Seriously considering making the switch.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

No. The sensor is internal to the SSDs and HDDs that Apple ships with the iMac. As mentioned earlier, putting a resistor (not sure which one) across two of the connector pins fools the controller so that the fans don't ramp up. This makes me think that the sensor element is probably an RTD. Alternatively if you knew what kind of RTD you could buy one and connect it wherever you like. I don't really think that would be worthwhile to be honest because other system temperatures that are monitored would be indicative enough to control the fans (IMHO). My SSD in my MacBook Pro gets little to no airflow (there is just a tiny fan in that thing) and it works just fine. I've never heard of SSD heat problems....

Hmm okay.

I just thought of another option that I could do. Save up a little extra money and but the Retina MacBook Pro for ?2,083.99 with these specs...

• 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
  
• 16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
  
• 256GB Flash Storage
  
• Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
  
• Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
  

It does come with most of what I want (Minus the Internal 1/2TB HDD for storage) and I'd have to order the Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse + Track pad (I want both : P) 2TB External HDDand a stand to go with it I am looking at spending near ?2,500 which is my limit on this.

Would you guys say that a MacBook Pro could do what I want from it and would it be suitable to replace a desktop since my desktop is big, noisy (80mm fans yo) and it's been on pretty much every day since I built it god knows how many years ago (Minus power cuts) and I am just looking for a simple machine I can work on and just do stuff with.

Also is it worth Buying a Time Capsule or would any External HDD work?

[.Neo]

Also is it worth Buying a Time Capsule or would any External HDD work?

Time Capsule has a pretty bad track record. Generally taken all external HDDs should work with OS X. If you want to be sure just check for a "Mac" compatibly logo or disclaimer on the box.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Time Capsules have a pretty bad track record. Generally taken all external HDDs should work with OS X. If you want to be sure just check for a "Mac" compatibly logo or disclaimer on the box.

Okay.

So I just checked the Pricing and a Non retina MBP with a 2.6GHz CPU and a 1TB HDD Is ?2,119.01 and the Retina with the Same CPU , 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM is ?2,059.00 ... it is cheaper than a Non Retina o.0 Eh... So I may as well get the Retina and just buy an External HDD and it would work out near enough the same price...

[Shadrack]

Umm, yeah. I think that configuration will knock your socks off.

I looked into Time Capsule a few weeks ago and came to the conclusion that it wasn't that great of a product for the price. The hard drive is non-replaceable so if the hard drive goes bad you have to replace the whole Time Capsule.

Someone on Neowin pointed me to the NAS devices that Synology makes. They are a bit pricier but a lot more robust little units. They also claim to be compatible with Time Machine (as if you were using a Time Capsule). I plan on getting one around Christmas time this year. Otherwise, just a regular external drive will work with Time Machine. Time Machine is awesome feature and I definitely recommend taking advantage of it one way or another.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Umm, yeah. I think that configuration will knock your socks off.

I looked into Time Capsule a few weeks ago and came to the conclusion that it wasn't that great of a product for the price. The hard drive is non-replaceable so if the hard drive goes bad you have to replace the whole Time Capsule.

Someone on Neowin pointed me to the NAS devices that Synology makes. They are a bit pricier but a lot more robust little units. They also claim to be compatible with Time Machine (as if you were using a Time Capsule). I plan on getting one around Christmas time this year. Otherwise, just a regular external drive will work with Time Machine. Time Machine is awesome feature and I definitely recommend taking advantage of it one way or another.

Okay. I was looking at a 2TB+ Western Digital External Drive to use as Storage and Time Machine (Partitioning FTW)

Only 1 thing I am really concerned about is I can't fix the RAM in the machine if it goes bad or the HDD and I would have to send it to Apple ><.

[SMELTN]

Thats the one thing I haven't done yet either is Time Machine. I need to take advantage of that.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Thats the one thing I haven't done yet either is Time Machine. I need to take advantage of that.

Yeah I heard it is meant to be really good. I am just wondering how or if I can do a Complete Restore of the OS like, if I Format my drive can I Restore it to as it was before the format with Time Machine.

[Shadrack]

Thats the one thing I haven't done yet either is Time Machine. I need to take advantage of that.

Time Machine is a life saver. Take your Time Machine backup, plug it into another Mac and boot from it. Bam, right back into your environment just like you were in front of your Mac. If ever you have a hard drive go south on you (or any hardware) and you are able to get a temporary machine up and running in a matter of minutes you will see what an amazing thing Time Machine is.

Also, the day-to-day use of Time Machine is equally useful. I can go back months and find files that I deleted or documents I've screwed up and need to go back to an earlier version. Once I needed an early version of an app that was in my downloads folder that I periodically clean up. Time Machine had it.

Yeah I heard it is meant to be really good. I am just wondering how or if I can do a Complete Restore of the OS like, if I Format my drive can I Restore it to as it was before the format with Time Machine.

Yes. Just boot into the OS X recovery partition and select "Restore from Time Machine". Its so easy it makes me feel dumb. I've yet to come across a Windows equivalent in terms of ease of use and features.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Yes. Just boot into the OS X recovery partition and select "Restore from Time Machine".

Okay.

If I was to go Retina > Standard MBP, What is apple like with Repairs to their Products? I don't live near an Apple Store and the only ones I know of in England are in London and I live like 2 hours away on a Good day with no traffic.

[Shadrack]

Okay.

If I was to go Retina > Standard MBP, What is apple like with Repairs to their Products? I don't live near an Apple Store and the only ones I know of in England are in London and I live like 2 hours away on a Good day with no traffic.

Honestly, I have found that folks at the Apple Store (aka Geniuses or whatever) are much easier to work with than phone support is. I've been pretty good at always getting my way on phone support but it can take longer depending.

If your MBP is under warranty (either the first year, depending on local laws, or AppleCare) then they tend to be really good at keeping you up and running. Outside of that, you have to pay them and prices vary depending on what you want to do. I found that my out-of-warranty repair of the back glass of my iPhone 4 was completely reasonable at $30 for the repair at an Apple Store. I also was very pleased when the Apple Store replaced my iPad 2 because of a scratch I got on the screen. They didn't even give me any hassle about it. It was just "oh yeah, that looks terrible. Well how about a new iPad 2?". The scratch I'm talking about is my avatar (that's a microscope photo).

If you have issues with your MBP, I highly recommend taking the trip to the Apple Store as you will probably get the issue resolved that day (either they will fix it or give you a new one after they restore all your data to the new one). Over the phone support may mean you will have to go a few days or even weeks w/o your computer.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Honestly, I have found that folks at the Apple Store (aka Geniuses or whatever) are much easier to work with than phone support is. I've been pretty good at always getting my way on phone support but it can take longer depending.

If your MBP is under warranty (either the first year, depending on local laws, or AppleCare) then they tend to be really good at keeping you up and running. Outside of that, you have to pay them and prices vary depending on what you want to do. I found that my out-of-warranty repair of the back glass of my iPhone 4 was completely reasonable at $30 for the repair at an Apple Store. I also was very pleased when the Apple Store replaced my iPad 2 because of a scratch I got on the screen. They didn't even give me any hassle about it. It was just "oh yeah, that looks terrible. Well how about a new iPad 2?". The scratch I'm talking about is my avatar (that's a microscope photo).

If you have issues with your MBP, I highly recommend taking the trip to the Apple Store as you will probably get the issue resolved that day (either they will fix it or give you a new one after they restore all your data to the new one). Over the phone support may mean you will have to go a few days or even weeks w/o your computer.

Hmm OK. It is just going to be a bitch to get to the Apple Store, gotta take like 3 trains their and back and that's quicker than driving.

Is it worth buying the extended apple care ?

EDIT: Just noticed the Macbook Pros do not have a Line-In so I can't plug my current Razer Carcharias Headset into it (was a Gift, it isn't the best but I like the Mic).

Would I be able to use something like this http://speechrecsolutions.com/iPad_audio.html#iphoneheadsetadapter to adapt the port because I just saw a Thread on the Apple forums that the Headphone port supports iPad/iPhone headsets with the 4 connectors on the 1 plug.

[threetonesun]

EDIT: Just noticed the Macbook Pros do not have a Line-In so I can't plug my current Razer Carcharias Headset into it (was a Gift, it isn't the best but I like the Mic).

The 15'' has audio line in.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

The 15'' has audio line in.

I am talking about a Retina Model. That isn't the Retina, this is...

No Line-In.

I Just read from http://www.nerdsonsi...mm-microphones/ that 3.5mm Mics won't work ><. Unless there is a work around I am going to need a USB Headset and a USB Hub.

[SMELTN]

That 1 headphone jack is also a line in. It auto swaps. I found that out as well, because I was trying to hook my guitar up to my 13" macbook and was like WTF? Works just fine

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3625

MacBook and MacBook Pro (13-inch): How to use the combination audio port for an audio input device

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

That 1 headphone jack is also a line in. It auto swaps. I found that out as well, because I was trying to hook my guitar up to my 13" macbook and was like WTF? Works just fine

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3625

MacBook and MacBook Pro (13-inch): How to use the combination audio port for an audio input device

But I use Headsets for Skype and listening to music. And I want to have 3.5mm Mic and Headphone plugs plugged in at the same time >< which I don't think it can do unless there is some form of adapter I am stuck with USB for my headsets which means I need to buy a new one.

[Tuishimi]

Just for the record, I just got my wife a 15" MacBook Pro with the non-glare display. Sweet little machine. She doesn't use it for video or graphic editing. Just sort of normal daily use.

But I use Headsets for Skype and listening to music. And I want to have 3.5mm Mic and Headphone plugs plugged in at the same time >< which I don't think it can do unless there is some form of adapter I am stuck with USB for my headsets which means I need to buy a new one.

I forget what it is called, I can go look after I get out of this phone meeting I am in, but I bought something years ago which still works for both Mac and PC. It plugs into USB and takes standard input/output jacks with a switch from mic in to sound out.

[Tuishimi]

Went and checked it out... iMic USB. Works pretty well for me. But I didn't use it for recording anything. I did use it for a microphone for Skype calling at some point.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Just for the record, I just got my wife a 15" MacBook Pro with the non-glare display. Sweet little machine. She doesn't use it for video or graphic editing. Just sort of normal daily use.

I forget what it is called, I can go look after I get out of this phone meeting I am in, but I bought something years ago which still works for both Mac and PC. It plugs into USB and takes standard input/output jacks with a switch from mic in to sound out.

Went and checked it out... iMic USB. Works pretty well for me. But I didn't use it for recording anything. I did use it for a microphone for Skype calling at some point.

Is that iMic a USB sound card? If it is i might look at getting something with a little more umph to it like a Creative USB sound card.

[threetonesun]

No Line-In.

I Just read from http://www.nerdsonsi...mm-microphones/ that 3.5mm Mics won't work ><. Unless there is a work around I am going to need a USB Headset and a USB Hub.

Well, you said Pro. :laugh:

You're awfully brave if you're really considering a first gen retina book.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Well, you said Pro. :laugh:

You're awfully brave if you're really considering a first gen retina book.

Why do you say that?

It honestly to be cheaper to buy the Retina than the Non Retina for me/

[threetonesun]

Why do you say that?

It honestly to be cheaper to buy the Retina than the Non Retina for me/

People generally refer to the first model of any Apple product as the public beta. They don't have a great track record for reliability.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

People generally refer to the first model of any Apple product as the public beta. They don't have a great track record for reliability.

Well from looking around I have not really heard anything about the Retina except for the fact the RAM and SSD are soldered to the Motherboard.

[Shadrack]

Some reasons not to go retina:

* Not all software supports that high of a DPI. Software that doesn't support retina will look blocky compared to the rest of the OS (for example Office 2011).

* The amount of pixels retina is pushing might affect system performance (although I haven't read anywhere that it actually does)

* New MBP design and internal layout. There may be problems that come up 6 months from now that a connector wasn't spec'd right, or a fan doesn't work right, or whatever...who knows? Its a new MBP design, whereas the last gen MBP was built upon for years and all the kinks ironed out.

Some reasons to go with retina:

* You can do 1080P video editing at full resolution on a 15" screen and still have enough room for all the UI elements of iMovie (That is pretty amazing)

* Its the latest and greatest

* Thinner and lighter (I think) than last gen MBP

I would love a new retina MBP, but I'll probably wait until next generation or the one after that. But you are in need of something right away. There will always be something better that comes out next year, and that's not reason to wait because the same can be said next year.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Some reasons not to go retina:

* Not all software supports that high of a DPI. Software that doesn't support retina will look blocky compared to the rest of the OS (for example Office 2011).

* The amount of pixels retina is pushing might affect system performance (although I haven't read anywhere that it actually does)

* New MBP design and internal layout. There may be problems that come up 6 months from now that a connector wasn't spec'd right, or a fan doesn't work right, or whatever...who knows? Its a new MBP design, whereas the last gen MBP was built upon for years and all the kinks ironed out.

Some reasons to go with retina:

* You can do 1080P video editing at full resolution on a 15" screen and still have enough room for all the UI elements of iMovie (That is pretty amazing)

* Its the latest and greatest

* Thinner and lighter (I think) than last gen MBP

I would love a new retina MBP, but I'll probably wait until next generation or the one after that. But you are in need of something right away. There will always be something better that comes out next year, and that's not reason to wait because the same can be said next year.

You do make some good points. I could play it safe and get the Non Retina but I would need to buy myself 3 things to be happy with it...

Macbook Pro (Non Retina) with Mini DP to DVI Adapter and 750GB 7200RPM HDD: ?1,864

Crucial M4 SSD 256GB: ?170

Optibay Hard Drive Adapter: ?68

16GB Corsair Vengeance SODIMM RAM: ?120

Total:?2222

Total for Retina: ?2,059.00

I could save myself a bit of money I guess and Defiantly save my Warranty on the Macbook Pro because I will be tearing the DVD Drive out for a HDD.

So I guess it comes down to Retina or Non Retina and I'm on the fence about what one to buy.

[SMELTN]

I am still lost as to why you feel as though you NEED to get that much RAM out of the gate. I mean its a Mac.. RAM requirements are not the same as with Windows PC's.