[Mac 101] Ask your questions here!

[PetPet]

should i buy mba2014 from applestore or get it from next wk pc show?
i'm eligible for educational pricing, can i enjoy that rate from retailers?

Apple products are no longer on the IT show.
Get it from Apple Store online instead.

 

[Geforce3]

should i buy mba2014 from applestore or get it from next wk pc show?
i'm eligible for educational pricing, can i enjoy that rate from retailers?

Apple products no sold in PC show. Maybe your education fair in school might have them but definitely not pc show

 

[mrbeansucks]

I have some advices actually from my rMBP purchase last dec. (might not be the best/optimal though)

I don't think so the IT show would offer Apple products with educational pricing.

However, it will be more worth to get education pricing through apple website. Don't be tempted by the freebies offered by Nubox/epic centre during IT shows. Those freebies (like palm guard, keyboard protector) of sort can be obtain at much much cheaper price at Qoo10/eBay, similar product quality too. Even applecare (sealed and boxed set) can be obtain at about $240..

Just sharing..

 

[Leaper_SG]

Is there any app in mac that is similar to AkelPad for windows?
Looking for a plain notepad with scroll to zoom feature.

Thanks.

 

[EightTales]

i will be matriculating into NUS this august and i will be using design programs like autocad and revit.

i'm a total computer noob so would it be better for me to get a MBA/MBP and then bootcamp it to use autocad or am i better off just sticking with windows?

i value portability quite a lot so weight will be an issue. the other lappies i've checked out are either humongous or really expensive, so much so that it's in the $2000+ range. MBA/MBP will be cheaper even after factoring in the price of a licence for windows

 

[PetPet]

Get a Wintel.
Not worth it to get a MacBook.

 

[davidktw]

i will be matriculating into NUS this august and i will be using design programs like autocad and revit.

i'm a total computer noob so would it be better for me to get a MBA/MBP and then bootcamp it to use autocad or am i better off just sticking with windows?

i value portability quite a lot so weight will be an issue. the other lappies i've checked out are either humongous or really expensive, so much so that it's in the $2000+ range. MBA/MBP will be cheaper even after factoring in the price of a licence for windows

Just wanna emphasise that "Worth" is a subjective terminology. It normally takes a trained eye to see value in something.

one man meat is another man's poison

Both the software that you have mentioned have mac version and therefore shouldn't have issue running on Mac. However I will not recommend MBA for these 2 softwares mainly because they are highly probably GPU accelerated and a discrete GPU minimally MBP 13" Retina and above would serve you better at the expense of heavier than MBA.

If you are going to use bootcamp and install Windows on it, my own opinion, is go get a Wintel instead. If you are fixated with Microsoft Windows, you can choose to run Parallels, but it wouldn't be ideal for CAD software since you will lose out on the GPW H/W acceleration.

I'm not here to sell Apple product, but since you asked about Mac, think about how the operating system can potentially help you to reach out more if you do somehow find value in it.

I was in NUSSOC years back and has been using Mac since year 2 and didn't look back. Some getting use to it did occur, but in all, I saw the value to stick on and it works out better for me to this day, 12+ years later. I am in the IT all the while, so it seems more readily suitable for me. As for you, you probably need to work things out yourself.

 

[duhduhduh]

My late 2013 macbook mavericks is unable to detect my external display's original resolution, despite me clicking the 'Option' button. the menu does show additional resolutions, but its not my monitor's native resolution at 1680x1050. is there solution to this?

 

[Bryson]

Is it normal for the fan to run after awhile of streaming videos online? I was streaming RM and after 15 mins I could hear the fan noise. Under normal load, i don't hear such noises. Or is there a way to check the temperature of my mbp?

 

[PetPet]

Is it normal for the fan to run after awhile of streaming videos online? I was streaming RM and after 15 mins I could hear the fan noise. Under normal load, i don't hear such noises. Or is there a way to check the temperature of my mbp?

normal.
Flash doesn't run well on Mac and hence consume a lot more resources.

 

[PetPet]

My late 2013 macbook mavericks is unable to detect my external display's original resolution, despite me clicking the 'Option' button. the menu does show additional resolutions, but its not my monitor's native resolution at 1680x1050. is there solution to this?

Strange, try using a HDMI or DVI cable instead.

 

[R3ally Stupid Idiot]

My one year old windows PC just had a os corruption and I can't do anything at all there's no Bluetooth wifi explorer keep refreshing itself.

So I gonna buy either MBA or Mbp. My usage is 50% web surfing, 20% video, 20% visual studio! Photoshop, 10% Dota, cs, steam games. Will MBA suffice?

Will osx be able to install utorrent? If not can I boot camp to windows and run utorrent? Thanks!

 

[mynameisjon]

Anyone know where to buy replacement batteries for 15" MBP? Mid 2009 model.

 

[SkimMilk]

My one year old windows PC just had a os corruption and I can't do anything at all there's no Bluetooth wifi explorer keep refreshing itself.

So I gonna buy either MBA or Mbp. My usage is 50% web surfing, 20% video, 20% visual studio! Photoshop, 10% Dota, cs, steam games. Will MBA suffice?

Will osx be able to install utorrent? If not can I boot camp to windows and run utorrent? Thanks!

PERSONAL OPINION!

With the rMBP slimming down so much, I wouldn't consider the MBA.
2 major differences (info source):
1) Processor (i5 1.4GHz vs i5 2.4GHz)
2) Graphics capabilities (HD5000 vs Iris)

Weight difference between the 2 13" is 220 grams. Not much in my opinion.

I'd suggest getting the rMBP priced at 2088 --> you get 256 GB ssd, 8GB ram.
Can last you for the next 3 years.

As for utorrent, they do support Macs.
Next time, please go to their website and take a look before asking.
uTorrent for Mac

If you are going to run uTorrent, please save downloads to a mechanical drive instead of bombarding your SSD.
It's going to be painful when it dies.

 

[weird]

PERSONAL OPINION!

With the rMBP slimming down so much, I wouldn't consider the MBA.
2 major differences (info source):
1) Processor (i5 1.4GHz vs i5 2.4GHz)
2) Graphics capabilities (HD5000 vs Iris)

Weight difference between the 2 13" is 220 grams. Not much in my opinion.

I'd suggest getting the rMBP priced at 2088 --> you get 256 GB ssd, 8GB ram.
Can last you for the next 3 years.

As for utorrent, they do support Macs.
Next time, please go to their website and take a look before asking.
uTorrent for Mac

If you are going to run uTorrent, please save downloads to a mechanical drive instead of bombarding your SSD.
It's going to be painful when it dies.

bro are you saying for torrent, connect an ext drive to the macbook and save the file inside while torrent-ing?

 

[SkimMilk]

bro are you saying for torrent, connect an ext drive to the macbook and save the file inside while torrent-ing?

yes. cos torrents will keep writing to storage while it's downloading.
high number of writes are no good for memory chips, that's why use an external mechanical drive if you are torrenting.

 

[EightTales]

Get a Wintel.
Not worth it to get a MacBook.

Just wanna emphasise that "Worth" is a subjective terminology. It normally takes a trained eye to see value in something.


Both the software that you have mentioned have mac version and therefore shouldn't have issue running on Mac. However I will not recommend MBA for these 2 softwares mainly because they are highly probably GPU accelerated and a discrete GPU minimally MBP 13" Retina and above would serve you better at the expense of heavier than MBA.

If you are going to use bootcamp and install Windows on it, my own opinion, is go get a Wintel instead. If you are fixated with Microsoft Windows, you can choose to run Parallels, but it wouldn't be ideal for CAD software since you will lose out on the GPW H/W acceleration.

I'm not here to sell Apple product, but since you asked about Mac, think about how the operating system can potentially help you to reach out more if you do somehow find value in it.

I was in NUSSOC years back and has been using Mac since year 2 and didn't look back. Some getting use to it did occur, but in all, I saw the value to stick on and it works out better for me to this day, 12+ years later. I am in the IT all the while, so it seems more readily suitable for me. As for you, you probably need to work things out yourself.

yeah i did hear about running parallel and when doing that you're actually running both mac and windows at the same time so that'll suck up a lot of resources.

cool, thanks for the advice guys! i guess i'll settle for a windows platform then.

 

[R3ally Stupid Idiot]

PERSONAL OPINION!

With the rMBP slimming down so much, I wouldn't consider the MBA.
2 major differences (info source):
1) Processor (i5 1.4GHz vs i5 2.4GHz)
2) Graphics capabilities (HD5000 vs Iris)

Weight difference between the 2 13" is 220 grams. Not much in my opinion.

I'd suggest getting the rMBP priced at 2088 --> you get 256 GB ssd, 8GB ram.
Can last you for the next 3 years.

As for utorrent, they do support Macs.
Next time, please go to their website and take a look before asking.
uTorrent for Mac

If you are going to run uTorrent, please save downloads to a mechanical drive instead of bombarding your SSD.
It's going to be painful when it dies.

Hey nice opinion. But most of the time I will bring it out too. So MBA said to last for a good 12 hrs that why I thinking of MBA. Also I'm going for i7 chip 512 flash storage and 8 g ram.

What do u think? But of cos the graphics will sucks

 

[SkimMilk]

Hey nice opinion. But most of the time I will bring it out too. So MBA said to last for a good 12 hrs that why I thinking of MBA. Also I'm going for i7 chip 512 flash storage and 8 g ram.

What do u think? But of cos the graphics will sucks

Explain why you are maxing out the specs for the MBA?
Why do you need them?

Note: More powerful processor == less battery power.
Do you know the difference between the i5 and i7 on the MBA?
Why do you need the i7? Will you be maxing out the i5 that you need a i7 to work for you?

Let us know what you are planning to do with the system, then can we advice whether it's a good choice?

 

[R3ally Stupid Idiot]

Explain why you are maxing out the specs for the MBA?
Why do you need them?

Note: More powerful processor == less battery power.
Do you know the difference between the i5 and i7 on the MBA?
Why do you need the i7? Will you be maxing out the i5 that you need a i7 to work for you?

Let us know what you are planning to do with the system, then can we advice whether it's a good choice?

Play game, move around, programming, photoshop, visual studio, surf web, watch video