Disappointed switcher **solved - Happy switcher now**

Rainmaker said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

EVH, as I said earlier I have already carried out a full format and reinstall, followed up by Software Update. This didn't help any. Video stutters like crazy, and pixelates badly, when anything tries to open or run in the background. This is especially apparent using VLC, but also happens with QuickTime X.

I'm having to force-quit applications several times a day, so something is clearly up. :( When single-tasking the machine is actually quite decent, and I enjoy using it, but a £1,000 laptop shouldn't choke and die when you try to open a plain-text file while watching a movie. :o

I'll take it into the Apple Store and see what they have to say. Seeing as the CPU barely gets above 5% usage, and the RAM is half-unused, I'm suspecting the hdd may be faulty. That, or the new on-die gfx are just plain inadequate.

EDIT: I forgot to add, my trackpad doesn't seem very sensitive towards the bottom. Literally to the point where I have to make movements four or five times before the screen/cursor picks up the movement. As above I'll see what the Store has to say, maybe I just lucked out and got a duff machine.
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That sounds like a very faulty machine. I would take it back asap.
 
Glad to see they replaced it no bother!

Mine is a year old, and after a drop and a life of being ported to and fro to uni it's still doing well.

Hard drive needs replacing though as it's only the 160GB model, and maybe a RAM upgrade. :p
 
n1blo said:
Hard drive needs replacing though as it's only the 160GB model, and maybe a RAM upgrade. :p
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Likewise. :D I'm thinking Vertex 3 and 8GB RAM. Which reminds me (saves making a new thread now you're all in here lol)... I run Parallels and use Spaces to allow the VM to run full-screen. Ubuntu 10.10 runs lovely, and with around 2% CPU usage and a small temp increase. Perfectly acceptable.

Windows, however, hogs CPU and the temps climb towards 80+. All fanboy comments aside, I've not noticed this happening on any other machine (whether running it as a VM guest, or as host). I'm presuming this is graphics related - Windows Aero consuming gfx power and heating up the CPU? The downside of on-die gfx I suppose.

I sat contemplating this, then realised I didn't need Windows anyway. So it's a moot point. I deleted the VM and I'm much happier now lol
 
I saw the same issues, I also found Windows to be too slow for my needs so I've added an SSD and upgraded to 8GB. Adding more RAM has allowed me to allocate more to the windows VM. This has made things very usable for my needs.
 
n1blo said:
I'd love a vertex but don't think I can justify it.
How much does 8GB RAM come to?
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When I looked last week it was around £75 iirc. Not much for what it is, at any rate. I paid 50% more than that just for 4GB for my desktop 2 years ago lol

EDIT: OcUK are out of stock, but my local reputable competitor have Corsair and Hynix 2x 4GB 1333 kits at £70. :)
 
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n1blo said:
I was under the impression that only certain kits worked. I'd double check that before purchasing, I could be wrong though!
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That's what I thought, but Apple use the Hynix RAM anyway and I was told on MacRumors that the Corsair kits would be fine too. At £70 it'd be rude not to for 8GB! I just wish the prospect of taking apart the bottom of the machine wasn't so scary! :D I've built plenty of PCs for myself and others, but taking apart a £1000 laptop seems a little more daunting... lol
 
Its actually really easy to take apart. I was fairly hesitant to take apart my new MBP too but upgrading the RAM and HDD are about as easy as it gets with laptops.
 
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shine said:
Its actually really easy to take apart. I was fairly hesitant to take apart my new MBP too but upgrading the RAM and HDD are about as easy as it gets with laptop.s
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Thanks for that. :) I'll grab a kit on payday and see how I get on. Silly question, but I've read conflicting information: Is it a standard philips screwdriver, torx, or both that I need?

I can't wait to see this baby with an SSD. I need to get saving lol
 
To get the back off you need a phillips screwdriver (smaller than the standard size) but you'll need a Torx 6 if you plan on swapping HDD's.

I had everything in my toolkit except a T-6 and I foolishly didn't check beforehand so had to put everything back together and wait until the following morning to get a T-6 before I could proceed.
 
shine said:
To get the back off you need a phillips screwdriver (smaller than the standard size) but you'll need a Torx 6 if you plan on swapping HDD's.

I had everything in my toolkit except a T-6 and I foolishly didn't check beforehand so had to put everything back together and wait until the following morning to get a T-6 before I could proceed.
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At the risk of sounding cliché, thanks for the info. :) I have the usual screwdriver sets, but I'm honestly not sure about Torx. I have a couple somewhere, but it's not something one generally needs to use. No rush anyway, I need to buy an SSD first. The RAM'll get done before anything as I'm too scared of the price increasing. I know you could say the same for SSDs but they're much more stable than RAM prices I think. :)
 
I managed to pick up a screwdriver set for a fiver so I've now got everything I need for future tinkering with PC's. :D

If you need more info just send an email to my trust address and I can forward the details, can't post here as its from a competitor.
 
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Rainmaker said:
Well I got burned more than most but even I realise that it's just life. Stuff happens, things go wrong. They're built in a factory, using humans, and not everything or everyone is perfect. C'est la vie.

At least with Apple you can just walk into a store, and walk out again with either a full cash refund or a spanking new machine less than five minutes later. Try that at the purple shirt place or similar. ;)

<3 Apple - and I never, ever though I'd be saying that!
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I agree but that wasn't really the point I was making. Whenever I visit a genius bar the places are always full and one can see a lot of hardware being returned for one reason or another. I may be lucky but I have never had to return a PC even though they cost a fraction of the price. In fairness I haven't had to return my iMac (touchwood) - simply making an observation.
 
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