At whit's end - can't be the only one?

[sjwright]

Hi

For nearly 3 years I've sworn by my trusty blackbook 2.4 dual core 4gb ram, but recently decided to go for an i7 macbook pro (also 4gb ram) and well to put it bluntly, it runs like a bag of *****!

Generally I tend to have Outlook 11, dreamweaver and fireworks with windows running in virtual box (for testing sites in IE) and my old macbook handled it just fine.

The new one grinds to a halt, runs absolutely terribly, and when it decides to switch from the intel gfx to nvidia it gets worse, the VM is slow as hell, and fireworks is unusable.

I regret spending £1800 on something that is basically a turd rolled in glitter. Then there is the battery - it lasts 2 hours max, my old macbook used to last 3 hours regularly. 9 hour battery? 9 hours my arse. not a happy bunny. Am I missing something here? anyone else been severely disappointed with theirs by any chance?

 

[alust2013]

If the blackbook handled it fine, and the i7 doesn't with the same or similar settings, then there is something wrong with it.

 

[jav6454]

Take it too Apple and show them the problem. Obviously there is something wrong with your new computer that only a stress test like that can show it.

Again, make an appointment with a Genius and show him.

 

[chrmjenkins]

If his black MacBook handled the programs without issue, there's no reason his graphics should be switching. OP, you can force battery saving mode where the discrete card is shut off. If that doesn't solve the battery life problem, you better take it in.

 

[panzer06]

Hi

For nearly 3 years I've sworn by my trusty blackbook 2.4 dual core 4gb ram, but recently decided to go for an i7 macbook pro (also 4gb ram) and well to put it bluntly, it runs like a bag of *****!

Generally I tend to have Outlook 11, dreamweaver and fireworks with windows running in virtual box (for testing sites in IE) and my old macbook handled it just fine.

The new one grinds to a halt, runs absolutely terribly, and when it decides to switch from the intel gfx to nvidia it gets worse, the VM is slow as hell, and fireworks is unusable.

I regret spending £1800 on something that is basically a turd rolled in glitter. Then there is the battery - it lasts 2 hours max, my old macbook used to last 3 hours regularly. 9 hour battery? 9 hours my arse. not a happy bunny. Am I missing something here? anyone else been severely disappointed with theirs by any chance?

What versions of OS X were you running on the older Mac? Could be the older versions support this virtual box (is this some precursor to VMware or Parallels?) better than Snow Leopard. If that's not it, you will need to start looking at all the processes and CPU utilization in Activity monitor.

Also, when you have a fresh boot with no vitalization active is the system still slow?

Cheers,

 

[TheFarmer]

Am I missing something here?

Yes. A lot. The speed of the i7.

anyone else been severely disappointed with theirs by any chance?

No. Visit your nearest Apple store with your two machines and tell them what's going on.

 

[mrsir2009]

Somethings not right, get a replacement.

 

[Queen of Spades]

A turd rolled in glitter - ROFL! Good one, I actually laughed. I just wanted to tell you that - I echo what everyone else said, have it looked at - an i7 should smoke a BlackBook.

 

[sjwright]

What versions of OS X were you running on the older Mac? Could be the older versions support this virtual box (is this some precursor to VMware or Parallels?) better than Snow Leopard. If that's not it, you will need to start looking at all the processes and CPU utilization in Activity monitor.

Also, when you have a fresh boot with no vitalization active is the system still slow?

Cheers,

10.6.6 on both the old and the new. Its fine for a bit, but after using fireworks for a hour or so doing the usual stuff I do (visuals for sites and web apps) it gets slower and slower and slower until the inevitable force quit has to happen, and then the cycles repeats. Same with the VM, it starts off ok but gets slower and slower and slower...

Was watching a DVD on the train and the playback was fine, and hey presto half way though it quits unexpectedly. Tried it with a different DVD and same thing there too. I got a feeling that the graphics may be a factor in this...

 

[Fubar1977]

I have to agree with others in this thread, get it checked out an i7 unibody should blow the blackbook away, something is definately wrong here.

Whilst I disagree with the sentiment "turd rolled in glitter" is properly funny tho

 

[panzer06]

10.6.6 on both the old and the new. Its fine for a bit, but after using fireworks for a hour or so doing the usual stuff I do (visuals for sites and web apps) it gets slower and slower and slower until the inevitable force quit has to happen, and then the cycles repeats. Same with the VM, it starts off ok but gets slower and slower and slower...

Was watching a DVD on the train and the playback was fine, and hey presto half way though it quits unexpectedly. Tried it with a different DVD and same thing there too. I got a feeling that the graphics may be a factor in this...

Does this happen when running on battery only? If so, sounds like power management gone awry. The movie issue definitely sounds line power mgmt throttling the CPU to save power.

Cheers,