Flip Flopping between macOS and Windows

[The point and shoot pro]

I have every motivation, I saw a YT that built a wonderfully small, fast and cool running machine. Yet, the component list is such that it would have run me well into the 2,000 dollar range. My 11gen gen machine has more then enough horse power, my GPU a little long in the tooth but handles the games I play. I can't justify spending that sort of money in this day and age.

I'm in the same camp. My XPS is plenty powerful as it is built now, and will be for years. Do I want to build the super workstation for me? YEP. Does my bank account want to do it, NOPE! My two windows pcs are awesome right now.

My Coworker has a 2019 macbook 13 he's thinking of selling, I am probably going to buy it to try mac. If I don't like it I can gift it to my son, who is using a 2016 macbook air 128gb. If I do like it, I will gift it to my son and buy the system I want. Ha ha!

 

[SB1500]

My time between Mac and Windows is my personal iPhone / Mac / Watch where all my personal content like photos / music / email lives. Then my mandatory work PC. On the Windows PC I've learnt the shortcuts etc, window snapping is handy. I keep both lives separate really, most of my personal things on the work PC are limited to the browser - saved logins for some forums etc for when it's 'quiet'. They come together on the iPhone - work and personal profiles. eSim for my personal line, and their physical sim in the slot. Very convenient since iOS 16 when it basically switches from work to personal - different apps. The separation between Outlook and Apple Mail is so good, I tried sharing the same 'single service' using Outlook before but it doesn't split as well. In some ways I envy Android's split app menu between work and personal - two instances of the app entirely. That would be welcome, but I don't see Apple going this way.

Personal stuff works so much better on Apple's ecosystem.
Work, on Microsoft

 

[keithop]

In some ways I envy Android's split app menu between work and personal - two instances of the app entirely. That would be welcome, but I don't see Apple going this way.

Personal stuff works so much better on Apple's ecosystem.
Work, on Microsoft

that's really interesting, I'll have to google that! didnt realise android had a split app work/personal menu.. hmmm!

I use personal/work focus on apple though and it works great... can specify what apps to silence even down to what email accounts I want to see/not see in mail etc.

 

[SB1500]

that's really interesting, I'll have to google that! didnt realise android had a split app work/personal menu.. hmmm!

I use personal/work focus on apple though and it works great... can specify what apps to silence even down to what email accounts I want to see/not see in mail etc.

It might just be Samsung but on a work phone I’ve had once you log in with your Office 365 for work and install the InTune app for their security etc, it’ll give you a separate space to install a separate instance of any app! Neat idea. But Apple’s implementation definitely is better in other ways in terms of the phone ‘magically’ turning back into your personal phone based on your focus schedule

 

[LiE_]

I have a used MSI GTX 1660 SUPER™ GAMING X on the way for £130 to add a little bit more GPU grunt to the iGPU on the 12400 I have. 4K while screen sharing on teams I can feel it struggle.

Google IO keynote today, should be good.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I have a used MSI GTX 1660 SUPER™ GAMING X on the way for £130 to add a little bit more GPU grunt to the iGPU on the 12400 I have. 4K while screen sharing on teams I can feel it struggle.

Google IO keynote today, should be good.

I wish I could add two likes...A laugh and a thumbs up. That's why I have my XPS as well. My notebook exports 4k video at a better than 1 to 1. A 11:30 4k project exports at 10:05, but on my XPS it's done in 3:35.

 

[LiE_]

Something that confirms I'm special; today I was not happy with the input latency on my keyboard. Never had this before and thought I was going mad. Anyway, installed the Glorious Core app and saw under performance tab the keyboard was set to 16ms input latency! No wonder! Set it to 2ms and it's back to feeling lovely and letters appearing instantly when I hit them.

I knew I was sensitive to latency and this confirms it. Same with the mouse, I cannot use a mouse with a poll rate less than 1000Hz now.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Something that confirms I'm special; today I was not happy with the input latency on my keyboard. Never had this before and thought I was going mad. Anyway, installed the Glorious Core app and saw under performance tab the keyboard was set to 16ms input latency! No wonder! Set it to 2ms and it's back to feeling lovely and letters appearing instantly when I hit them.

I knew I was sensitive to latency and this confirms it. Same with the mouse, I cannot use a mouse with a poll rate less than 1000Hz now.

I am the same way. Latency drives me batty!

 

[keithop]

I knew I was sensitive to latency and this confirms it. Same with the mouse, I cannot use a mouse with a poll rate less than 1000Hz now.

I know you're on win at the moment but your post really reminded me of the problems I have with mice on the mac. I know, disable acceleration and I do that but all my usual stuff that seems ok on windows feels somehow laggy to the point I notice it on mac.

Saw your post, popped out and got a silly little cheap g203. Plugged it in and perfect! Dont know if it's the 1000hz polling rate but it seems likely.

Zipping around the mac no lag, all nice and ghub works on macos (unlike synapse 3 from razer grrrr)

Only problem is, it's such a cheap mouse, it doesn't feel like it should be this good LOL

Anyway thanks for the mention of the polling rate!

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I know you're on win at the moment but your post really reminded me of the problems I have with mice on the mac. I know, disable acceleration and I do that but all my usual stuff that seems ok on windows feels somehow laggy to the point I notice it on mac.

Saw your post, popped out and got a silly little cheap g203. Plugged it in and perfect! Dont know if it's the 1000hz polling rate but it seems likely.

Zipping around the mac no lag, all nice and ghub works on macos (unlike synapse 3 from razer grrrr)

Only problem is, it's such a cheap mouse, it doesn't feel like it should be this good LOL

Anyway thanks for the mention of the polling rate!

I was using a M2 macbook air yesterday for about 30 min at the store yesterday. Visited here but didn't log in for various reasons. But, that's one thing I did notice, the pointer from the track pad was Molasses slow. Can that be fixed in settings somewhere?
I have my windows to move quickly and snappy. The mac felt lethargic when using the trackpad.

 

[maflynn]

I did notice, the pointer from the track pad was Molasses slow. Can that be fixed in settings somewhere?

Yes


Personal preference but I think Windows does a better job with mice particularly in the scrolling department. I also have to boost the tracking speed up, just to get anything near what would be normal for windows.

 

[LiE_]

I know you're on win at the moment but your post really reminded me of the problems I have with mice on the mac. I know, disable acceleration and I do that but all my usual stuff that seems ok on windows feels somehow laggy to the point I notice it on mac.

Saw your post, popped out and got a silly little cheap g203. Plugged it in and perfect! Dont know if it's the 1000hz polling rate but it seems likely.

Zipping around the mac no lag, all nice and ghub works on macos (unlike synapse 3 from razer grrrr)

Only problem is, it's such a cheap mouse, it doesn't feel like it should be this good LOL

Anyway thanks for the mention of the polling rate!

Bluetooth is capped at 125hz and it's horrible. Using a gaming mouse with 1000hz either via wire or a dongle is lovely and smooth in macOS.

Not sure if you saw my post a while back.

So looks like G Hub works on macOS, so looking at potentially getting the Logitech G305. I have the G603 and that works good, it's just not light enough, the shape isn't quite right and obviously it's not white.

mmmm 1000hz poll rate.

View attachment 2192162

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Yes
View attachment 2200517

Personal preference but I think Windows does a better job with mice particularly in the scrolling department. I also have to boost the tracking speed up, just to get anything near what would be normal for windows.

Ok, so it can be sped up. I am close to buying my co workers 2019 pro 13. He only wants 650 cdn for it and I figure that will get me into using MacOS and if I don't like it, I can gift it to my son who currently has a 2016 macbook air 128gb.

 

[maflynn]

I am close to buying my co workers 2019 pro 13. He only wants 650 cdn

I would jump on it. I can't say if that's a great price but I think it is.

I don't regret getting my MBP, but it was a bit surprising that I don't use it as much as I thought I would - YMMV and I think the Macs are great laptops

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I would jump on it. I can't say if that's a great price but I think it is.

I don't regret getting my MBP, but it was a bit surprising that I don't use it as much as I thought I would - YMMV and I think the Macs are great laptops

This is where I am at as well. I was using the air m2 for 30 mins at the store, and LOVED the screen, how snappy it was and the overall feel. I am not sure if I will love MacOS using it daily.

I think buying the macbook pro off my co worker, I can dip my toes for a good price, and see if I like it. it's a 8gb 512gb model. It also has the i5 chip. So much lower specs than my current dell I am using.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Sorry, 256gb storage.

 

[LiE_]

For those who main Windows/iPhone combo, do you find yourself using many of Apple's app/services?

In my mind if I was using this combo then the majority of app/services wouldn't be Apple since it doesn't play well on Windows.

OneDrive for cloud storage.
Google for Photos, Maps, Home automation, Gmail, Reminders, Contacts and Calendar
Keeper for Password Manager
Spotify for Music
Apple for Health, Calendar app (using Google account), Apple Pay and Weather
WhatsApp for messaging

Anyone fall into this category can provide some insight?

 

[dmr727]

Anyone fall into this category can provide some insight?

I have a few Windows/Linux machines at home and don't miss the lack of Apple integration. But my iPhone is always with me, so it's how I message, interact with home automation, stream music to my AppleTV/stereo, and so on. Therefore the only things I really care about in a cross platform sense is cloud storage and a password manager. I use iCloud mainly because my family shares a bunch of storage and they're all in the Apple ecosystem. iCloud (and Photos) under Windows works well enough for me.

Anyway, it hasn't been a problem, to the point that when considering a laptop or desktop computer, the Apple ecosystem isn't even on my mind. It'd be a *lot* harder for me to switch to an Android phone.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Anyone fall into this category can provide some insight?

I use office 350 family. Each of us have our own storage, and access to all the Microsoft apps. So, for calender, mail, all storage, photos etc we all use the Microsoft software. I use apple music via cider app for my windows systems, it's awesome. I also have Apple+ premium or whatever it's called. i use that for magazines, health and some storage for my oldest son. I use edge for my browser on EVERYTHING. It's the best imo. I will be using phone link for my messaging with imessage. Once my phone decides it wants to pair with my notebook and desktop.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I have abandoned my pursuit of getting a mac right now. I instead bought the new bottom cover for my dell, which cracked when it fell of my lap. I also bought a new LCD display for my older 5368 dell that got damaged when my husky stepped on it when it was on my sectional.

I am going to load windows 11 onto the 5368 for my son since his Acer S3 is showing it's age now. We bought it new in 2011. Other than the LCD the 5368 will be a good computer for him with 16gb of ram, a 512gb SSD.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Oh, think I could hackintosh the S3 to an up to date version of MacOS?

 

[engbren]

Oh, think I could hackintosh the S3 to an up to date version of MacOS?

Other than curiosity/fun, what would be the purpose of hackintoshing the S3? I haven't dabbled in the Hackintosh scene since I purchased a 2009 Macbook Pro new from the Apple store. Hackintosh is what convinced me to drop the cash on the MBP. Back then, Hackintosh was a very custom build thing - you had to have the right motherboard / CPU / GPU combo to get a Hackintosh reliably working and laptops were very hit and miss. Then once you got it all working, you had to remember not to update your software until there were appropriate patches available.
The scene wasn't exactly open source either, so I always worried about all those kernel extensions that magically made it all work. I was paranoid enough not to do any banking etc on the Hackintosh. I understand things have changed quite a bit since then and it is easier now.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Other than curiosity/fun, what would be the purpose of hackintoshing the S3? I haven't dabbled in the Hackintosh scene since I purchased a 2009 Macbook Pro new from the Apple store. Hackintosh is what convinced me to drop the cash on the MBP. Back then, Hackintosh was a very custom build thing - you had to have the right motherboard / CPU / GPU combo to get a Hackintosh reliably working and laptops were very hit and miss. Then once you got it all working, you had to remember not to update your software until there were appropriate patches available.
The scene wasn't exactly open source either, so I always worried about all those kernel extensions that magically made it all work. I was paranoid enough not to do any banking etc on the Hackintosh. I understand things have changed quite a bit since then and it is easier now.

Just to play with it really. I just want to try up to date mac. But I don't want to put out money to find out I still don't like it. I did that three times before.

 

[engbren]

Just to play with it really. I just want to try up to date mac. But I don't want to put out money to find out I still don't like it. I did that three times before.

Fair enough! Good luck with the Hackintosh journey! I don't think I would ever go back to Hackintosh but it served its purpose for me to try before I bought.

 

[maflynn]

Anyone fall into this category can provide some insight?

I wasn't going to say anything mostly because I don't have much to say anyways.

I keep most of my apple services on my apple devices (iPhone/iPad/apple tv) and most of my windows services on my windows machine. So I don't have OneDrive installed on my mac for instance though I do have office installed.

I had too many headaches with the icloud apps on windows that I gave up on that a few yeas ago, and vice versa with OneDrive on macOs. I'm sure its ok now but since most of my work on windows I see no reason.

I do have outlook configured for apple mail, but I'm moving away from using icloud email because that email is just inundated with spam, and crap that I don't want to see. I started using protonmail with a custom domain.

I'm now slowly hacking away at the crap that ends up in my inbox on icloud, the marking as junk/spam in cloud seems ineffective