Post #444,152
6/4/24 9:08:13 AM
6/4/24 9:08:13 AM
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MBPro M3 Pro?
My 4 year old browsing Lenovo ThinkBook has a wonky keyboard and I'm getting upgrade-itis again.
Recognizing that there are many unknowns, I'm thinking about dumping Winders there and getting a Mac (I've had several MBP 2012 and they were practically bulletproof, but a bit heavy). Is the 2023 MBP with the M3Pro (18 GB/512 or 1TB) a sensible sweet spot for $2100-2150? The Air seems to throttle too much. I want something that will last 4-5 years and not drive me nuts...
I'm prompted to make the change because I don't like 11 and won't run Copilot and their spyware. I'll probably be retiring in less than 5 years, maybe sóoner.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #444,153
6/4/24 11:59:05 AM
6/4/24 11:59:05 AM
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I've had an M1 Pro since 2021
Still great, more than enough headroom. I'm a heavy duty developer so there's always a lot going on with this machine too.
Get as much RAM as you can afford, natch. Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
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Post #444,155
6/4/24 10:23:55 PM
6/4/24 10:23:55 PM
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Thanks. I appreciate it.
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Post #444,156
6/5/24 4:52:10 AM
6/5/24 4:52:10 AM
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Me Two
14” M1P, base SKU. Use it all day every day for office (Office!) work.
Grand machine.
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Post #444,158
6/5/24 6:15:17 AM
6/5/24 6:15:17 AM
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If it’s just for office work, 16GB is ample
Or 18GB or whatever the fuck weird number Apple has started using as its multiple for RAM :D
Development - more is always better. And you need some RAM, and Tim needs a new boat. Win-win!
Also if you don’t know whether you need to take anything other than the base CPU/GPU SKU, you don’t. Save the dosh (to give to Tim for RAM)
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Post #444,157
6/5/24 4:58:45 AM
6/5/24 6:12:51 AM
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Re: MBPro M3 Pro?
On using Mac for Office work:
1. Note that Windows Office and Mac Office are very nearly but not quite feature-parity. Outlook in particular is weak on Mac. I live and breathe Outlook because my job is customer-oriented, and they all use Outlook (because Office is the standard for small businesses outside the tech sector)
2. Your Mac will shit “__MacOSX” folders into every zip file you make, and there’s no way to turn this off.
3. Fonts are, like on Windows, a complete shitshow. I hope you like seeing all those fonts for encodings and scripts outside your locale, because, like Windows, the feature to hide them DUNT FUCKIN WERK.
4. Without external assistance, things like controlling the volume on an HDMI device, splitting the scroll direction between mouse and trackpad, and a smorgasbord of other tiny things are all very hit/miss.
5. Window management on straight macOS is crap. Get Rectangle or Magnet to fix this.
Overall, it’s pretty seamless. No OS is free from annoyances and macOS will find ways to annoy you where Windows did not, and vice versa.
ETA: if you use SharePoint, use Safari. I have found that Chrome makes you re-authenticate a lot, Edge makes you re-authenticate a bit, and Arc makes you re-authenticate ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Safari just lets me do my work.
Edited by pwhysall
June 5, 2024, 04:59:26 AM EDT
Edited by pwhysall
June 5, 2024, 06:12:51 AM EDT
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Post #444,159
6/5/24 8:37:27 AM
6/5/24 8:37:27 AM
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Re: MBPro M3 Pro?
Another vote for Rectangle.
What do you use for HDMI volume? This has recently become an Annoyance for me. Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
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Post #444,160
6/5/24 11:31:18 AM
6/5/24 11:31:18 AM
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eqMac
https://eqmac.app (heh lol the forum doesn’t think that’s a URL, god that’s so 2015 😀)
So the thing with HDMI volume is really fucking annoying because macOS can control some devices, but not others. eqMac is the only tool I found to solve this problem.
Windows handles sound volumes differently and can always control the volume.
Source: my Mac and PC share the exact same monitor.
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Post #444,162
6/5/24 12:10:02 PM
6/5/24 12:10:02 PM
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Thanks
I just started using an A/B for my monitor between the Mac and the gaming PC, and having the external speakers plugged into the monitor results in a suboptimal volume range experience...
Probably the biggest annoyance I have is macOS rearranging my windows across the various monitors when it sleeps. Everything gets shuffled more or less onto the main monitor, which isn't the laptop's built-in. Every morning starts with "ok, this one goes on the left monitor, this goes on the right, hoopdee doo ain't this fun". Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
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Post #444,163
6/5/24 12:32:54 PM
6/5/24 12:32:54 PM
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Window management was one thing I thought Apple had solved
Used a MBP at a previous gig. I was on and off the dock and into other meeting rooms constantly, and it always remembered the setup for each location. Has this gone backwards, or was I accidentally recreating the one use case they had built it for?
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Post #444,164
6/5/24 12:45:25 PM
6/5/24 12:45:25 PM
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Nope
Raw macOS has basically no window management.
I have Magnet, so I have proper 21st century window management.
My laptop remembers where windows go between internal and external monitors across sleep sessions. Scott’s does not, and I think it’s down to either his choice of wallpaper, his locale settings, or his foppish haircut.
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Post #444,165
6/5/24 2:42:55 PM
6/5/24 2:42:55 PM
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So how was mine doing that? I never set anything up, it just worked
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Post #444,166
6/5/24 3:27:52 PM
6/5/24 3:27:52 PM
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You clearly have more stylish hair
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Post #444,168
6/5/24 9:13:00 PM
6/5/24 9:13:00 PM
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[ snort! ]
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Post #444,169
6/5/24 9:16:21 PM
6/5/24 9:16:21 PM
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I do
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Post #444,171
6/8/24 3:04:26 AM
6/8/24 3:04:26 AM
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Apple keep tinkering with it.
I've had a work MacBook Pro since about Mavericks (I think). Some versions were good at remembering where app windows should be, other versions would just forget.
I guess it gets pretty complicated when trying to cater for all the different scenarios people want and I bet some probably conflict. I suspect apps themselves can be involved in how the OS remembers where their windows were, too, but I don't actually know.
Wade.
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Post #444,172
6/8/24 10:43:26 AM
6/8/24 10:43:26 AM
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Thanks all. Decided against it.
I have decided that I can't do it.
"Why get an M3Pro when for just a little more I can get an M3Max??"
Apple refurbished 14" MBP M3Max with 1TB, 36 GB, etc., for $2710 plus tax. It's just too much for me now, especially as it's not a light machine.
As Winders is the issue, I remembered Linux. So I'm looking at a refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 11/ 1365U/32GB/256GB/100% sRGB non-touch/2.5 pounds/etc for Linux at the moment. $1181 plus tax and shipping, plus $155 or so to replace the 256 GB SSD with a Crucial 2TB stick. That makes more sense to me right now.
The Gen 11 is certified for Fedora and Ubuntu.
I'll do some more thinking and probably order that soon.
Thanks everyone.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #444,173
6/8/24 5:29:14 PM
6/8/24 5:29:14 PM
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Beware the power connector
From what I could find, Lenovo used their rectangular connector on the X1. The connector is held in by two thin metal spring strips in the socket. Fine if the machine will be parked on a desk, but those springs were out pretty quick if you use it on your lap a lot.
[My wife has a Legion G5 with that same connector. The thing is driving her nuts by now as it has gotten so bad that just shifting position is enough to make the power cable drop out.]
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Post #444,174
6/8/24 7:19:52 PM
6/8/24 7:19:52 PM
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Oooh. I didn't know that. Thanks for the warning!
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Post #444,175
6/8/24 9:03:07 PM
6/8/24 9:03:07 PM
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That's what you call a design error!
Alex
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
-- Isaac Asimov
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Post #444,176
6/9/24 11:04:20 AM
6/9/24 11:04:20 AM
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A tech philanthropist should buy the MagSafe patent and free it
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Post #444,195
6/15/24 1:07:05 PM
6/15/24 1:07:05 PM
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Greetings from Ubuntu 24.04 on X1 (from USB stick)
There was a few days delay in receiving the package. I got it yesterday.
It's a very nice machine. The charger is USB-C so that's not a worry. Yay!
Unfortunately, it looks like they sold the one I wanted to someone else and that's probably what caused the delay. I guess I pushed the "buy" button a tiny bit too slowly. :-/ The one I ordered had 32 GB/256 GB while this one has 16 GB/1 TB. The one they sent actually costs a little more, so it's Ok, but annoying.
I started it up and spent a couple of hours updating winders and customizing the settings and remembering how to set up local accounts without a MS login. Why oh why is the keyboard repeat delay so long, and why is it nearly impossible to find the old settings to change? Why oh why do they default to hiding the 2 pixel wide scroll bars? Why oh why do they default to 150% magnification? Why is it nearly impossible to find where to define the NTP server? And on and on.
So annoying. Grr...
Anyway, the X1 is a pretty machine, nice keyboard, fans haven't been an issue, nice and light, and works well. Keyboard backlight widget works as it should (can keep the light on all the time!!11)
Everything seems fine in Ubuntu, once I figured out how to get into the BIOS settings and turn off Secure Boot. I've seen some comments about some version of Ubuntu working fine, but then having issues on updating the kernel. That is yet another reason for me not to worry about upgrading from 24.04 - I have bad memories of doing Linux updates in the ancient past and breaking the graphics driver and I really don't have time to figure out how to fix a broken install... I'll do the normal updates, of course.
I'll probably remove the 1TB winders SSD and install the new 4TB drive and install Ubuntu on it later today.
Recommended - so far.
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #444,196
6/15/24 5:05:33 PM
6/15/24 5:05:33 PM
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Shame they upgraded what you're tossing and downgraded what you're keeping
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