What have you done with an early Intel recently?

[Lil Chillbil]

I setup the update for Apple proapplications 2010-2 to get my copy of Final Cut Pro 7 to 7.0.3 which should keep it stable on Lion. I kept up with the recent baseball news via my fixed ESPN widget, caught up on my Youtube tech channels I enjoy and continued to document my progress on my PowerMac G3 beige on Pages while doing so.

 

[Minghold]

Successful deployment of "MacOS Mojo" (Mojave-Optimized, as I label my special-sauce tweak) on one of the earliest/slowest of the non-metal i-series processor machines (i.e., the very popular 2009-2011 "silverback" iMac era, officially supported to High Sierra). Mojave can be placed on even older C2D machines via the dosdude1 patch, but creating a "fully working" installation on the '09-"11 iMac models in particular was troublesome, and requires finessing both the dosdude1 patch and opencore 0.4.3.

Exhaustive procedure: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ed-macs-thread.2121473/page-799#post-34394213

Working: wifi, hardware-acceleration, memory-compression, audio/sound, bluetooth, color palette, dark-mode, brightness slider (in System Preferences > Display).
Not working: (documents have generic icons -- If someone has the solution for this, I think "Mojo" is visually and performatively done, representing a completely cloneable OS capable of booting the entire intel line save Late-2019+ models; supporting these would require Mojo raiding/spoofing 10.15 Catalina, which is beyond my knowledge at present.)

Launch time from chime off a 7200rpm rotational HFS+ primary partition, including the pause for the OCLP bootloader choice screen): about 90 seconds for desktop with all launch-item menubar icons fully displayed.

(Playing three 1080p videos simultaneously, one via YouTube and two as files stored on rotational media), in three different applications (Firefox-dynasty v145 w/half-dozen extensions), Avidemux 2.7.1, VLC 3.0.23) on a "slow" 8gb ram 2010 iMac without caching.)

 

[DCBassman]

Another A1342 inbound, because it was practically free.

It Was sold as untested, no RAM or storage, quite dirty.
In fact, it's in better condition (once cleaned) than the other one, and is also, once RAM and an SSD installed, fully functional! Installing HS, and it needed a firmware update, so now it's good to go. The only downside is that in the couple of weeks since I got the first one, the price of RAM had doubled!

 

[DCBassman]

More on the above:
I put in 4GB and a 256GB Samsung SSD. Now that it's running, I can see what the system report says about it, particularly the battery. And... condition normal, cycle count 45. Not bad.

 

[alex_free]

Had a 256GB SSD come in, so I can finally get the late 2012 Mac mini already maxed out to 16GBs of RAM to its final form… not doing the triple boot setup till tomorrow though haha.

Man even though this does 1080p max it still looks amazing streaming YouTube with legacy chromium (Mac OS 10.12) on my 50” 4k TV which is now even closer to my bed then before since I moved to a new place. Most people wouldn’t even know the madness behind this setup from a glance. Same with HEVC rips from legit places of course

 

[DCBassman]

Also, Apple Cinema Display 20" A1081 Aluminium. Looking at picking one up, boxed, cheap, off Marketplace, but the video connector appears to be miniDP, not DVI. Will get it anyway, but does anyone have any insight into this slightly odd discrepancy?

Got it.

I suspect one of these is already connected to the cable, in which case, bonus!

And indeed it is!
Here it is plugged into the Thunderbolt port of a 2012 i7 Mac Mini:

 

[DCBassman]

I've rearranged things so that the new-to-me 20" Cinema Display is now my only display. Using a Ugreen HDMI switch and adaptors as needed, it's working well, attached to the big Windows box, a Dell Linux box, and a spare HDMI cable for anything else I might want to plug in. Significantly prettier than the old-school Eizo 24" it replaces.

 

[DCBassman]

Finally! Not only have I managed to find an 8GB 11" MBA, but for £36 delivered!
I'm on a serious Mac reduction drive at the moment, with lots of ads ready to go. Aiming to reduce by half or maybe more.

 

[MacInTO]

Finally! Not only have I managed to find an 8GB 11" MBA, but for £36 delivered!
I'm on a serious Mac reduction drive at the moment, with lots of ads ready to go. Aiming to reduce by half or maybe more.

Resistance is futile! 👹🤣

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Finally! Not only have I managed to find an 8GB 11" MBA, but for £36 delivered!
I'm on a serious Mac reduction drive at the moment, with lots of ads ready to go. Aiming to reduce by half or maybe more.

Let me look into my crystal ball.

"Trips on a Apple PSU cable"
"Gosh darnit, I need to sell all these macs cluttering up everything" - "Goes on to sell macs"
"Wow look at all the space I have"
"Wow look at all the money I have"
"While surfing UK CL computer listings, DCBassman looks around at all the space and considers what to do next"
"Huh, that poor mac is going to go to scrap and it's one I always wanted when it came out"

and the cycle repeats itself. This is the way.

😎

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Got it.

And indeed it is!
Here it is plugged into the Thunderbolt port of a 2012 i7 Mac Mini:
View attachment 2605115

I have a soft spot for these monitors. Fantastic workhorses and people pretty much give them away anymore. I have two on my garage bench stuck to a cMP 1,1. Anyways nice score!

 

[DCBassman]

and it's one I always wanted when it came out"

But I never did, because I WUZ WINDOZE!!! Now, of course, I am better informed...
Seriously, on the 'get-rid-of' subject: I've been honing my desires ( ooer missus!) and it's down to this:
1x 11" MBA 8GB (2015)
1x 13" MBA 8GB (2013)
2x 13" MB 16GB (2010)
1x 13" MBP 16GB (2011)
1x 15" MBP 16GB (2011)
That will be it.
Anything later, not interested.
Anything earlier, itch already scratched.
Anything different...well, a Trashcan is not *completely* an impossibilty...
😀
If there's anything you know I have that's not in the list above, you want it, and you're in the UK, let's talk!

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

But I never did, because I WUZ WINDOZE!!! Now, of course, I am better informed...
Seriously, on the 'get-rid-of' subject: I've been honing my desires ( ooer missus!) and it's down to this:
1x 11" MBA 8GB (2015)
1x 13" MBA 8GB (2013)
2x 13" MB 16GB (2010)
1x 13" MBP 16GB (2011)
1x 15" MBP 16GB (2011)
That will be it.
Anything later, not interested.
Anything earlier, itch already scratched.
Anything different...well, a Trashcan is not *completely* an impossibilty...
😀
If there's anything you know I have that's not in the list above, you want it, and you're in the UK, let's talk!

For some reason I gravitate to Macs that double perfectly as book ends, so a trash can mp is on my short list as well 🙂

I need something substantial to hold up my hardback copy of Cosmos & Holy Bible.

 

[eyoungren]

So, as it turns out, Safari seems to handle YouTube fairly well. Been having issues where Edge, the browser I normally use for this, is causing high CPU. That in turn is causing heat. My MP handles it, but I really don't care to see 186ºF in the menubar.

I've tried other browsers and apps and apparently Safari seems to be optimised for this. I hate Safari and normally avoid it, but if it will work in this instance - great.

Only, I cheated. If anyone remembers Fluid, I've used that app over the years to generate apps that load specific web pages. It's based on Webkit, which is what Safari uses. Once again, I turned to Fluid and generated an app for YT. I then gave it the user agent of Safari and there we go - a YT app that is handling YT like Safari would. And my CPU heat is in a range I can accept.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

So, as it turns out, Safari seems to handle YouTube fairly well. Been having issues where Edge, the browser I normally use for this, is causing high CPU. That in turn is causing heat. My MP handles it, but I really don't care to see 186ºF in the menubar.

I've tried other browsers and apps and apparently Safari seems to be optimised for this. I hate Safari and normally avoid it, but if it will work in this instance - great.

Only, I cheated. If anyone remembers Fluid, I've used that app over the years to generate apps that load specific web pages. It's based on Webkit, which is what Safari uses. Once again, I turned to Fluid and generated an app for YT. I then gave it the user agent of Safari and there we go - a YT app that is handling YT like Safari would. And my CPU heat is in a range I can accept.

Fluid SSBs are awesome.

 

[DCBassman]

Ok, I know I'm stretching 'Early Intel' to breaking point here, but here's my 2015 11" MBA. Getting an earlier model with 8GB RAM was unicorn territory, so here we are. My actual Early Intel MBA 11s will now be moved on. Before I start messing about with a bigger SSD, I'll see how it runs if I OCLP it to Sonoma. £29.99 plus postage. Battery 650 cycles, condition normal.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

View attachment 2606568
Ok, I know I'm stretching 'Early Intel' to breaking point here, but here's my 2015 11" MBA. Getting an earlier model with 8GB RAM was unicorn territory, so here we are. My actual Early Intel MBA 11s will now be moved on. Before I start messing about with a bigger SSD, I'll see how it runs if I OCLP it to Sonoma. £29.99 plus postage. Battery 650 cycles, condition normal.

I have a 11” 2012 with 8gb that’s my travel laptop. For that purpose it excels!
🙂

 

[Gloomy]

Also pushing the definition of "Early Intel" here but today I finally took the plunge and upgraded my daily driver (Late 2013 27-inch iMac) from 10.15.8 > 15.7.4 using OCLP.

After the initial Spotlight index, deferring of the Tahoe updates & a couple of reboots, Sequoia eventually settled into around the 34 Celsius range at idle. This is actually lower than Catalina was running at! I now have access to more up-to-date software and if I am lucky, this very capable machine will do me another couple of years while I save up to make the transition to Apple Silicon. 😀

 

[DCBassman]

I've rearranged things so that the new-to-me 20" Cinema Display is now my only display. Using a Ugreen HDMI switch and adaptors as needed, it's working well, attached to the big Windows box, a Dell Linux box, and a spare HDMI cable for anything else I might want to plug in. Significantly prettier than the old-school Eizo 24" it replaces.

Aaaaand...I've had to un-rearrange things. Not the fault of the ACD, it's the HDMI switch that's proving temperamental.
More work needed...

 

[DCBassman]

Talking of more work, spent yesterday evening sorting out the new-to-me 8GB MBA 11". Then decided I would swap out the trackpad on the 2011 11". Nope, not having it. At the moment, neither the new trackpad nor keyboard will function, and I can only think that the 'new' pad is in fact defective. Awaiting spares...

 

[Gloomy]

Aaaaand...I've had to un-rearrange things. Not the fault of the ACD, it's the HDMI switch that's proving temperamental.
More work needed...

I’ve used UGREEN in the past for things like HDMI to MiniDP adaptors and they’ve been fine, but HDMI Switchers always seem to be temperamental. Only one I’ve never had issues with is my Anker one. I use it on my 4K TV with a Switch 2, PS5 Pro, iMac/MBP via Thunderbolt>HDMI and my trusty old PS3 connected! It’s a fair bit more expensive than some but it does go on sale for up to 40% off now and then.

Anker HDMI Switch, 4K@60Hz HDMI Switcher, 4 in 1 Out with Smooth Finish, Supports HDR, 3D, Dolby, DTS, Compatible with Laptops, PC, Xbox, Projector (Charger and Remote Control Batteries Not Included)

Model Number: A83H2

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Gloomy]

Talking of more work, spent yesterday evening sorting out the new-to-me 8GB MBA 11". Then decided I would swap out the trackpad on the 2011 11". Nope, not having it. At the moment, neither the new trackpad nor keyboard will function, and I can only think that the 'new' pad is in fact defective. Awaiting spares...

You are a braver man than I! Opening those smaller MacBooks is something that would give me endless anxiety. 😂 I did have to upgrade the RAM on my 17-inch 2011 MBP when I got it (4GB>16GB) but that was only like 8 screws.

 

[JulianStaples]

Oh dear. 🫣

Not sure if this counts as early Intel, or if I should take this to another forum, but I’ve gone and bought a working Mac Pro 5.1, sight unseen, for…£25. The specs aren’t amazing, so it will probably be a long-term upgrade/fix-up project. But I couldn’t resist at that price. 😅

I’ve got to go collect it, and don’t have a car right now. So getting it home is going to be an adventure in itself. 😬

 

[DCBassman]

I’ve used UGREEN in the past for things like HDMI to MiniDP adaptors and they’ve been fine, but HDMI Switchers always seem to be temperamental. Only one I’ve never had issues with is my Anker one. I use it on my 4K TV with a Switch 2, PS5 Pro, iMac/MBP via Thunderbolt>HDMI and my trusty old PS3 connected! It’s a fair bit more expensive than some but it does go on sale for up to 40% off now and then.

Anker HDMI Switch, 4K@60Hz HDMI Switcher, 4 in 1 Out with Smooth Finish, Supports HDR, 3D, Dolby, DTS, Compatible with Laptops, PC, Xbox, Projector (Charger and Remote Control Batteries Not Included)

Model Number: A83H2

www.amazon.co.uk

I do think the ACD is what's upsetting it, it seems to work fine if i remove that from the equation. Will doubtless have more playtime with it.

You are a braver man than I! Opening those smaller MacBooks is something that would give me endless anxiety. 😂 I did have to upgrade the RAM on my 17-inch 2011 MBP when I got it (4GB>16GB) but that was only like 8 screws.

The problem with the trackpad is not access - just remove the battery - but the keyboard ribbon cable is very awkward. iFixit helps a lot.

 

[DCBassman]

Oh dear. 🫣

Not sure if this counts as early Intel, or if I should take this to another forum, but I’ve gone and bought a working Mac Pro 5.1, sight unseen, for…£25. The specs aren’t amazing, so it will probably be a long-term upgrade/fix-up project. But I couldn’t resist at that price. 😅

I’ve got to go collect it, and don’t have a car right now. So getting it home is going to be an adventure in itself. 😬

Definitely OK for EIM IMHO, but has its own section anyhow. Nice machines! Not going to be fun to lug around on the Underground, however...