New convert to mac - Macbook pro seems slow to me?

[iWalsh]

I have been wanting to switch to mac for a while now. I decided to do so and bought the 2.26 13" Macbook pro. I also use a very fast sony z. I have found the mac sort of slow - like delays in executing programs. When something is running and I open something else there is a delay. I am use to programs just opening and never seeing a delay. I guess what I want to ask is, if I update the ram and harddrive, will this solve the problem or is the processor the problem, because if it is the processor, maybe I should bring it back and upgrade to the 2.53 Macbook.

Any suggestions would be appreciate. Despite this, I am enjoying the mac - it is refreshingly different, there is definitely a learning curve, but it is fun.

 

[bli625]

Do you have an SSD in your Vaio?

 

[175170]

What types of programs are you running?
If you're running programs built for PowerPC systems, such as Office 2004, then your Mac is "emulating" a PowerPC processor, using Rosetta, so launching the program takes much longer.

Also, are you actually quitting all of your programs?
Do they still have little dots of light under their icon in the dock?
If they do, that means you did not quit the program. The program is still running.
To quit an application, instead of just closing the window, go to "File", then go down to "Quit". This way, it will actually quit the program, instead of closing a window so it seems like you closed the whole thing.

Hope that helps.

Also, welcome to the Mac, and the MacRumors Forums! I'm positive you'll find this place an enjoyable one, and the Mac platform, an amazing one.

 

[iWalsh]

Do you have an SSD in your Vaio?

No just a 7200 harddrive. It is a dual core 2.53 with 3 gb of ram. I would not have thought the just a small increase in processor size would make much difference.

 

[175170]

No just a 7200 harddrive. It is a dual core 2.53 with 3 gb of ram. I would not have thought the just a small increase in processor size would make much difference.

The 7200 HD is making a difference.
So is the extra gigabyte of RAM.
The processor should not be making that much of a difference.

 

[iWalsh]

What types of programs are you running?
If you're running programs built for PowerPC systems, such as Office 2004, then your Mac is "emulating" a PowerPC processor, using Rosetta, so launching the program takes much longer.

Also, are you actually quitting all of your programs?
Do they still have little dots of light under their icon in the dock?
If they do, that means you did not quit the program. The program is still running.
To quit an application, instead of just closing the window, go to "File", then go down to "Quit". This way, it will actually quit the program, instead of closing a window so it seems like you closed the whole thing.

Hope that helps.

Also, welcome to the Mac, and the MacRumors Forums! I'm positive you'll find this place an enjoyable one, and the Mac platform, an amazing one.

Thanks for that - and that may have something to do with it - you are right I am not quitting the actual program - part of the learning curve. I will see if that helps.

Does anyone think I should bring this one back and get the 2.53 or should i just upgrade the ram and hard drive - which I planned on doing anyway, because when I made the purchase, I figured the small increase in processor speed would not matter. I just bought the mac a few days ago, so if I need to bring it back and get a faster one, I would like to so today, but only if it is necessary. Surely upgrading the ram and harddrive will be all it needs?

 

[PkennethV]

The processor has almost no impact to the launching speed of programs (or even in intensive tasks like encoding video, a couple hundred MHz makes a negligible difference).

 

[175170]

The processor has almost no impact to the launching speed of programs (or even in intensive tasks like encoding video, a couple hundred MHz makes a negligible difference).

Exactly was I was thinking about saying.
Well put.

Thanks for that - and that may have something to do with it - you are right I am not quitting the actual program - part of the learning curve. I will see if that helps.

Does anyone think I should bring this one back and get the 2.53 or should i just upgrade the ram and hard drive - which I planned on doing anyway, because when I made the purchase, I figured the small increase in processor speed would not matter. I just bought the mac a few days ago, so if I need to bring it back and get a faster one, I would like to so today, but only if it is necessary. Surely upgrading the ram and harddrive will be all it needs?

The 7200 HD is making a difference.
So is the extra gigabyte of RAM.
The processor should not be making that much of a difference.

Like I said, yes.
Just upgrade the RAM to 4 Gigabytes, and the HD to any SATA 7200 2.5" Hard Drive.

 

[iWalsh]

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I will just do the upgrades - I will try and wait until september when the new op system comes out, then I can do a clean swap. One more question - when I bought my mac I forgot to ask about the $10 charge to upgrade/receive the new version in september - do I register online somewhere for it or do I need to go back into the store?

 

[DoNoHarm]

one other way to quit programs is to "right click" the program icon and click quick in the drop down list that opens. If you're using the mousepad with only one button, rightclicking can be accomplished by command+click. you can also click command+q within the program

 

[175170]

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I will just do the upgrades - I will try and wait until september when the new op system comes out, then I can do a clean swap. One more question - when I bought my mac I forgot to ask about the $10 charge to upgrade/receive the new version in september - do I register online somewhere for it or do I need to go back into the store?

No problem. That's what we're here for.

Erm... Here are the instructions for getting Snow Leopard for a Mac you just bought.

 

[PkennethV]

If you're using the mousepad with only one button, rightclicking can be accomplished by command+click. you can also click command+q within the program

Actually, I think it's Control+Click, not the command button. More convenient, i find, is to enable 2-finger click where if you place 2 fingers on the trackpad and click, it registers as a right click. Personally, I just use Command+Q 90% of the time

 

[175170]

Actually, I think it's Control+Click, not the command button. More convenient, i find, is to enable 2-finger click where if you place 2 fingers on the trackpad and click, it registers as a right click. Personally, I just use Command+Q 90% of the time

Yep. It's worth noting the Command key is the key on your keyboard.
+W closes the window, +M minimizes the window.
There are many more keyboard shortcuts, and pretty much all of them are worth memorizing.

 

[iWalsh]

Great hints - thanks. I actually have a command key not an apple symbol. Not sure maybe the changed that in this latest review.

I will have to learn those keyboard shortcuts, they help.

I have a quick question - after this I plan on spending some time using google and learning this stuff myself. When I download something like firefox it creates an icon on the desktop which can be ejected - now everytime i want to open firefox it opens up a window with the firefox symbol and the applications symbol and then it opens firefox itself - how do i eliminate that first step? I did put firefox in my apps folder and on the shortcut menu on the desktop. Do I need to delete the original download file or something?

Thanks again for the help - this is a great forum.

 

[HLdan]

Wait, wait, before you do anything, you never told us what programs in question were you referring to.

So here are my questions to you:

On the Vaio Z, what programs were you referring to that open instantly?
On the Mac, what programs have a noticeable delay upon opening?

Did you play around with the actual Mac OS and check out how responsive it is? There should be zero delay in running the actual Mac OS and it's built in applications.

If you are trying to compare apps running in Windows vs. apps running in Mac OS then you have to compare the exact same apps otherwise you can't compare that.

Example, Microsoft Office is better on Windows (for the obvious reasons) because Microsoft makes it. Period. In Windows, Office preloads into the cache so when you're ready to launch the apps it's very quick to load. The Mac version of Office loads slower and MS could do a better job.
Apple doesn't use precious memory to preload apps but they run very fast on the Mac OS.
Example, try and compare iTunes launch times on your Vaio Z vs. your Macintosh. iTunes will launch faster on the Mac because Apple makes it.

I would highly suggest you comparing 3rd party apps rather than the ones the developer of the OS makes.

One big program that launches slow on both platforms is Adobe Acrobat. It has tons of plug ins and I can't tell the difference in load times between Windows 7 and the Mac OS.

Your Mac is just fine, there's no reason for you to add more ram or switch to the faster processor. One more thing, the Mac OS X Leopard is designed with the PowerPC code built in which bloats the OS. The new Snow Leopard will be Intel only and it is very fast.

Also, having multiple programs open is just fine as long as the window is closed. The little blue orb underneath each app just represents that the app is open but if the window is closed it hardly uses any system resources.

 

[HLdan]

I have a quick question - after this I plan on spending some time using google and learning this stuff myself. When I download something like firefox it creates an icon on the desktop which can be ejected - now everytime i want to open firefox it opens up a window with the firefox symbol and the applications symbol and then it opens firefox itself - how do i eliminate that first step? I did put firefox in my apps folder and on the shortcut menu on the desktop. Do I need to delete the original download file or something?

Thanks again for the help - this is a great forum.

When you download certain programs it creates an ejectable drive on the desktop. It's just like inserting an SD card or a USB thumb drive. You have to drag the contents out of the drive and into your Applications folder which you can place near the Trash as a Stack. After you remove contents then eject the drive.
The drive appears on the desktop rather than just the program because the Mac OS gives the user an opportunity to run the program while still inside the ejectable drive without installing it on the system. If you don't like the program then simply eject the drive with the program still inside.
This is one of the best features in OS X that's not on Windows.

 

[suekitch]

Thanks for that - and that may have something to do with it - you are right I am not quitting the actual program - part of the learning curve. I will see if that helps.

Does anyone think I should bring this one back and get the 2.53 or should i just upgrade the ram and hard drive - which I planned on doing anyway, because when I made the purchase, I figured the small increase in processor speed would not matter. I just bought the mac a few days ago, so if I need to bring it back and get a faster one, I would like to so today, but only if it is necessary. Surely upgrading the ram and harddrive will be all it needs?

It does depend on the program - whilst Safari for me loads instantly, I know I'll have to wait for Photoshop but that's the same on a PC anyway.

Did you get a chance to play with other machines in the shop? You could see how it compares?

Also I noticed a problem with my Mac being slow (it's only a week old) and it was something to do with either a Safari update or firmware. I had to reset the PRAM to improve it - this means when you restart the computer, you hold down Cmd, Option (alt), P and R until you hear the chime twice.

 

[suekitch]

Great hints - thanks. I actually have a command key not an apple symbol. Not sure maybe the changed that in this latest review.

I will have to learn those keyboard shortcuts, they help.

I have a quick question - after this I plan on spending some time using google and learning this stuff myself. When I download something like firefox it creates an icon on the desktop which can be ejected - now everytime i want to open firefox it opens up a window with the firefox symbol and the applications symbol and then it opens firefox itself - how do i eliminate that first step? I did put firefox in my apps folder and on the shortcut menu on the desktop. Do I need to delete the original download file or something?

Thanks again for the help - this is a great forum.

You're thinking a bit too PC Apps you download don't create 'shortcuts on the desktop' like a PC would.. when you downloaded Firefox it put a temporary thing there which mounts (i think, I'm still quite new) so you can install.

Now, you've put Firefox in your Apps folder - so open that up and drag the Firefox icon out onto your dock (the area at the bottom with all the icons) - that's where your 'shortcuts' live. The mounted thing on your desktop you can eject now and forget.

Installing apps in a Mac is often far simpler than on a PC - some things just seemingly copy themselves to your applications folder and that's it! It's deceptively simple!

As a new Mac person, I'd suggest popping along to your nearest book store and having a look at the books. I don't mean to sound patronising; I just did the same and I love having books to read up on about my new toy, plus of course you do learn loads. The "portable genius" range is quite nice and my one (an iMac one) has a bunch of keyboard shortcuts in the back

 

[iWalsh]

You're thinking a bit too PC Apps you download don't create 'shortcuts on the desktop' like a PC would.. when you downloaded Firefox it put a temporary thing there which mounts (i think, I'm still quite new) so you can install.

Now, you've put Firefox in your Apps folder - so open that up and drag the Firefox icon out onto your dock (the area at the bottom with all the icons) - that's where your 'shortcuts' live. The mounted thing on your desktop you can eject now and forget.

Installing apps in a Mac is often far simpler than on a PC - some things just seemingly copy themselves to your applications folder and that's it! It's deceptively simple!

As a new Mac person, I'd suggest popping along to your nearest book store and having a look at the books. I don't mean to sound patronising; I just did the same and I love having books to read up on about my new toy, plus of course you do learn loads. The "portable genius" range is quite nice and my one (an iMac one) has a bunch of keyboard shortcuts in the back

Thanks for the suggestion - not patronising at all - I have spent my life on a pc. My family of 5 has 1 desktop and 3 laptops, so I know I am very green when it comes to macs. It is a lot of fun however - the iphone really converted me - I just got my iphone 2 weeks ago and had to buy a macbook.

I will check out those books you mentioned.

Thanks to everyone who responded. As regards the programs I am using on the mac - it was nothing specific, i was referring to utorrent, toast, firefox - nothing really windows based. I only got the mac 2 days ago and have not loaded any windows related stuff, however I did put on fusion.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Pop an SSD in it.

I also have a 15" 2.53.

Mine has 4GB of RAM, but the real difference maker is my OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD.

It screams.

Acrobat loads instantly, Photoshop in about 1.5 seconds, even MS Excel 2008 loads in under 4 seconds.

An SSD will make the biggest change of all (beyond the RAM up to 4GB).

 

[Jsimon9633]

I have both PCs and Macs.

I think the main difference is load up time. I still think that barring the SSD to non SSD comparison. windows seems to load apps faster.

*this is obviously with optimized system, which most dont have*

I think youll notice how much faster things are once they are up. The hard drives the macs come with are pretty crappy. Get yourself a 7200 RPM drive or an SSD if you can afford it.

 

[mikes70mustang]

+1 for remembering to close open programs. I just CMD+Q when im not using one. I find no use in minimizing them since they open so fast anyway.

 

[fehhkk]

I had been using a 4GHz overclocked desktop PC with dual video cards, and now using an MBP. OS X is lightning fast, compared to Windows 7, and using slower hardware.

 

[Jsimon9633]

I had been using a 4GHz overclocked desktop PC with dual video cards, and now using an MBP. OS X is lightning fast, compared to Windows 7, and using slower hardware.

Thats a lie.

Seriously come on man, keep it at least relatively real.

I have a 4GHZ desktop with 6GB Ram and Windows 7 and Dual Video cards and no Mac I own is remotely close to the speed this thing has. It is 8 core!!

Come on man, these types of exagerrations are what cause people to think Macs are suppose to be holy.

Lets keep it real here. Hardware is hardware and both PCs and Macs use the same type of hardware. OSX is good and can be faster for many things but unless you downloaded 170 viruses to the said pc there is no way these MBPs are faster unless you are talking about a Mac Pro

 

[BlueSkyBlueWind]

Thats a lie.

Seriously come on man, keep it at least relatively real.

I have a 4GHZ desktop with 6GB Ram and Windows 7 and Dual Video cards and no Mac I own is remotely close to the speed this thing has. It is 8 core!!

Come on man, these types of exagerrations are what cause people to think Macs are suppose to be holy.

Lets keep it real here. Hardware is hardware and both PCs and Macs use the same type of hardware. OSX is good and can be faster for many things but unless you downloaded 170 viruses to the said pc there is no way these MBPs are faster unless you are talking about a Mac Pro

Ditto.