.7 Ghz liquid cooled tower (£2,000 in 2005) which was quick but tired. The first Mac mini (2009) was at least as fast, the second (2010) a bit faster but my i7 four core is very quick indeed. There are a couple of things to consider, the current and next OS work much better with a trackpad, even if you don't like the idea (which I didn't) you will be surprised how well it works with the OS after a few days. The other thing is, buy any extra memory from Crucial or some other reputable supplier, the Apple memory upgrade is a rip off. Extra RAM is very easy to fit, but please take proper anti static precautions, the damaged caused by short cutting this may not be immediately apparent but it can affect performance and reliability. This is one reason why the current range of laptops are not upgradable for RAM. Equally, because of the way the OS balances RAM usage, if you are prepared for a tiny speed impact you can manage very well with the standard RAM configuration. I have done tests with and without the upgrades and the difference is negligible, especially if you don't have multiple major applications running simultaneously. I find the Apple keyboard is best because of the placement of the option, control and command keys, they are more logically placed to enable single hand use but not essential to use for a start. |
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Doug
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I, of course, agree with everything Robert has said but would like to add that the trackpad as a replacement for the mouse didn't work for me (I suppose it might have, had I placed it in front if the keyboard like a laptop) What I have ended up doing though is placing the trackpad to the left and mouse to the right (keyboard in the centre) and this is by far the best combination with easy access to all the gestures available using my left hand while clicking and precise pointing is done with my right hand using the mouse I would be unwilling to give up either device (although things do get a little tricky when I use my Wacom) |
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TomOC
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Ed- It was with GREAT trepidation that I quit windows for Mac about 5 years ago... I have never regretted it. Most apps you own can be tranferred to mac at no charge. As of today, everything that I did on windows, I have the same or a better app on the mac for it. The mac mini is the buy of the marketplace - I have a macbook pro and an imac right now, but many of my friends say I'm crazy, i should have gotten a mini. I say go for it! Tom |
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Ed Hutchinson
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THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!! I really thought that would be your answer. I knew about the ram upgrade 8gig from crucial is $50.00 I got started on this quest because I got an iphone and I can't believe the difference compared to an droid If the mini is anywhere as good at what it does it will be awesome. Thanks one more time, I am sure I will have more questions getting setup but I look forward to the challenge. PC  Ed |
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Robert
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Perhaps I should have added I use the MTP in addition to the mouse, just as Doug describes, mainly for swiping pages with two fingers and scrolling, I don't do any of the other gestures or tapping. I found touching the pad was often misinterpreted as a tap, causing annoyance when unexpected things happen! It was Doug's suggestion of using the MTP to the left which transformed my use of the Mac. It's so natural, I find it works perfectly. When I occasionally have to use an earlier Mac I am lost, keep trying to use a non existent trackpad! I find page swiping so natural and convenient, I am bewildered why it isn't implemented on the iPad. I have one of my Mac mini's screwed to the wall, it's so neat! Tom, I don't think you are crazy at all, the iMac is a great solution, if it suits your needs, it's very neat and still packs the same power or more, as the equivalent Mac mini in a single unit with an added advantage, it runs a full sized 3.5" HD, and some models (I think) have two Firewire ports, which is about the only thing I miss with the Mac mini. To me the advantage of the Mac mini is portability and flexibility. I move between two locations all the time, I can pick up the Mac mini and my main Hard drive, slip them in a small case, and carry them easily anywhere, I have screens set up at both locations and simply plug in wherever I am, giving me the portability of the laptop with the functionality of a desktop. It also means upgrading regularly is relatively inexpensive, so I can keep on top of the hardware improvements which are coming along. Although in reality a four or five year cycle is quite OK to remain reasonably up to date. |
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Robert
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Ed, you will find the integration with the iPhone will be amazing. The iCloud a so smooth, you simply won't notice it but things like calendars, notes, bookmarks and photo's will be synchronised perfectly. |
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jk
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I would recommend a Mac Mini to anyone. If you get the latest Mac Mini Server then you have the fastest Mac available almost for almost no cost. You can upgrade the RAM to 16GB yourself if you really want but 8GB is what I have and it is wonderful. Get yourself a Thunderbolt screen as well if you can but it is a huge extra chunk of money. I keep promising myself one but instead got myself a MacBook Air 13 in April. I love it but the mac Mini server is a great little desktop. |
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jk
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Doug wrote: I, of course, agree with everything Robert has said but would like to add that the trackpad as a replacement for the mouse didn't work for me (I suppose it might have, had I placed it in front if the keyboard like a laptop)I use a Magic Trackpad with a (non Apple) three button mouse and a Mac keyboard with my Mac Mini it works really well. I have my trackpad to the right of my mouse which is on the right of my keyboard. I use the trackpad for browsing and the mouse for editing. I still havent hooked my Wacom into the Mac Mini. I really must but I would really prefer a Wacom Cintiq.  Lots of money. |
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Robert
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I haven't used the Wacom Intuos with the i7 Mac mini yet, I have only just loaded Photoshop onto it... I expect it will be central, simply pushing the keyboard back on the desk. I tend to use the Intuos two handed, using the modifier and control buttons with my left hand and the pen with my right. I doubt the MTP will be used in combination with the Intuos but I do often use the mouse with the intuos, because I find it easier to navigate menus with the mouse. No doubt Eric will scoff at that but I regularly find I select the wrong item from menus when I use a tablet. More practice needed... |
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Dave Groen
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Robert wrote: I find page swiping so natural and convenient, I am bewildered why it isn't implemented on the iPad..This kind of page swiping is implemented in iOS 5. Quoting from Apple... iOS 5 includes a few new moves and shortcuts to help you get around even quicker on your iPad: Using four or five fingers, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, pinch to return to the Home screen, and swipe left or right to switch between apps. Is this what you want to do? |
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Robert
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Thanks Dave, no they have missed the most important one, swiping between pages two fingers, sideways swipe. I can't imagine swiping between applications??? Why have an instant and casual way to switch applications, if I were working in one application, I want a positive, distinct and unmistakable way to change to another. If Apple persist with this silliness somebody like TinkerTool will step in and provide a solution, unless I am missing something... My understanding is Apple are supposed to be making the interface as similar as possible across all devices. To me that includes natural gestures like swiping from page to page and month to month. |
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Dave Groen
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Back on topic... I am also ready to buy a new Mac in the near future. Robert pointed me towards the Mac mini, but if I want to use my current 30" monitor I need a $99 Dual-link DVI adapter. Minis are 2.5GHz dual-core i5 ($800), or 2.0GHz quad-core i7 for the server ($1000), + keyboard, +mouse, +trackpad) I could instead get a 27" iMac with 3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 for $2000 with monitor, keyboard, trackpad, leave the 30" connected to my Mac Pro Quad G5 and use this old computer for my PowerPC-only software. I just want to run Photoshop and Lightroom on the new one (%*@^# giant D800 files!) I think the new minis and iMac are roughly the same in performance, much faster than my G5 box. Any enlightening counterpoints from the peanut gallery? |
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jk
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I would go for a top end iMac and leave your old setup alive and working. Of course if you buy the Mac Mini server then a nice Thunderbolt display makes it a very up-market piece of kit as it can then do 2540x1600. |
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Robert
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I agree Dave, it's an individual choice depending on your needs and circumstances. Depends if you already have a monitor, I have two 24" screens hooked up to my Mac mini's which from my point of view give me more screen real estate than the 27" iMac or the Thunderbolt screen, for peanuts. I think I paid about £130 each for the 24" screens, OK they are not top quality and not even LED but they do what I need well enough. That was why I went with the Mac mini, plus the portability. A 27" iMac os not portable. The iMacs are very heavy. I just installed one about a month ago for a friend and by the time I had carried it about half a mile out of the shopping centre and across two car parks my arms were aching. The iMac was very nice to use though! |
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Squarerigger
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Robert wrote:I agree Dave, it's an individual choice depending on your needs and circumstances. Robert, you should have let "cloud" transport it to the car.  I have an old iMac and love it. I will probably replace it when the iMac's are introduced this year. I have no need for portability. It has been a long time since they put out a new iMac - well beyond Apples usual time frame. |
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Robert
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Squarerigger wrote:
I haven't been following the new iMac releases closely but afaik the last upgrade was the introduction of Thunderbolt, I don't think you will see many new innovative changes with the next model except perhaps USB3 and no CD/DVD drive with the option of a SSD (Solid State Drive) instead as well as the normal HD. The SSD would be good and provides an almost instant start up, with fast application launch and a generally crisper performance. In contrast to Apples apparent 'rip off' prices for their RAM, their pricing structure for SSD's seems to be very competitive compared with third party suppliers. It will of course include Mountain Lion*, which is worth the upgrade alone! * Scheduled for July release. |
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TomOC
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Ed- It was the iphone that made it a no brainer for many. You will not believe how cool it is to have the iphone and your mac sync without any effort or glitch or anything.... iCloud just does it immediately for contacts, calendar, and email... It is better than corporate networks by a mile.. And it is just you  Tom PS - I agree with Doug on the keypad/trackpad/magic mouse layout... Actually I use the trackpad very little - the magic mouse does a lot of the gestures that are the bit uptick for me |
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Robert
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I dislike the Magic Mouse intensely! I have one but Michael uses and loves it? My dislike stems from the unexpected leaping about of the screen image in such applications as Google Earth, or when viewing images in Lightroom caused by simply handling and using the MM. inadvertently touching the MM in the sensitive area can cause unexpected, unintended and very annoying results, for me. As I say, Michael loves it, and keeps it well away from my desk!  He even puts it away in it's little 'glass' case every night.I keep a conventional wired mouse attached to Michaels computer in case I need to use it or need to show him something. |
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Robert
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When I wrote that I didn't expect any significant technical updates to the iMac range although, in the back of my mind I wondered if... then dismissed the idea as silly! But... Interesting News item... Mmmmm May have sorted the URL but not the [d] code    :wtf: |
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jk
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See here for UBB codes. http://www.ubbwiki.com/index.php?title=UBBCode |
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Robert
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Thanks JK, I tried the HTML gives variously [d] and [/d] or [del] and [/del] but that doesn't work either... |
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jk
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What are you expecting What are you expecting [d] and [/d] to do ? If you want to delete then just use the delete key!! |
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Robert
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I am expecting [d] and [del] does much the same in HTML Reason being I wanted to be able to show I said something but it's no longer relevant or pertinent. Also used to lightly veil a rude or joking statement, then make it right. For example: "I took the I accept I could delete, or not even type it in the first place but given it works well most places I was surprised it doesn't appear to work here, in fact I thought I had used it here already, hence my question. <s> test</s> Hmmmm that doesn't work either. :waiting: |
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jk
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Yes I understand what you mean. I'll look into that. OK according to the info I have read it needs to be defined via a css entry. Then you use a whole heap of coding to get what you want. However.......... if you use the editing features of the editor (far right side curly brackets button. Then you can put it in a box.
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Ed Hutchinson
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Wow thanks for all the info. I think I have been reading too much on the netBut I do have a question for those of that have had the mini for awhile, is there a problem with heat in normal use. I don't see me running multiple programs at the same time but that could be that my old pc is LIMITED in that respect. I simply want to edit my photos I do a lot in camera (cropping ect.) so my needs at this point seem small. It will be great to know that I can expand to other forms of processing and possibly work the little grey cells harder I am seriously considering your suggested system JK It will tax my funds as I will need a keyboard and a superdrive or at least a dvd drive and the trackpad looks interesting I know I can save by going to aftermarket keyboard and dvd drive and am researching that now. Thanks to you all for the help and comments I should be ready to jump into the fray next week. yes I know thanks for the warning!!!!! Ed |
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jk
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The MM is very powerful and the MMServer haa no problem doing multiple tasks and stays very cool. Recently we had 41C temperatures and even then when I was using it it did not go past 70C. Ed you can use an ordinary USB mouse (I do as I prefer a smaller mouse) and USB keyboard (I do prefer the Apple keyboards) then get the Magic Trackpad later. The MTP is bluetooth. The nice thing is I also have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and all three can connect simultaneously. |
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Robert
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Hi Ed, In my experience after 3 Mac mini's there is no issue with over heating. I run a little application called temperature monitor. http://www.bresink.com/osx/TemperatureMonitor.html I have it on all my computers and keep half an eye on it especially during intensive sessions. I have yet to see it rise significantly. After three years I am a little concerned about dust in my oldest Mac mini, I may do a little 'spring cleaning' soon not because I have seen it overheat. I know dust can cause individual components to get hotter than they should, so just a precaution. My ex Wife runs a PC, about every month I have to vac it out because it overheats due to dust. Regarding DVD/CD why do you need one, to read audio disks. or for backup? I haven't burnt't a DVD in about 2 years but our needs differ I know. The Mac Book Air DVD drive is only about £60 and connects with any Mac by wi-fi pretty well seamlessly. To transfer 'stuff' between computers I tend to use USB thumb drives now. Most software is either downloaded or on thumb drive. All Apple OS's, updates and software is downloaded. Even Adobe software is downloaded now. I always back up the downloads to an external drive before installation of course. For backup you have Time Machine. you plug a 500Gb (or whatever size you like) USB drive into the Mac, set up time machine which is part of the OS, it makes a copy of all changes you make on the computer every hour, and keeps them for a week, it then keeps a daily record for as long as the room on the disk allows. This means if you accidentally delete something or edit a wrong document, you can go back in time before the deletion or edit and retrieve it exactly as it was. So the need for CD backups has gone. I would avoid after market keyboards, the key layout while it may work, is well less than ideal and is a source of frustration at least to me. Particularly with regard to the command, option and control keys. In my view the Apple layout is better because you can manage command keystrokes with one hand, while the PC layout I need both hands even for simple commands. Not quite sure what you meant by, I am seriously considering your suggested system JK Because JK suggested two systems, the latest iMac AND the i7 Mac mini. If you go for an iMac you get a CD/DVD drive, keyboard and Magic mouse and a very good screen, you would only need a trackpad. Frankly I don't think you NEED an i7 Mac mini if your needs are modest, the smallest of the Mac mini's are very capable, and well powerful enough for 90% of needs. I only got the i7 because I got a special deal and I also want to use it for some intensive video editing. Otherwise it would have been a base model. Regarding taxing your 'grey matter'! are you meaning spreadsheets and word processing? If so iWorks is a very capable Office replacement. It takes a little getting used to but once over the initial hurdle it works well. |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi I really didn't think so many people here would be using them if there was a problem with reliability. meeses are no problem as i have both wireless and usb. As far as the keyboard I think I will go with a Mac. I have been looking around and I see that the price on 16gig ram has come way down $79.00 here and 8gig is $50.00 I don't have need for a server, but the quad core and the dual drives are calling to me. I probably won't have the funds to do this again so I want all the performance I can get now, hopefully to last as long as I need it. LOL Ed |
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Robert
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Ed, I don't think you will see any benefit for 16Gb of RAM over the 8Gb.I had tests of 4Gb compared with 8Gb and the difference was small. I think going to 8 is worthwhile, 16, unless you are doing exceptional work is overkill. If funds run to it a SSD for the OS and application and a 500Gb HD for data would be a perfect spec, giving you an almost instant startup a far more significant benefit than the extra RAM. Also more $ of course... The new Apple Server software isn't the same as it used to be. It now consists of a basic, standard OS with add-on's for the server functions. Apple provide a PDF of how to easily remove the Server functions. If you get the Server and find the server functions get in the way I will dig out the PDF and you can remove them. Mountain Lion will be released very soon, supposedly mid to late July. I would wait until it's released. That way you don't have to upgrade. Mountain Lion is well worth the upgrade. It has many wonderful features especially regarding integration with with the iPhone etc. I have been using it since it was released for evaluation and I love it. Going back to Lion is a big step backwards once you have got used to the features of Mountain Lion. |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Thanks Robert I thought that might be the case, but it never hurts to ask. You are right I really don't have a use for the server functions I read somewhere the quad core is better for working with photos, but I am using an old pentium 4 with 2.5 gigs of ram. sorry I hope I didn't shock you with my system I know it's over the top hi tech and all All seriousness aside I really am very thankful that everyone here is so willing to help a computer dummy this whole thing started because I saw a way to escape from windows and the big M in the sky. I live 50miles from the campus and I can still see it ( it's like the batlight) I wonder if this could be a figment of my imagination and too much time on my hands I really need to get a computer and get to work!!!!!!!!THANKS ALL!!!!!! Ed |
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Robert
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The Quad really is quite something, when you throw a heavy amount of work at it it goes into turbo mode the speed goes up and gains an extra 4 virtual cores. It's quite amazing to watch. it becomes an eight core 2.7 (I think) machine for as long as the load remains then ramps down to normal. I can't find anything about this on the web now, but that's what mine does. |
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rmoser
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I don't know if quad core is better for photo's but it's definitely the case that 12 core Mac Pros definitely run Photoshop slower than 6 core Mac Pros. There are other programs that run much better on the 12 core machines, through. It's really all in how they're written and how amendable the work load is to spreading it over multiple cores. I'm currently running a xeon 6 core 3.33GHz Mac Pro for photoshop and it definitely outperforms my old i7 2.xx (I can't exactly remember the speed) Windows box doing the same things. But it's hard to generalize that kind of result. Would the same i7 running OS-X run photoshop the same? I kind of doubt it. Rob |
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Robert
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It seems more dependent on the OS than to hardware Rob, each of the OS upgrades has dealt with this a bit differently. Unless each of those computers was running the exact same build of OSX the comparisons are not really meaningful. We are seeing huge variations in speeds between builds and point versions on the same computers. Apple's goal is that the application software is not core aware, the OS deals with threading the memory and the cores. With the Mac Pro they are affected by the exact memory configuration, that determines the threading. With the Mac Mini's the i7 is much more powerful than the previous two base model Mac mini's I have. Not really a surprise... I found the base model Mac mini's perfectly OK for my needs. As was demonstrated by opening 1,750 D200 NEF's all at once. The use of the software was unaffected, It just took a while to save 1,750 JPEG's! |
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rmoser
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Well, I can tell you that I'm very happy with my Mac Pro . 10TB of disk and currently 16 GB of memory. I'll replace the 1TB boot drive with a 300GB 15k drive as soon as it arrives. I'm toying with puttin the boot on an SSD, but will probably stick with the 15k drive. In case you haven't found this site, I think you'll find it interesting http://macperformanceguide.com/index.html Rob |
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Doug
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rmoser wrote:.In case you haven't found this site, I think you'll find it interesting http://macperformanceguide.com/index.html I recently received some very good advice from Lloyd Chambers during a 1 hour consultation when configuring a Mac Pro for a client |
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Robert
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Interesting Rob, thanks. If you are looking for real performance improvements then a 125Gb SSD for OS, for your Home folder and Applications would make a real difference together with a second SSD for a scratch disk would make even bigger improvements to speed. From my contacts I am told these make a real difference and are worthwhile in a working environment. I think OWC do a PCI card loaded with SDD chips, which slots into one of the Mac Pro PCI slots. These are even faster because they have direct and very fast access to the CPU Bus. http://9to5mac.com/2012/04/18/first-mac-bootable-pci-ssd-now-available-from-owc/ If you have spare PCI slots then this is a good way to go, because it leaves your normal HD slots available for HD's The OWC prices don't look too bad either... Although I do wonder what happens to the time saved at such expense. I like a crisp computer but it doesn't have to happen yesterday for me. |
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jk
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My MBA13" has a 256GB SSD and it is very speedy so I use it most of the time and only go to the MacMini when I want to do large screen image editing. The SSD makes the machine very speedy boot up is in a few seconds. |
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Robert
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I venture to suggest SSD's will take over from HD's at least for primary internal drives quite soon. They are creeping through the Apple range now. With volume a SSD will soon become cheaper than a HD and more reliable. Look at RAM prices, compared with a few years ago. No moving parts. |
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Doug
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My just ordered MacBook 13" will get a boost from a data doubler (OWC) which will be holding a 750GB 7200rpm drive in place of the superdrive, a 128gb ssd in the normal drive bay and 16gb ram My clients new Mac Pro will benefit from a 240gb and 480gb pci card in addition to some other bits and pieces |
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Robert
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No Retina display 15" Doug? |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi Well this is what happens when an old guy has more time than brains or money, I have been looking at the 21.5 imac which can be had for almost the same amount as the mini and all the stuff you have to buy extra. (all comes with the imac) and the other benefit is I can leave the monitor I have with the antique pc. i think someone actually hinted this but being somewhat dense I missed it till now. The more I look at it the more I like it. I don't need large amounts of storage I have 2 350 gig hdds now and it will be awhile before I will need more. (1 internal and 1 external) yes I know I am a light weight but I am somewhat careful what I keep, 500gigs will be just fine for some time and maybe by then the solid state drives will be reasonably priced. The fact that I am retired and on a very limited income I must make the right choice, corrections are not an option. The only addition to the package would be 8gigs of ram later. One more time thanks for all the super advice Next weekend is the start of the flying season for the summer air shows and fly days wooooooooooo hoooooooooo !!!!! the best time of the year.:popcorn: Ed If one p51 mustang is music, 3 or 4 is an symphony!!!!!!! sweet Rolls Merlin sounds3:) |
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Robert
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Ed, I am sure a 21.5" iMac will be fine, they are quick enough and the LED screens are very nice. Don't forget the MTP... I wouldn't be without mine now. |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Robert thanks I haven't forgotten the mtp, I have a small cash stash for that and the ram. after that I will be tapped out. I am hoping to sell some of my work this summer and recoup some of it. when the apple falls out of the tree I will let you know. I am quite sure I will have some more questions. Ed |
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Robert
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Any time Ed, just ask, I will do my best to answer, Doug and Jk and others, are well versed in Mac too. Users who have become accustomed to PC's sometimes find it hard to acclimatise to the ease of use of the Mac, looking for familiar methods which don't even exist in the Mac. Sometimes I feel the Mac OS is becoming too easy and simplified for the same reason but overall I get the job done with the tools Apple provides. I't just getting the hang of the new way. Apple have a section to help migrating users find the equivalent methods. http://www.apple.com/uk/why-mac/faq/ There will no doubt be a US version. http://www.apple.com/why-mac/faq/ |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Thanks I bookmarked it sooooo if no read when I need it it is handy Ed |
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Doug
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Robert wrote:No Retina display 15" Doug? With the exception of iOS devices (8 of which are in the family) I always favour the entry level replaced often With the bleeding edge Software and websites need to be optimised R&D costs need to be recovered In one year from now this will all be done and the Retina Display will be available across the range (and if it isn't I can stick with what I've got or buy something on runout) |
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jk
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Doug wrote:Robert wrote: I would tend to agree that this appoach is very effective. But I do like bleeding edge for the technology and intellectual challenge. |
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Robert
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Doug wrote:With the exception of iOS devices (8 of which are in the family) I always favour the entry level replaced often. I realise that Doug, only joking! |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi There The Imac has finally been shipped, be here next Thursday. we will be having some fun now. Ed  been there, done that, older than dirt, but still above it!!!!! (unknown ) |
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jk
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Ed Hutchinson wrote:Hi There Well done Ed. I am sure you will like and enjoy it. Let us know how you are getting on. |
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Robert
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Great news Ed, look forward to hearing of your adventures with it. Have fun. |
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blackfox
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i really do love the latest FREE upgrade in aperture ,if you have a lot of processing to plough through the little magic wand seems to get it right 95% of the time ,just needing a few final touches in elements .more than adequate for what i do ,(not picked the camera up for 3 weeks ) and the grass keeps growing but its to wet to cut ,yep get a mac you won't regret it |
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rmoser
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Let me tell you a Mac vs PC story. I work for a very large manufacturer of PCs, so I'll just leave the name out of the story :). That said, my personal laptop is a Macbook Pro and I process my photos on a Mac Pro. A month or so ago, I'm sitting in my easy chair working on something on my MBP when up pops a message that there are updates. Well, I don't give it a thought (not like I would on a PC) and tell it to go ahead and apply them. It does and unfortunately, after it tries a reboot, it fails, complaining about the ACPI driver. Can't get it to boot. Bummer (an I have to say, this is completely unexpected and unusual). So I hold down the Option key and boot the machine to the recovery partition, put in my thumb drive with Lion on it and tell it to go ahead and install. I then went to bed, figuring in the morning I would be pulling backups out of Time Machine. When I get up, the machine is done (no idea how long it took but couldn't have been all that long, I usually only sleep maybe 6 hours). But not only is the OS ok, but all my data and applications are still in place; not a single thing lost! Has worked perfectly ever since. Steve Jobs used to say about the Macs "it just works". And I really appreciate that, since I want to use a computer, not deal with fixing the operating system all the time (I'm a project manager and I can tell you I get quite enough of that in my work day). But what I've found with this little experience is that even when it doesn't work, it just works. And that's even more impressive. So now to the PC part of my story. Yesterday we decide to put a faster network card in my wife's PC (she hasn't made the Mac migration yet but I'll say that's pretty soon now). We put in the NIC and "Oh, sorry, you'll have to install SP3 before we can install the drivers". Well, that sucks, but I've got SP3 on my build server in the house, so no problem. Low and behold, after the update, guess what? The machine doesn't boot because of a corrupted ACPI driver (among a long list of others, I might add). Now I can probably fix this, but I know it will take me hours and hours and hours and I just don't feel like dealing with a substandard command line (don't get me wrong, I spend plenty of time at the command line on my Macs, but that's UNIX, not DOS trash). The recovery partition isn't much help since it wants to just restore the whole OS, thereby losing all her data that hasn't had a backup this week. Well, given I work for a PC manufacturer, I happen to have some PCs laying around unused and my wife's machine is overdue for an upgrade anyway. So grabbed one of the better PCs (i7 quad core 2.8GHz) and slap a new copy of Windows 7 (yuck) on it. Yank the disk out of her old machine and cable it up to a USB converter and drag over all her files, install Office and then clean up any oddities. So she's back in business. And it only took me maybe 6 hours total. As contrasted to the 5 minutes it took me to do a recovery from the same type of error on my MBP. Hmmmm. In any case, that's the last PC my wife gets. Her next machine will be a Mac. I really don't have time or interest in nursemaiding Windows any more. It's just not fun. Rob |
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jk
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I agree Rob. I worked with a PDP11 then a Apple IIe then an IBM PC then a BBC B then back to IBM PCs until 1993 when I used an IBM RISc machine and also DEC unix boxes, all the time working with IBM and Microsoft testing versions of OS/2 and DOS fhen Windows NT, WIndows 2000, then in 2003 i became a Microsft Partner until 2007 when I closed my consultancy and retired. In 2007 I decided with some trepidation to buy a Macbook Pro 15" which still works flawlessly with OSX 10.6.8 but will soon be Mountain Lioned. The move to Mac was easier as i was Linux familiar but in truth OSX is better as it is unix with a beautiful skin. Now there is no way that I would return to Windows except to run a special program which I do occasionally under a VM on my Mac. Once you have experience of the best why would anyone knowingly settle for less! The expansion of Apple into iPad and iPhone will make peopl less reticent to change from Windows so in the future beware of a dying OS called Windows. Bill Gates is smart to get out at the top.... The decline will come and it is no down to him. |
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rmoser
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We have pretty similar pasts ! I started out programming IBM mainframes in assembler in 1969 and moved on to UNIVAC and Fortran IV & eventually 77. Then IBM Series I and PDP-11. My first personal computer was an LSI-11. Then came the Dec VAX. By then I was moving into program management and brought some of the first large SMP UNIX machines into the company I worked for at the time. Used Macs up until the Mac II but been on Windows and UNIX & LINUX pretty much ever since (although I have got a few big IBM RS frames and still some VAXen in my sphere at the moment). Just got tired of playing the Windows game where you spend more time keeping it working than you do working with it and moved back to Mac last year. Rob |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi There Thursday pm This is an update, as of now the whereabouts of my new Imac are sketchy it was involved in a train derailment in Montana somewhere it is unknown if it was on the train that crashed or just held up by it and is one of many delayed. the tracks are now cleared and things are moving again. but still no tracking info on the train it is on.fortunately no one was hurt in the accident. I feel sorry for the little lost Imac alone and lost in the wilds of Montana! I guess the only thing I can do is have another adult beverage and wait!!!!!!! Friday am Update to the update, it has been 36 hrs since the tracks cleared and no current tracking info, it seems the seller can't do anything till Monday they close early on Friday and are not there on weekends. So it looks like time for another adult beverage and wait and wait and wait. as one buzzard said to the other wait hell, KILL something NOW!!!!!! LOL Hope your day is going better Ed |
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jk
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Well maybe a cowboy will herd it up and bring it to the homestead. |
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Ed Hutchinson
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In Montana it would more likely be a sheep herder actually little Imac made it's way through the wilds of Indian country (remember Custer and the little Big Horn)and sheep country to Redmond Washington, the local hub for UPS, so I should see it Monday, barring any further snafus or foobars. Thank you for your support in these trying times LOL be well take care Ed |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hi there The Imac has arrived and it is awesome, sooooooooo easy :thumbsup: anyway I promise no more silly ramblings I must be going Ed |
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Robert
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Enjoy it! Ramble as much as you like... |
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jk
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Enjoy the new iMac Ed. I think we need to rename the forums to Nikon Ramblings!! |
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Iain
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Can you use any screen with a mimi mac? |
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Robert
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To be sure Iain, did you mean "Any screen with a Mac mini?" If so yes, provided it's either VGA, DVI (digital) or HDMI (TV) You can't use an analogue DVI I don't think but if it's an issue I would check. I run two screens off mine most of the time, just plugged in, nothing special except the adaptors. The Mac mini should come with a Mini display port to VGA as standard. To run a second monitor an HDMI to DVI (digital) adaptor is needed. Also the video out ports on the Mac mini have changed over the years, but broadly speaking any common screen should be able to run on the Mac mini with the appropriate adaptor. |
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jk
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Yes I am using a cheap monitor with my Mac Mini and use the VGA connector for my old Mac Mini and the DVI to HDMI lead for the new Mac Mini. I think I have decided to NOT get the Apple Thunderbolt enabled 27" screen but instead get the direct equivalent Dell 27" UC2711 which does 2450x1400 (same as the Apple one and uses the same LCD screen). Advantage with the Dell screen is that it provides vertical adjustment as well. I also considered the Dell UC3011 which goes to 2450x1600 but that gets you nothing more when you really do the maths and it cost twice as much for the extra 3" screen size. |
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Iain
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Thanks Robert and Jonathan. My old iMac is getting a bit slow so it my be something I will have to think about. :thumbsup: |
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Robert
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How full is your HD Iain? You should always have at least 20% free, because the OS uses vast amounts of HD space for virtual RAM. If the HD is getting full it will impact badly on the overall performance. Replacing the HD on an iMac is easy enough. Suggest a WD Black 1Tb? Ram won't make that much difference but try checking the permissions, go to Disk utility and Select your main HD then Repair Permissions. Best to do it when started up from CD. PM or eMail me if you like. Attachment: Screen Shot 2012-07-26 at 16.46.35.jpg (Downloaded 69 times) |
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Squarerigger
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Iain wrote:Thanks Robert and Jonathan. My old iMac is getting a bit slow so it my be something I will have to think about. I just looked at the requirements for upgrading to Lion and found my iMac is out of date! I didn't realize it was over 6 years old. |
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Robert
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 If it still does what you need then why worry? |
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Squarerigger
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Robert wrote:
It does what I want but my wife is hooked on some games which are part of Facebook. They seem to overwhelm the computer - probably the video card and I have to restart the system after she gets done with the games. I believe I read somewhere that gaming software is the most demanding on a computer. Anyway, I would imagine we will be looking in about a year or so for a new iMac. |
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Robert
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Squarerigger wrote:Robert wrote: Yes, games do take a toll, my 2.6 Dual core Mac mini struggles a bit with Facebook games. I haven't tried the quad i7... Facebook game use Flash, that is not the most computer friendly system and is no longer being developed by Adobe. It will eventually be replaced by HTML5 I believe. By then there will be another new iMac out and another new OS. That will be a huge upgrade from >6 years old now. |
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jk
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Yes anything that uses Flash will suck cpu . Even my i7 Mac Mini struggles with Flash Player when it shows video. |
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Doug
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I wonder what the carbon footprint of Flash is |
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jk
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Doug wrote: I wonder what the carbon footprint of Flash isVery high me thinks. Inventor should get an invitation to walk across the Nullarbor Plain solo without support! |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Wow did I hear something about the fleas of a thousand camels, aaaaaaahhh Oh well maybe not, this is sent to you from my new iMac it is taking some time to get everything setup but itb is soooooooooo easy. I have to keep telling myself to stop thinking in widows,(DELETE-DELETE-DELETE) I will tell anyone who is thinking about changing to a mac DO IT asap you will not be sorry. thanks for all the help all of your suggestions worked out very well. the only thing I did extra was 16 gigs of ram. I moved the original 4 gigs to the secondary slots and put 2, 8 gig sticks in the primary and what do you know it is up and running with 20 gigs of ram. I was not sure it would recognize all 20 but it does Huuuuuuuuum I also got a download of Aperture 3.3.1 and so far I like the look of it next project is to add my other 24 inch monitor, it VGA , DVI, and HDMI connections so all I need is to find an adapter from iMac to HDMI and all will be well, no worries, no hurries Oh OH !!!!!! rambling again bad puppy go directly to the newspapers!!!! by the way this is sent from my iMac LOL take care be well Ed |
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Robert
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Great news Ed. I just upgraded my friends new iMac to Mountain Lion today, but was dismayed his 17" laptop is stuck at Lion. :-( He has a need for synchronising his accounts between the two, he is off to Australia next year, so I guess I have plenty of time to resolve it but I don't think a new MBP will be on the cards somehow. This one was new in 2006, it's only 6 years old and not had a lot of use. |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Hey Robert I upgraded to Mt Lion a couple days ago and it was seamless, also it was free from Apple, today I got an email from the people I bought from offering a link to a free download,although I don't need it I thought it was cool of them. I can say one thing about the problem you are having with your friends mac it's things like those that keep you young one more thing I have been switching keyboards PC then iMac and back again and I really like the iMac board better and it looks cool lol be well take care Ed |
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Robert
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Ed Hutchinson wrote:Hey Robert Young! He's 75 on Tuesday, fitter than I am, he rides 10 - 15 miles a day on his bike. He is tough as old nails, caught double Pneumonia while on Lanzarote in March, he only just survived, he is almost fully recovered now. This trip to Australia is for three months, June July and August to Adelaide, then he is going over land to Darwin and back via Ayeres Rock and another nearby (120 Km?) landmark location where there are sausage like rocks* strewn across the landscape. He is chattering about it with the enthusiasm of a ten year old. Perhaps the 'Devils Marbles' near Wauchope? |
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jk
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I have just found a great piece of software. It is only for Mac but is similar to FastStone in Windows. It is called Lyn. And can be downloaded from http://www.lynapp.com Unfortunately it costs £â‚¬$16 if you want the full version but the trial is for 15 days then there is a limited version if you dont pay. If you want a good simple browser then that is fine. I paid the £16 as I thought it was so good. |
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Robert
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Thanks JK, will take a look. |
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Iain
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Thanks Jonathan, I'll take a look too. |
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Iain
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Robert wrote:How full is your HD Iain? You should always have at least 20% free, because the OS uses vast amounts of HD space for virtual RAM. If the HD is getting full it will impact badly on the overall performance. The HD is 250gb with 154gb still left free. It's when using things like LR4 that it is slow, or maybe it's me that is getting inpatient. |
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jk
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Iain, Pack it in a box and send to me in Spain, I dont have an iMac (yet). |
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Ed Hutchinson
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Very nicely done JK now we wait to see if it shows up on your doorstep. Sometime today a cable will arrive to connect another monitor to my iMac. I remembered I have a spare 19inch monitor which will be fine for the old pc, and am moving the 24 inch over to share space with the iMac. this is something I never would have thought to do with the pc, that is so easy with the mac and not just to look cool, but is useful too. Sooooooooo many very neat things to learn and explore, I am having a great time take care be well Ed :sleepy: |
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jk
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I doubt it Ed. The post to Spain is very slow and I think that its best that Iain gets best use from it. I fancy a new screen for my Mini Mac but it will come in the next month or so when I order it. I have decided that the Dell U2711 is the best value and performance, my Dell 2405UW has been very good and cost four times the price of the replacement screen that is 3" bigger but has the same performance. If I went for the Dell U2411 it would only cost me 1/8 the price of my 2405UW from 6 or 7 years ago. |
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Doug
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This is the direction you want to go for performance ssd drive for the OS - internal separate ssd drive for Lightroom Catalog/Photoshop scratch - internal (you have to lose the superdrive on an iMac to achieve this - http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDMMCL0GB/) Large external drive for images - firewire* OR External ssd in thunderbolt or firewire enclosure for OS Internal SSD for Lightroom Catalog/Photoshop scratch External firewire for images* *current iMacs will support thunderbolt and the next gen due by the end of the year will support usb 3 |
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Iain
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That sounds good Doug and would be cheaper than a new imac but how easy would it be to do as I have never had an imac to bits. |
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Robert
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Iain, the Mac is dead easy to take apart. Lay on a blanket, face down, ( the iMac... silly!!! ) undo two? screws at the bottom of the casing and lift the back off.All the guts are laid out before you. I think, depending on model you have to remove some of the air ducting to get at the HD, the DVD is straightforward on the one I stripped (G5), although I have had the back off an intel one too, the previous one to the current model. Didn't seem much different under the hood. I replaced the power supply and HD on mine. The beauty of fitting SSD's is they will carry forward to another iMac if you decide to upgrade the machine to a newer/faster one eventually. Check out the reputation of the drives you buy before parting with cash, there are issues with some makes/types (there are very few actual SSD makers but quite a variety of vendors who put their labels on). There are issues with defragging some of the drives. Don't worry too much about dead sectors, they are mapped out on the fly and data is moved around to compensate. This is info I have seen on a very reliable forum. |
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Doug
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Robert wrote:Iain, the Mac is dead easy to take apart.Which iMac? For the last couple of years the rear is a continuous piece of aluminum. Entry is then done by removing the screen from the front - once inside you must be careful of static and various other fragile ribbons and other components I recently did this in a MacBook with success, but nearly blew it due to a slightly different screw/ribbon placement compared to the online how-to videos |
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Robert
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No it was before the full aluminium model. Can't remember which. Yes I agree static is an issue. I had mixed success stripping my late 2009 Mac mini, my eyesight is getting markedly worse. Because of my clumsiness the running LED indicator light no longer works and I couldn't see where to connect the wi-fi or bluetooth antenna, but given I don't use either I carried on regardless. I stripped it because it was overheating. It was causing the Firewire drive to drop out for no reason every 15 minutes or so. Since I cleaned the computer internally the temperatures have dropped considerably. It has since run for two days continuously since I cleaned it and no further issues with the FW drive. To be honest the computer didn't seem to bad for dust, the fan was worst, I used a toothbrush to clean the fan blades and a pastry brush to clean the main heat-sink.  Temps before cleaning.  Temps after cleaning.  |
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jk
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Robert, take a look at this thread for the wieless attachment point for a MacMini. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1905967?start=0&tstart=0 |
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