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New MBA Rev.2, had to take apart.

NC MacGuy

NC MacGuy

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 9, 2005
6,233
0
The good side of the grass.
MBA Gen 1 vs Gen 2. 720p HD Zack & Miri movie from Apple.com/trailers. Gen 1 is a 1.6GHz pictured on left, right MBA in sets is a 1.86GHz Gen. 2 w. SSD. Even taking the SSD & extra 260 MHz out of the equation, the difference in temps. and processor usage is worth noting. You can clearly see the MSR Tools and istat menu:
 

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Cynicalone

Cynicalone

macrumors 68040
Jul 9, 2008
3,212
0
Okie land
NC MacGuy you convinced me. :)

So far I'm loving my new MBA. Right now I'm streaming HD video from my iMac and it's still staying just below 70º Celsius. Very happy with my purchase.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
I really wish Apple had not delayed the HDD model. I may go pick up a SSD model tomorrow. I'm growing impatient. :(

NC those are some great tests. Well done buddy!
 
I

icymountain

macrumors 6502a
Dec 12, 2006
535
598
jessica. said:
I really wish Apple had not delayed the HDD model. I may go pick up a SSD model tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I may sound harsh with them... Is it not the reason why they delayed the HDD version in the first place ? To sell more SSDs to early adopters ?
 
H

Hippie54

macrumors newbie
Nov 5, 2008
16
0
Sweden
Been reading every thread about first impressions of the mba and it looks really good, it runs cooler and faster and still looks as good as before while doing it.

I am replacing a 2y old macbook 2ghz and while ive really enjoyed this computer 1 thing that i really disslike about it is the "Lift off 6200 rpm fan speed" while doing somthing really basic like watching a low quality movie clip or browsing some sites.

In the other hand it can run logic pro and finalcut really good and often without fans kicking it at all. What i fear from the air is that its fans will run even more often than my old mb,s.

What i would like to see is a stress test maxing out the comptuer for atleast 30 mins while monitoring fans,cpu and heat and see if the air downclocks to counter the heat or if 1 of the cores will shutdown, like the 1.0 MBA would do.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
icymountain said:
I may sound harsh with them... Is it not the reason why they delayed the HDD version in the first place ? To sell more SSDs to early adopters ?
Click to expand...

Nah I believe it, and I've even written it. ;) I think this was the ploy the play on peoples "I need it NOW and FIRST" emotion. I've tried to hold out but I flop back and forth like a fish out of water. One moment I want it, the next I look at what I should spend that extra dough on and think ... nah!

NC MacGuy has made it entirely impossible for me to not want the SSD Air! I blame him entirely. :p
 
mhnajjar

mhnajjar

macrumors 6502a
Mar 3, 2008
777
0
NC MacGuy, according to your pictured MSR Tools results, I think you do not have the latest updates on the MBA1 since the actual frequency is not locked at 0.8 GHz. On the other hand, it is strange to see that the MBA2 1.86 GHz is locked at 0.8 GHz. What is the use of that extra 1.06 GHz? :confused:
 
NC MacGuy

NC MacGuy

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 9, 2005
6,233
0
The good side of the grass.
mhnajjar said:
NC MacGuy, according to your pictured MSR Tools results, I think you do not have the latest updates on the MBA1 since the actual frequency is not locked at 0.8 GHz. On the other hand, it is strange to see that the MBA2 1.86 GHz is locked at 0.8 GHz. What is the use of that extra 1.06 GHz? :confused:
Click to expand...

MBA2 not "locked" at .8GHz - it didn't need the extra processing power. I can get it to go up to 1.86GHz if I open 3-4 movies at once.
 
W

worldburger

macrumors member
Jan 27, 2008
44
5
Photoshopping?

NC MacGuy,
you seem to be the one having the most fun with your new Macbook Air. Do you happen to have photoshop? If you do, I had a small request...

I've linked a file here below (39mp raw). Could you download and open it in PS (as a 16bit) and see how the computer holds up? I'm curious how the processor/fsb/2GB ram/SSD handle this file. I've been editing a bunch of these on a MBP for a while using an external drive and was hoping (more like dreaming), that I could ditch the MBP for an Air for PS/Lightroom.

Normally, I'd test this myself by going to an Apple Store in LA (where I'm normally), but I'm spending some time in Berlin and the Germans a) dont have the new Air yet and b) wont use an SSD as a floor model anyways and c) the exchange/return policy is atrocious here so I can't just order one and try it out :-(

If you are susceptible to coercion, I could mail you a very attractive b/w architecture print...

Thanks if you can, thanks if you can't :)

David

Link to file:
http://www.jirvana.com/raw_large/p45/Head_P45_CF000103.TIF
 
ducatidoc

ducatidoc

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2008
136
0
props to you nc macguy for making front page of macrumors.

(and of course, for tearing down your new mba)
 
J

jazzflautista

macrumors newbie
Nov 7, 2008
1
0
Air

You should be aware that the guys who designed the Air are following this thread quite closely and are quite flattered by your interest in their work! Go out and buy an Air - it is a great machine!
 
M

MilesInCO

macrumors newbie
Oct 20, 2008
4
0
jazzflautista said:
You should be aware that the guys who designed the Air are following this thread quite closely and are quite flattered by your interest in their work! Go out and buy an Air - it is a great machine!
Click to expand...

Can you ask them to put a 1440x900 screen and a 2nd USB port in the next revision?

Better yet, ask them if a Thinkpad X300 LCD fits, and if there's any test points for an unused USB D+/D- on the logic board... it'd be much easier to flywire a 2nd connector in than to reroute the single USB port to a little PCB with a hub chip, and then route one back to the port hatch, and a 2nd to a new home. I think if I cut a hole in the bottom panel next to the magsafe power adapter, I can just make a PCB with a USB type A connector on it, and share the mounting holes with the magsafe and battery:
http://www.ifixit.com/Parts/stream/9/large/8-2.jpg
 
T

twist2b

macrumors regular
May 26, 2008
220
0
North Carolina
MilesInCO said:
Can you ask them to put a 1440x900 screen and a 2nd USB port in the next revision?

Better yet, ask them if a Thinkpad X300 LCD fits, and if there's any test points for an unused USB D+/D- on the logic board... it'd be much easier to flywire a 2nd connector in than to reroute the single USB port to a little PCB with a hub chip, and then route one back to the port hatch, and a 2nd to a new home. I think if I cut a hole in the bottom panel next to the magsafe power adapter, I can just make a PCB with a USB type A connector on it, and share the mounting holes with the magsafe and battery:
http://www.ifixit.com/Parts/stream/9/large/8-2.jpg
Click to expand...

There IS unused USB on the REV A (google it).

I am sure this one will be the same.
But still, I would not drill a hole for some extra usb. USB adapters work just fine for me thakn you.
 
M

macbook123

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2006
1,869
85
What in your opinion limits the thinness of the MBA? Is it the hard drive?

I had been wondering about this since the MBA first came out: is the thinness limited by the HDD in the lower priced version, or are there other components limiting it to a similar thinness toward the back? With your SSD version you should be able to see whether there's space on either side of the SSD that in the lower priced version is taken up by the HDD. I can't quite figure that out from your pictures.

Thanks in advance for the information!!
 
M

MilesInCO

macrumors newbie
Oct 20, 2008
4
0
twist2b said:
There IS unused USB on the REV A (google it).

I am sure this one will be the same.
But still, I would not drill a hole for some extra usb. USB adapters work just fine for me thakn you.
Click to expand...

Woah, thanks! I found this link:
http://www.maushammer.com/systems/mba/USB.html

...which has all the info I'd need. However, with the chipset change (nVidia vs. Intel), there's no ICH-8 in the new MBA, so someone will have to find the new testpoint locations for USB (if they still exist). On the upside, there's a chance they are High-Speed (480) vs. the Full-Speed (12) ports on the 1st gen MBA, if they exist.

Thinking about it some more, I bet I could change out the magsafe connector for a little PCB with a barrel plug for power and 1 USB port. It'd use the same header as the magsafe's internal cable does, so the only mod would be soldering flywires for the USB ports, no cutting of the bottom shell required. Although cutting the hole and getting *two* USB ports is really tempting, especially since new bottom shells are only $100 at ifixit.
 
T

The Toddfather

Guest
epicycle said:
I put together a review of my experience with the new MBA R2 so far here:

http://www.wideasleep.com/blog/?p=127

I did some compiling and game play testing in it. I figured I'd answer your questions to :)

1. I have 802.11g (UFO Airport) and 802.11n (TimeCapsule) at home. I can go anywhere in my home and get reception with this new MBA. My old MBP had issues in the far corners of my house dropping occasionally while the MBA has 1-2 bars.

2. No balancing issues here, solid as a rock even with lots of typing.

3. I did most of my migration driving my external 24" cinema display using the display port to dvi adapter. It was awesome and worked seamlessly, no complaints in the least.

4. Other than the fan coming on ;) I don't have any noises. Coming from the old MBP keyboard the chicklet keys are definitely louder but not overly loud.

5. My screen is perfect. I ran Pixelcheck and have no dead or stuck pixels.

I hope this and my review above help ...
Click to expand...

Nice review, I picked my new MBA today and am impressed. I had the original MBA and was very disappointed by the performance and horrible video, so much so I picked up the new MB to replace it. I really missed the size, so I waited to hear from brave souls willing to purchase and review the revision. Thanks for your information, I'm glad to have the Air replace the MB in my briefcase.
 
Ironic

Ironic

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2008
652
0
In my MBA!
The Toddfather said:
Nice review, I picked my new MBA today and am impressed. I had the original MBA and was very disappointed by the performance and horrible video, so much so I picked up the new MB to replace it. I really missed the size, so I waited to hear from brave souls willing to purchase and review the revision. Thanks for your information, I'm glad to have the Air replace the MB in my briefcase.
Click to expand...

Congrats, so now look forward and not back as it's a beautiful machine.
 
P

.product

macrumors member
Aug 5, 2008
30
0
NC, is the Rev.B heatsink thicker? It looks heavily fortified (lol) but have they changed the actual metal? From taking apart my Rev.A I recall it being very flimsy.

Thanks!
 
E

Ender17

macrumors regular
Aug 3, 2005
161
46
what's the connector for the SSD? is it standard SATA?
would like to get the HDD version and put a Intel X18-M in there
 
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