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What are you still using an Intel Mac for?
- Thread starter Yebubbleman
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I use my lovely 2020 27 inch iMac to do office work, some 3D rendering, CAD and bioinformatic analysis locally. Still a great machine and I guess will be for a very long time. The only issue I have with it is that the fan noise is rather high when doing the heavy stuff compared to my M1 Pro MBP at work, which is silent.
Sometimes I despair when people feel their 1-3 year old computer is obsolete when a new Mx SoC arrives.
Sometimes I despair when people feel their 1-3 year old computer is obsolete when a new Mx SoC arrives.
The Macbook 12" is 900grams (37% lighter than the lightest MacbookAir currently being sold) and has the smallest form factor of any Mac(book) as well.
Perfect for hopping from meeting to meeting, using Notes / Email etc.
I'm going to answer, a case scenario reason for still using an Intel Mac (although I have recently upgraded), and that is, not everyone can afford to upgrade their computers that often.
1. If it works for you, keep using.
2. As long as the OS and version of applications you’re using are still supported for security updates then no issues.
2. As long as the OS and version of applications you’re using are still supported for security updates then no issues.
I guess “running silently” one thing that Intel Macs do not fare well 
I have a 2020 iMac at home, and it's my primary computer for both personal use and work. I haven't upgraded it yet, because current desktop Macs are poor value for money. Anything you can get for ~$5k would mean downgrading RAM and/or display.
Maybe I'll replace it with the next generation of the Mac Studio. Either Max with 5k displays or Ultra with 4k displays.
Maybe I'll replace it with the next generation of the Mac Studio. Either Max with 5k displays or Ultra with 4k displays.
last night i needed my Macbook Air M1 to read "*ATM" formatted drive to retrieve some files.
the macbook m1 is incredible, light, beautiful, fast and very sleek
but the operating system "Monterey" is just very regulated, condensed, bland, boring
and kinda hard to read since the type face is designed for speed, not efficiency
There are minor difficulties trying to find out how much battery if available (more than enough)
and opening a new tab to copy paste from one external to another was arduous and impossible on Ventura and sonoma
the only improvement from "maybe" Mountain lion is the "rename" option on the finder folders.
they system is designed to be hidden.....designed to be used NOT as a computer, rather as an iPad.
I wish we can place Mojave on these great M1 processors, but then again the speed would diminish.
but i would rather be able to use a computer to my liking than s non-intuitive design.
*i never got used to remembering abbreviations so i think AFTS?
the macbook m1 is incredible, light, beautiful, fast and very sleek
but the operating system "Monterey" is just very regulated, condensed, bland, boring
and kinda hard to read since the type face is designed for speed, not efficiency
There are minor difficulties trying to find out how much battery if available (more than enough)
and opening a new tab to copy paste from one external to another was arduous and impossible on Ventura and sonoma
the only improvement from "maybe" Mountain lion is the "rename" option on the finder folders.
they system is designed to be hidden.....designed to be used NOT as a computer, rather as an iPad.
I wish we can place Mojave on these great M1 processors, but then again the speed would diminish.
but i would rather be able to use a computer to my liking than s non-intuitive design.
*i never got used to remembering abbreviations so i think AFTS?
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I know recent macOS versions are not perfect, but if you start complaining about the UI font (that is the same in Monterey and Mojave), reading the battery percent (one click on the menu extra item like in Mojave), or opening a new tab or window or finder (File -> New, the same since Mac OS X 10.0), the issue is not actually macOS, but it's between the chair and the keyboard.
I started a business in 2013. Four about four years, I bought iMacs as needed. Somewhere along the way, I replaced all of the hard drives with SSDs. We use them for email, web browsing, document creation and Zoom (we use Dropbox for storage). The business continues to use them because they work flawlessly. Buying new ones would have little to no change on user experience.
I'm still using an Intel Mac - currently a 2013 Mac Pro, 4 core 3.7GHz, 2 x D300, 1TB SSD, 64GB RAM.
It's my only Mac, I use it for everything I do - email, web, office stuff, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, OBS, everything.
Why am I still using it, given an AS Mac woudl blow it out of the water?
Price, pure and simple.
I'd love to get a new Mac, don't have the budget right now, and R2 still works well (OK it's stuck on Monterey, doesn't have Continuity, and the latest Logic and FCP won't run on it, so it's starting to get on a bit, but it still does the job for now).
Hoping to replace it in 2025 with a nice shiny new M4 Mac Mini or Mac Studio (depends on spec/price) we'll see what comes out.
Absolutely nothing!
Although my other half is using my old MacBook Pro for Mac stuff and for Windows stuff - gaming-related gubbins, I've no idea what mind you
I listen to and stream music using my 2015 MBP. I use it for work with Photo Mechanic, Photoshop and Lightroom. I run the billing for my business off some software that does not work on an ARM Mac.
You ask two questions:
That presumes the only reason someone would "still" be using an Intel Mac is because it does something that cannot be done on an ARM Mac. The reason I am "still" using an Intel Mac is, because it works. There is no reason to buy new just because there's a new version, that's mindless consumerism. I don't buy a new phone or Mac or car just because a new one comes out.
You ask two questions:
That presumes the only reason someone would "still" be using an Intel Mac is because it does something that cannot be done on an ARM Mac. The reason I am "still" using an Intel Mac is, because it works. There is no reason to buy new just because there's a new version, that's mindless consumerism. I don't buy a new phone or Mac or car just because a new one comes out.
Have you ever used an iMac Pro or the Mac Pro 2019 ?I guess “running silently” one thing that Intel Macs do not fare well
Both machines are very quiet, even under full load
I was going to buy a second hand MBP for my daughters but luckily my boos had a spare Intel one that he no longer needed so he gave it to me. The girls do just browsing and some light gaming.
My wife and I have an M1 mini an an M3 Pro MBP respectively.
My wife and I have an M1 mini an an M3 Pro MBP respectively.
My iMac 27" with 24GB RAM is still my go to mainly because of the extra memory
iMac Pro can run silent only because it has excess cooling capacity, which was the only reason I bought it (at entry level). The chips actually run very hot even on idle
I owned an iMac 2019 with the i9 CPU and it could get quite noisy under even moderate load. My first AS computer was a M1 Air, which was astonishing because a fanless tiny lightweight machine did better in most CPU tasks than my big, high powered desktop with its fan howling.
No, they use Windows for ARM on AS and still use x86/64 software by emulation (the Redmond Rosetta-2 pendant). Works good, i.e. even Altium CAD works.
Beautiful!!
Did you follow a particular build from reddit/TonyMac/other?
I may go down that road at some point as my 8700+RX 6600 XT build ages, but for now it does all I need with aplomb
I really still enjoy my iMac Pro. It still works great and the option to use bootcamp from time to time is wonderful. I’ve got an M2 MBA that I love for regular casual usage. Either when Apple makes another bigger screened iMac or when a display matches the ppi of Apple, then I’ll probably go for a Mac studio. But until then, I’m coasting.
2017 iMac, fully loaded. Holding on to it until an M4 or better Studio comes out. Also, right now I have a Drobo backing up all my work and photos to the tune of 20 Tb at the moment. I've got to figure out another storage solution since Drobo went Chapter 11 and is no longer supported. Not sure if it runs on later OS as I'm still running Ventura 13.6.1 and afraid to upgrade.