diamond.g
macrumors G5
If you are just running JEDEC base speeds/timings (4800MT seems to be the base though I am reading you can go as low as 3200MT on DDR5) that is fine, any faster and you are wasting money (IMO).
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Flip Flopping between macOS and Windows
- Thread starter LiE_
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A lot of iMacs used up to 1,600 Mhz DDR3. Then the 2015 used 1,867 Mhz which was the end of the line for DDR3. So you will pay a fortune for 16 GB DIMMS but 8 GB DIMMS are cheap. All of the lower speeds are cheaper. I would have preferred Apple go with 1600 but there's no way to have known when the end-of-the line would be.
eltoslightfoot
macrumors 68040
So, for a variety of reasons, I decided to return to a hybrid approach.
For heavy lifting and gaming I have the aforementioned 16” Lenovo Legion Pro 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD, Intel i9-275HX, RTX 5090.
For everything else: M4 Macbook Air 16/512 and M1 iPad Pro 12.9” with ASK. I switch between the laptops with a KVM.
My iPhone 15 Plus nuked itself finally and I just got a 17e because it was an easy $599 and done. This got me thinking. With my gaming laptop for anything requiring heavy compute, I would just get a Macbook Neo if my MBA quit working, and an iPad Air 13” if my iPad Pro quit working.
Who knew Apple would be the bargain option?
For heavy lifting and gaming I have the aforementioned 16” Lenovo Legion Pro 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD, Intel i9-275HX, RTX 5090.
For everything else: M4 Macbook Air 16/512 and M1 iPad Pro 12.9” with ASK. I switch between the laptops with a KVM.
My iPhone 15 Plus nuked itself finally and I just got a 17e because it was an easy $599 and done. This got me thinking. With my gaming laptop for anything requiring heavy compute, I would just get a Macbook Neo if my MBA quit working, and an iPad Air 13” if my iPad Pro quit working.
Who knew Apple would be the bargain option?
I went back to adding the Windows desktop system so it's back to Studio - Windows - iMac Pro.
I've been running experiments while mobile and yesterday I tried the Yoga + the 17.3 inch 4k portable monitor. It is the lightest solution I have as the portable monitor and the case are 2.4 pounds which is lighter than any of my laptops. The main downside of using it with the Yoga is that Windows doesn't have Independent Virtual Desktops.
Today I tried the MacBook Pro 16 and the Yoga. It's a heavy and large solution. I carried both in a backpack with accessories and it kind of works but the two laptops together use up a lot of space on a breakroom round table. I really thought about buying an M5 MacBook Air 13 which would solve the size, weight and room issues. It would also allow me to play around with Tahoe to see how well my programs work with it.
So stuff on my mind: M5 Air, M5 Max Studio, Nova Lake desktop. I'm no longer looking at Panther Lake as Lunar Lake is more then good enough.
I've been running experiments while mobile and yesterday I tried the Yoga + the 17.3 inch 4k portable monitor. It is the lightest solution I have as the portable monitor and the case are 2.4 pounds which is lighter than any of my laptops. The main downside of using it with the Yoga is that Windows doesn't have Independent Virtual Desktops.
Today I tried the MacBook Pro 16 and the Yoga. It's a heavy and large solution. I carried both in a backpack with accessories and it kind of works but the two laptops together use up a lot of space on a breakroom round table. I really thought about buying an M5 MacBook Air 13 which would solve the size, weight and room issues. It would also allow me to play around with Tahoe to see how well my programs work with it.
So stuff on my mind: M5 Air, M5 Max Studio, Nova Lake desktop. I'm no longer looking at Panther Lake as Lunar Lake is more then good enough.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I know, Hell...Even the macbook pro is the budget option in the high end pc space now. I am staying put on hardware at this time. I am still figureing out if I am going to jump ship to Zorin full time and see if I can fix the boot issues, or just stay with the evil empire of Ai.
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
Apple is sitting on a mountain of cash, and can afford to over pay for ram, ssds (not sure if they are), where other companies are largely at the mercy of samsung.
I'm largely content to keep using my PC desktop, gaming on that has been superior to the mac, in both performance, and compatibility. I use my Mac for other things, I love, absolutely love the ability to use imessage on my studio. Sign into my banking up, and it sends the 2FA code via text. MacOS automatically will have that in the clipboard for pasting,
I feel using CachyOs, has a number of advantages however, UI/graphical crispness. The system just looks a lot better, crisper, the UI is more responsive, and I have more flexibility, and control over the operating system.
jido
macrumors 6502
It's either two laptops or one and a portable monitor. Portable monitor doesn't work well on Windows because of the Independent Virtual Desktop problem. Maybe an M5 MacBook Air 13 + 14 inch portable 4k monitor is ideal.
Have you tried any of the XR glasses like from XReal or Viture? You can kinda fake multi-mon with them while being very portable.
There are apps like "Actual Virtual Desktops" that claim to be able to add different virtual desktops per monitor on Windows but I've never tried it.
I wear trifocals normally and I don't want to have to deal with more prescription lenses with devices like that.
I played around with third-party programs including that one and I couldn't get them to work. The MacBook Air would only be a temporary solution as one of my programs will stop working on macOS after the 2027 release.
Madhatter32
macrumors 68000
For trading, if that is your case case, I would definitely opt for a portable monitor over carrying two laptops.
It would be a temporary solution as it won't be workable once Rosetta 2 goes away. Two laptops is not necessarily bad if the total weight is under five pounds.
I spent about an hour with ChatGPT on trading configurations and Independent Virtual Desktops and what I found on the latter was that the programs that try to give you IVDs do it by mainly shuffling things around. They don't really give it to you as macOS does it. And there are various strategies to try to do it, sometimes with multiple tools. I went through trying to use these tools in the past and wasn't happy with the results.
ChatGPT likes my approach of using the Yoga for trading and another Mac for non-trading stuff but the main recommendation was to add two portable monitors. This would make it look like my desktop setup. I asked for an ultraportable setup and it went back to a Yoga and a MacBook Air. A portable monitor would be a lighter solution but it would probably require external power and cable and there's the Independent Virtual Desktop issue.
It really liked the idea of using a 4k monitor with virtual displays but it strongly recommended putting charting and execution on the same virtual desktop for speed. So I will have to think about changing my setup to put them on the same VD. My desktop setup has individual monitors for things but I'm trying to squish that into a portable setup.
ChatGPT on my trading platforms: many traders try Macs but they eventually go back to Windows for reliability and consistency in performance. The emulation issues can result in slowdowns and even crashes.
I was looking at the base Air which would be enough for my non-trading stuff. Even the Neo might be enough. But then I thought about getting 32 GB of RAM in case I wanted to try trading on it and ChatGPT basically said, don't do it. One important thing that ChatGPT said is to keep charting and execution on the same laptop screen for best performance so the idea of doing execution on a MacBook and charting on a Windows laptop is not a good idea. I'm leaning towards the Air as I'd like to do some performance testing on M5, possibly for one of my desktop setups.
I imagine gamers go through a similar process.
ChatGPT likes my approach of using the Yoga for trading and another Mac for non-trading stuff but the main recommendation was to add two portable monitors. This would make it look like my desktop setup. I asked for an ultraportable setup and it went back to a Yoga and a MacBook Air. A portable monitor would be a lighter solution but it would probably require external power and cable and there's the Independent Virtual Desktop issue.
It really liked the idea of using a 4k monitor with virtual displays but it strongly recommended putting charting and execution on the same virtual desktop for speed. So I will have to think about changing my setup to put them on the same VD. My desktop setup has individual monitors for things but I'm trying to squish that into a portable setup.
ChatGPT on my trading platforms: many traders try Macs but they eventually go back to Windows for reliability and consistency in performance. The emulation issues can result in slowdowns and even crashes.
I was looking at the base Air which would be enough for my non-trading stuff. Even the Neo might be enough. But then I thought about getting 32 GB of RAM in case I wanted to try trading on it and ChatGPT basically said, don't do it. One important thing that ChatGPT said is to keep charting and execution on the same laptop screen for best performance so the idea of doing execution on a MacBook and charting on a Windows laptop is not a good idea. I'm leaning towards the Air as I'd like to do some performance testing on M5, possibly for one of my desktop setups.
I imagine gamers go through a similar process.
eltoslightfoot
macrumors 68040
Oh yes, and I don't need an hour long chat with ChatGPT to tell me the pain of the whole situation. It sucks. I get tired of each operating system's little hangups. They are so additive when you get to a certain point. It gets annoying having to maintain all these different setups. And I find, these days, that my Mac is the least useful. I don't like how it forgets what it is doing with multiple monitors. I don't really even like how it handles integration with my iPhone. I disable all that anyway. But mice suck on the thing (and always kind of have).
I am trying to see if I can just get by with an iPad Pro and my Windows machine. I am more likely to ditch the iPad and go back to the Surface Pro 9 then I am go with a Macbook. But....there is a reason I am in this thread. I'll probably be back on my Mac in a week LOL.
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I am lucky, right at this moment I am not in the financial position to be flipfloping about. I will be next year when we have our massive house sold and we can breathe again. But the least issues I have is with windows right now. Once you have all the nagging stopped it's actually decent. I am staying on older hardware until I need to upgrade as I don't have to worry about the infusion of Ai junk like Recall etc.
I just wish Microsoft would get rid of Nadulla, and get someone more consumer focused instead of shareholder money focused. Bring back tablet mode for touchscreen devices, make surface more mac like in implementation, etc. Instead of we think we can make trillions off ai, so lets invest billions into a money pit.
I just wish Microsoft would get rid of Nadulla, and get someone more consumer focused instead of shareholder money focused. Bring back tablet mode for touchscreen devices, make surface more mac like in implementation, etc. Instead of we think we can make trillions off ai, so lets invest billions into a money pit.
I ran a test of my trading setup at the gym with the Yoga and a portable 17.3 inch 4k monitor and this worked out a lot better than I expected. But the main reason for the improved operating environment was changing my screen and program layout. I find that it's better to test stuff outside the home as you have stuff at home that can fix problems or you have conveniences that you take for granted that you don't have away from home.
The one main problem I had was a USB-C cable that was only ten feet long so I ordered a fifteen. The portable monitor does not fit well with a gym bag and laptop briefcase. I put the 17.3 inch monitor in my gym bag but it's not ideal as it takes up a lot of space. So I can switch to my backpack to carry the Yoga and portable monitor. A briefcase with shoulder strap is faster but I can live with a backpack. The monitor is 3,840x2,160 while the Yoga is 3,840x2,400 and the latter format isn't common on 17.3 inch monitors so I'm wondering if I should go with 14, 15.6 or 16.
I'm just going to go with what I have now for a week and consider a smaller portable monitor at 16:10.
I was ready to go to Costco or the Apple Store this afternoon to get the MacBook Air 13, and, objectively, sticking with Windows and running as much of the iCloud apps on the web browser makes the most sense.
The solution to the independent virtual desktop problem is to use the Show Window on All Desktops for my non-trading programs of which there are three (Firefox, Thunderbird, Edge (to run iCloud Notes). The minor headache is that I have to turn it on when starting and then turn it off for each of those programs.
The one main problem I had was a USB-C cable that was only ten feet long so I ordered a fifteen. The portable monitor does not fit well with a gym bag and laptop briefcase. I put the 17.3 inch monitor in my gym bag but it's not ideal as it takes up a lot of space. So I can switch to my backpack to carry the Yoga and portable monitor. A briefcase with shoulder strap is faster but I can live with a backpack. The monitor is 3,840x2,160 while the Yoga is 3,840x2,400 and the latter format isn't common on 17.3 inch monitors so I'm wondering if I should go with 14, 15.6 or 16.
I'm just going to go with what I have now for a week and consider a smaller portable monitor at 16:10.
I was ready to go to Costco or the Apple Store this afternoon to get the MacBook Air 13, and, objectively, sticking with Windows and running as much of the iCloud apps on the web browser makes the most sense.
The solution to the independent virtual desktop problem is to use the Show Window on All Desktops for my non-trading programs of which there are three (Firefox, Thunderbird, Edge (to run iCloud Notes). The minor headache is that I have to turn it on when starting and then turn it off for each of those programs.
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Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I agree. I am in the same boat, I just can't leave windows as much as I want to. My software works, my hardware mostly works, I am not using any Apple product besides my and my son's ipads, which will probably move to lenovo or samsung tablets, and I am just comfortable.
I am hoping they are going to follow apple's lead and ditch Satya mcdumbass with someone more consumer centric at the lead of MS. They squandered so may awesome opportunities under Nadella because if it didn't bring in billions of revenue in 6 months it was axed. Spent billions on Ai crap that's not giving any return on investment. etc.
Madhatter32
macrumors 68000
I personally like to match my portable to my screen size so I do not favor one over another when running multi-charts over both -- when travelling. Different story in home / office.
One other reason is if you don't have your portable monitor, the setup is the same which you can do in a virtual desktop.
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
Two different companies, two different philosophies.
Apple board did not push out Tim Cook, he's retiring. By every measurement used for CEOs, he's been wildly successful, no one was pushing him to leave.
Likewise, with Satya Nadella he's been incredibly successful as CEO of Microsoft. The company is worth more then Apple and nearly every aspect of his tenure has been marked with high profits and good decisions. The one thing that may drag him and MS down is their investments into AI, that is the biggest concern and question mark for Apple moving forward.
Also Microsoft is primarily considered an enterprise and cloud computing company, rather than a pure consumer company. So any decisions thy make with windows is largely with that perspective.
This is like a year or two old but its still accurate enough:
Steve Adams
macrumors 68000
I think apple did the right thing by reversing course in the Ai space to be honest. Yes, Microsoft is more diversified than apple for sure. But I think they need some more consumer faced leadership. It would help them alot.
Madhatter32
macrumors 68000
All good points, but MSFT is not worth more than Apple. I agree that Cook has been a tremendous CEO by any measure. As for MSFT, I would say its commitment to Windows will be inversely related to the growth and profitability of its cloud computing segment and I am not sure whether Windows represents the future for the company. I view this as a natural progression for them and not something consumers should lament as the void will get filled -- as it always does as the markets evolve and innovate. I can see Apple gaiining market share in future along with Linux.
eltoslightfoot
macrumors 68040
Right now, this is true. $4 trillion for Apple, and $3.1 trillion for MS. Which just makes @maflynn's point all the more. Apple isn't kicking Tim out. He has guided Apple brilliantly through this AI mess by just not burning cash.
I redid my layout and only need two tools instead of three. I lost one chart display and will see whether or not I really need it. This means that I don't need four monitors on the desk nor the M1 Max Studio and I'm contemplating selling it. The question is then can the Mac Studio provide DAS services? I have a 2018 mini as well and that could definitely be a DAS server.
The other question now is whether or not I need the M1 MacBook Pro 16. I like to have a backup laptop but a MacBook Air 13 would suffice for that.
The other question now is whether or not I need the M1 MacBook Pro 16. I like to have a backup laptop but a MacBook Air 13 would suffice for that.
Insane deal at Microcenter for Panther Lake laptop. I'm not a fan of HP but this seems like a fantastic deal just for the components.
