What have you done with an early Intel recently?

[ToniCH]

Wow, I am doomed. 🥵 I just bought another MBP 17". This time it is the late 2011 top model with i7 2.4 GHz processor and a SSD drive. Was really cheap so I could not resist. 🫣

So, now I have the i5 and i7 2010 models and early and late i7 2011 models. For some reason I do like the 17" MBPs. But, this is too many already.

But, now I must stop buying them! 😱

 

[DCBassman]

Wow, I am doomed. 🥵 I just bought another MBP 17". This time it is the late 2011 top model with i7 2.4 GHz processor and a SSD drive. Was really cheap so I could not resist. 🫣

So, now I have the i5 and i7 2010 models and early and late i7 2011 models. For some reason I do like the 17" MBPs. But, this is too many already.

But, now I must stop buying them! 😱

But, but, it was a bargain!
I'm currently trying to resist a bundle deal of two working 2010 27" iMacs, a working G4 tower, and a spares/repairs 27" Apple display, all for £50! Nowhere to put such a haul!
😮

 

[rin67630]

But, but, it was a bargain!
I'm currently trying to resist a bundle deal of two working 2010 27" iMacs, a working G4 tower, and a spares/repairs 27" Apple display, all for £50! Nowhere to put such a haul!
😮

Are you working for a power utility and needing electric heating appliances?

 

[ToniCH]

But, but, it was a bargain!
I'm currently trying to resist a bundle deal of two working 2010 27" iMacs, a working G4 tower, and a spares/repairs 27" Apple display, all for £50! Nowhere to put such a haul!
😮

Keep the display and maybe the G4 if it is a good model. Sell the iMacs for £30 each. 👍

I should not look at classifieds. Early Intels are starting to be too cheap. They are closing the level that people start throwing them away, just like with PPC and 680xx stuff before them. Only in couple of years most good stuff have lost half or more of their price.

 

[alex_free]

I recently got my Macbook 2,1 on Tiger, the exact same combination that first introduced me to Apple. I've been using PPCMC 7 via Rosetta and VLC 0.9.10 to download n play 720p YouTube videos just like it was 2010 again. I can even send YouTube urls from my iPhone X to be downloaded onto the Tiger MacBook 2,1 via the PPCMC7 Web Interface. This is definitley delaying the next update with an intel edition (not everything works via Rosetta, such as FFPlay v4.4.5 included in v7.2.7 and also it is slower due to not being native) but regardless the nostalgia is crazy. Even when I first started developing PPCMC 7 over 5 years ago I never had this setup.

 

[DCBassman]

Bought an i7 A1278 13" MBP late 2011 for not a lot. Will be upgraded to max and given MX Linux, and might just become the daily driver, shoving the big Windows box into the background.

 

[mortlocli]

just playing with an early version of Mint from a DVD LinuxFormat April 2021:

 

[DCBassman]

Bought an i7 A1278 13" MBP late 2011 for not a lot. Will be upgraded to max and given MX Linux, and might just become the daily driver, shoving the big Windows box into the background.

Arrived already, SSD fitted already, liking it already! Pretty snappy in High Sierra. Came with 8GB RAM, will probably up that to 16 at some point. Condition is excellent, charger included, £45.

 

[ToniCH]

Wow, I am doomed. 🥵 I just bought another MBP 17". This time it is the late 2011 top model with i7 2.4 GHz processor and a SSD drive. Was really cheap so I could not resist. 🫣

And this one also arrived today, also in excellent condition. It's fitted with 240GB SSD, only 4GB RAM and a charger. I installed High Sierra for testing and while it was installing it upgraded the bootrom. Too bad I didn't check what it was originally. Oh well...

Anyways, it works great and runs much cooler than the other MBP 8,3 I have (the early 2011 one). 👍

Positive surprise was that the battery is original, only has 181 load cycles and still has 91.7% capacity!
EDIT: Coconut battery has upgraded its Battery Health -rating to 95%!

I will probably install a bigger SSD, max the RAM (I should have the RAM in my box of RAM) and maybe install Monterey and some Linux to it. I'll test run it awhile and then decide what to do next.

EDIT: maxed the RAM to 16GB, installed OCLP+Monterey.

 

[jktwice]

And this one also arrived today, also in excellent condition. It's fitted with 240GB SSD, only 4GB RAM and a charger. I installed High Sierra for testing and while it was installing it upgraded the bootrom. Too bad I didn't check what it was originally. Oh well...

Anyways, it works great and runs much cooler than the other MBP 8,3 I have (the early 2011 one). 👍

Positive surprise was that the battery is original, only has 181 load cycles and still has 91.7% capacity!

I will probably install a bigger SSD, max the RAM (I should have the RAM in my box of RAM) and maybe install Monterey and some Linux to it. I'll test run it awhile and then decide what to do next.

How much did you get your unit for? If it's like $50 then I will go hunting for one lol. I really want a 17-inch PBG4 or MBP aluminum though. The keyboard is literally to die for it is insane. Easily the best laptop keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of typing on.

 

[DCBassman]

I really want a 17-inch PBG4 or MBP aluminum though. The keyboard is literally to die for it is insane. Easily the best laptop keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of typing on.

Where are you based? If UK, then you might be in luck...

 

[ToniCH]

How much did you get your unit for? If it's like $50 then I will go hunting for one lol.

No, it was 70€, they are super rare in my country, this was the cheapest I've seen. And in any case there were 12 MBP models which were cheaper in 2011 so there must be some space for them in the price scene too. But, these things do not always follow logic, so one can get lucky and find one even for free. Keep your eyes open. Ones with broken GPUs probably can be had close to nothing if the owner doesn't know how to disable it.

BTW. it's almost as fast in single core performance as my cMP 2010 5.1 X5690 3.46GHz (GB5 652 vs 671). And some-lots faster than anything what came out of the factory. So, it is perfectly usable in daily operations.

 

[rin67630]

.. a 17-inch PBG4 or MBP aluminum though. The keyboard is literally to die for it is insane. Easily the best laptop keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of typing on.

A 17" laptop should have a full keyboard with a numpad.

 

[ToniCH]

A 17" laptop should have a full keyboard with a numpad.

I do have one. I find it weird that the kbd is not centered properly to the screen. I type with 10 fingers, without looking at the keyboard, and I find it more difficult to do when its off center. I am often 1-2 steps off with my hand placement and have to do way too much corrections.

Lenovo Thinkpad P50 like mine, a great PC otherwise:

 

[rin67630]

I am often 1-2 steps off with my hand placement and have to do way too much corrections.

Isn't it the very purpose of the haptic markers on the keys F and J?

 

[ToniCH]

Isn't it the very purpose of the haptic markers on the keys F and J?

It just doesn't work that well IRL - its an additional step to start feeling for the markers every time you take your hands off the kbd. Faster to look down. Both options are not ideal. Most other keyboards are much easier to use.

Then there is the fact that if you use a laptop with an offset keyboard on your lap your hands must point towards left of center which doesn't feel natural.

I am sure I would get used to it if the one laptop was the only one I use but in fact I have a dozen or more keyboards I use on regular basis, I only have trouble with the one which has the off center keyboard on a laptop chassis. This is like occasionally playing a piano with the keyboard shifted left.

So, I am a fan of MBPs with (almost) centered kbds. 👍

 

[jktwice]

Where are you based? If UK, then you might be in luck...

Not the UK lol. In the USA. Guess I’m losing out

 

[DCBassman]

Not the UK lol. In the USA. Guess I’m losing out

Ah well...

Other Early Intel fiddling:-
After much playing about with Ventura and Sonoma on the 2017 iMac, I decided to try Ventura on the new MBP8,1 and the HiRes 8,2. All went well, except for finding out a new point release has happened without me realising it, so a good deal of extra downloading and installing!

 

[weckart]

I do have one. I find it weird that the kbd is not centered properly to the screen. I type with 10 fingers, without looking at the keyboard, and I find it more difficult to do when its off center. I am often 1-2 steps off with my hand placement and have to do way too much corrections.

Lenovo Thinkpad P50 like mine, a great PC otherwise:

It's not centered because: keypad. Where else are you going to cram those extra keys? This is the compromise with larger laptops, which have room for a full keyboard. Personally, I prefer the shortened keyboard, which will be aligned properly with the display because I also touch type and if I really needed the keypad, say for Excel, I would attach one of my USB ones. Something has got to give.

 

[ToniCH]

It's not centered because: keypad. Where else are you going to cram those extra keys?

That is quite obvious...obviously.

If you need the numpad then you need it. I don't but in general I have nothing against one. I just don't like the implementation Lenovo took with my Thinkpad. in retrospect I would prefer not to have the numpad but at the time I bought the machine it was not a factor that I considered. I only found out that I do not like it later on.

Some don't find the off center kbd disturbing but sadly I do.

 

[weckart]

That is quite obvious...obviously.

If you need the numpad then you need it. I don't but in general I have nothing against one. I just don't like the implementation Lenovo took with my Thinkpad. in retrospect I would prefer not to have the numpad but at the time I bought the machine it was not a factor that I considered. I only found out that I do not like it later on.

Some don't find the off center kbd disturbing but sadly I do.

I get that but what I don't understand is why you find it weird. It was just such a strange comment to make. There is no other way to squeeze those extra keys without shifting the short keyboard to the left. Unless you do something completely bonkers and rearrange all the extra keys in a frame around the existing short keyboard but nobody would want that, either. As you said, what you ended up with is obvious. It's not just Lenovo, either. I had a HP with a lovely wide display and a less than lovely wide keyboard, same story. I preferred what Apple did and went for larger speaker grilles, even if they were fake.

With PCs I often find the manufacturers think that more is more, hence big keyboards or dual mouse options in the case of Thinkpads - you get a track pad with dedicated buttons but you also get the red nipple with its own buttons, so you can click away in stereo. Or something.

Even now, with my Mac Mini I have a short form factor keyboard and I would pay extra for one because it's less cluttering of precious desktop space.

 

[rin67630]

If you need the numpad then you need it. I don't but in general I have nothing against one.

On French AZERTY keyboards, the numbers need shift without a keypad. That's really weird.

 

[ToniCH]

I get that but what I don't understand is why you find it weird. It was just such a strange comment to make.

What I meant was I find it weird (difficult, awkward, annoying) to use. My further explanation was supposed to clarify that. I guess not. Well, english is my 3rd language so I am not always successful making myself understood. Hope it's clear now.

With PCs I often find the manufacturers think that more is more, hence big keyboards or dual mouse options in the case of Thinkpads - you get a track pad with dedicated buttons but you also get the red nipple with its own buttons, so you can click away in stereo. Or something.

Yeah, or something: my Lenovo P50 has (unnecessary) double set of buttons + the red nipple, and a touch screen. They really crammed stuff in it like it was a race. 😂 I also have a small Lenovo X220 and it only has single set of buttons + the nipple. But, 95+% of time I do use MBPs and thus do not get used to weirdness of my Thinkpads.

On French AZERTY keyboards, the numbers need shift without a keypad. That's really weird.

What? Well, yes - that seems weird. 😵‍💫 I see also Belgians, Czech and Slovaks have that weirdness going on...

80 Mac Keyboard Layouts - Identification Guide + Illustrations

Complete guide with 80 Mac keyboard layout images. Learn how to match the input source to the physical keys on your MacBook or Apple keyboard.

keyshorts.com

 

[rin67630]

What? Well, yes - that seems weird. 😵‍💫 I see also Belgians, Czech and Slovaks have that weirdness going on...

It's just plainly logic. Languages using intensively diacritics have an advantage of using all the keys of a large keyboard.
Even with a reduced keyboard without numpad, numbers are hit less frequently than diacritics.

 

[ToniCH]

It's just plainly logic. Languages using intensively diacritics have an advantage of using all the keys of a large keyboard.
Even with a reduced keyboard without numpad, numbers are hit less frequently than diacritics.

Yes, I am sure it is logical to those languages. To outsider it seems just weird.

I guess they have an acute lack of kbd space when they are dealing with something like this: 😵‍💫 😂