[Review] 13" Black MacBook - Santa Rosa chipset


Recommended Posts

EA is using another company to port its games, and frankly, EA is one of the laziest game devs - year after, they either make lazy rehashes of the previous, or very buggy games at that. Macs don't do games, until Apple releases a desktop that can take the same video cards as a PC (or EFI becomes mainstream in PC's), you won't get hardcore or moderate gamers to switch.

I agree. If you're a hardcore gamer it's best to just stick with Windows or combine a Mac with a console. But overal for the casual gamer, like myself, my iMac is doing just fine.

I agree. If you're a hardcore gamer it's best to just stick with Windows or combine a Mac with a console. But overal for the casual gamer, like myself, my iMac is doing just fine.

I took the Mac with the console option. The only thing my desktop ever gets turned on for is for network printing once in a while, and to play the Orange Box since I refused to buy the console version of that (it would feel wrong, since I played TFC religiously on a PC for years of my life).

  • 3 weeks later...

There were plenty of problems with the macbook. Have they been fixed? They include:

- Overheating [to 95 Degrees Celsius! Yikes!]

- Intermittent Shutdowns

- Grease Stains on the palm rests [irremovable]

- Cracking

- Poor Quality Displays

- Cheap material

- Laptop Cracking

- Noisy fan

- Noisy display

- Charger burning up

Have you faced any of these problems "so far"?

PS: Looking at the list, maybe the macbook is not so "godly" after all!

I heard that there were some problems with the CPU Fan noise. What's up with that? And does it get hot ?

PS: I am going to rob you tonight! :shiftyninja:

The MacBook is godly! :drool:

I can only speak from my personal experience but my MacBook is echoes a deathly silence to me, at least compared to my old laptop. The only time I have actually heard the CPU fan is when I was testing out some programming code, and as I made a weird mistake it caused the computer to use 100% CPU...and then the fan came on blaring. Basically, if you are going to max the laptop out (and I am talking 100% CPU) then the fan is bound to come on!

Other than that though my MacBook is not exactly hot. Sure it is warm (but only in certain points), and that is handy in winter! I find the MacBook tends to get warm by the charger port when it is charging (but surely that should be expected), and also just below the screen.

*Locks door* :shiftyninja:

There were plenty of problems with the macbook. Have they been fixed? They include:

- Overheating [to 95 Degrees Celsius! Yikes!]

- Intermittent Shutdowns

- Grease Stains on the palm rests [irremovable]

- Cracking

- Poor Quality Displays

- Cheap material

- Laptop Cracking

- Noisy fan

- Noisy display

- Charger burning up

Have you faced any of these problems "so far"?

PS: Looking at the list, maybe the macbook is not so "godly" after all!

I mentioned just then about the overheating. It would be interesting for me to find out what the idle and stress temps of my MacBook are. But for some reason Core2DuoTemp does not work with Leopard, which is a shame.

Intermittent shutdowns have not happened to me.

As for grease stains I am not sure what you mean, but I sure as hell have not noticed any. I don't particularly like to rest my hands or my elbow or anything on my laptop for fear of breakage! The closest I have come to "grease stains" is that your finger marks do show up on the MacBook quite easily (I can only speak for the black version here), but they are not irremovable and if you give your MacBook a whipe every now and then it is fine.

As for your next point, I will answer "cracking", "laptop cracking" and "cheap material" in this paragraph. I think the MacBook is quite a sturdy piece of technology. However, I think certain points of the machine are a bit weak. If I press in at the side of the laptop (but towards the front) the plastic moves and it does make a nasty plasticy noise. In my eyes that is a build quality fault, so you have to be careful there. I think Apple should look into that though and it should be easy to fix. Other than that I have not noticed anything. Although, my friend has a year old white MacBook and his is practically falling apart (especially with the side like mine), but he has dropped his a few times.

As for a poor quality display. I can honestly say that I have no qualms with my MacBook display. It has a very good resolution considering the size of the laptop (13.3") and images look crystal clear to me and so warm and vibrant. Although I suppose the glossy display helps with that. My display is certainly not noisy anyway and I know that for sure, as I often sit in a silent room with my MacBook when studying so I can concentrate, so I would certainly pick up on any noises emmanating from it!

The charger burning up problem I have not heard of. Although in recent years there has been a big thing about exploding laptop batteries and whatnot, but it looks like Apple have avoided that problem so far (though, I do believe they issued a recall on certain battery models).

Most of the problems you posted have not occured to me. The MacBook is a popular machine, so people are bound to have some problems...but on Neowin (which is steretyped to be a Windows fanboy community) you do not hear about many Mac problems. The closest I have come to a problem with my Mac is that I thought Leopard had messed up on me (graphically), but all I did was turn is turn on one of the accessibilty options which made everything look funny (and I still don't know what key combination I pressed that made that happen). Anyway, I really hope all the problems you listed are not a combination of mini disasters waiting to happen to me!

Hope that helps!

Great!

I was considering the Macbook as one of my options. The others are the Dell Vostro and HP dv 6500t .

As for the stains, I am sure the black Macbook won't face any problems. The white ones do suffer from them.

I think they might have improved the displays. I have read that Apple originally shipped them with 256k colour screens but claimed them to be 16 milion!

As for the others, they occur after long term usage [>6 months], so keep your fingers crossed! :laugh:

All in all, the Macbook is still one helluva laptop [correction: Notebook].

Thanks for the feedback!

PS: Just a question I wanted to ask: Which University do you attend? Just out of curiosity.

Edited by UNTO DARKNESS
Great!

I was considering the Macbook as one of my options. The others are the Dell Vostro and HP dv 6500t .

As for the stains, I am sure the black Macbook won't face any problems. The white ones do suffer from them.

I think they might have improved the displays. I have read that Apple originally shipped them with 256k colour screens but claimed them to be 16 milion!

As for the others, they occur after long term usage [>6 months], so keep your fingers crossed! :laugh:

All in all, the Macbook is still one helluva laptop [correction: Notebook].

Thanks for the feedback!

PS: Just a question I wanted to ask: Which University do you attend? Just out of curiosity.

Well I really hope my MacBook keeps going like it is for another three or four years! Anyway, because I qualified for an education discount I got a three year warranty bundled in free by Apple (although it is not the Apple care warranty).

Oh, and I go to Lancaster University and I am studying Computer Science :)

Martyn: How was delivery from the Apple UK store?

It was pretty prompt, and they do not charge for delivery which is always nice. I ordered it on the Friday (along with the case), and I expected it on the Monday. The case came on the Monday, but the UPS person did not realise that there was a consignment of two parcels, so he left my MacBook on the truck by mistake. Myself and the porter at my Uni chased it up, and the MacBook was delivered on the Tuesday.

But yeah, I think the Apple delivery is quite good.

  • 2 weeks later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • ...but you're Johnny, from Australia?    
    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      270
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      75
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      71
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!