What have you done with an early Intel recently?

[ToniCH]

That's fast work - I'm impressed and also delighted that you were inspired to take the plunge!

Well, I had thought about it before. That is why I bought the Apple TB-adapter asap when I saw one cheaply. But, I hadn't investigated EGPUs much further yet, other than checking out what the eGPU boxes cost. I estimated that the total cost for a 2nd hand box and a decent GPU would be somewhere in 400-500€ region which I considered too much for the time being. And from what little I did read it all seemed quite complicated.

After reading your thread I got a feeling how things work and what sw is needed to get one work with an early Intel and it suddenly didn't seem so complicated anymore. Yes, there can be complications but no more than usual stuff with computers.

I then again checked my local classifieds and there was a low end egpu for sale for reasonably low price. I checked some reviews and compared its performance to what my MBP 2012 and 2014 has and it seemed quite a bit faster despite being lower end el cheapo -kit. At least in theory it should be faster. So, I made an offer and the seller accepted. So, now I have a chance to test one without spending too much. I could not refuel my car for the money I spent on this total.

One completely new thing to me was the fact that an eGPU can accelerate the internal display too, by bypassing the built in GPU. And it does all that via Thunderbolt. That will be interesting to see and benchmark. I wonder if it could work with my iMac 2011 too? 🤔

EDIT: just remembered we also have 2012 Mac Minis which also have TB. So lots of testing to do.

 

[rozztin]

Great thread. This makes me so happy to read people still changing the world building new applications, websites and related technologies using old Apple Computer devices.

I love this ecosystem of amazing products that demonstrate everything cool about Apple's timeless technologies that will never be surpassed by Gateway or Packard Bell.

 

[rampancy]

It's been a while, but I finally got around to posting this; I've finished setting up my basic round of apps on the latest addition to my MacBook collection, a beautiful A1278...

I've been a little less trigger-happy about acquiring old Macs for my horde since I'm running out of space and my financial situation has changed. But the price was right, and Canada Computers was selling off the last of its stock of "new" (And I say "new" because while they are BNIB, who knows how long they've been sitting on a shelf unsold) replacement batteries. (I scored two for $5.88...)

The first-gen aluminum MacBooks are absolutely gorgeous and in terms of durability and build quality I'm just astonished at them compared to the old A1181s. And despite the 2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo, the vastly improved graphics and chipset make it feel a lot faster than I'd expect. This must have been a huge upgrade for people still on their 2006 Core Duo MacBooks.

I am wondering if there was a persistent issue with the trackpad click not working over time. I've encountered this issue twice now on this model of MacBook, and I've seen quite a few A1278s on my city's second-hand buy/sell website with trackpads that don't click.

Edit: I wrote this post in haste, so I wasn't really clear - what I mean by "don't click" is that the physical trackpad click doesn't work (tap-to-click on the trackpad still works fine though).

 

[Grumpus]

I am wondering if there was a persistent issue with the trackpad click not working over time. I've encountered this issue twice now on this model of MacBook, and I've seen quite a few A1278s on my city's second-hand buy/sell website with trackpads that don't click.

What does "don't click" mean? Is the trackpad not moving mechanically when you press the corners, or is the click simply not registering? If the trackpad can move when you press it, my guess would be that the trackpad switches are worn out. The switches are worn out on my own 2008 MB and I have to use tap-to-click. It seems unlikely on a 2008 MB, but I've dealt with several aluminum MBPs with batteries swollen to the extent that the trackpads couldn't move when pressed.

 

[ToniCH]

Some Apple trackpads are electronically activated, they do not click if they do not get power. So, if the trackpad cable is disconnected, battery is dead etc. there is no click. Cannot remember which years this applies to. But I would open it up and check if the flat cable is connected properly.

 

[headlessmike]

Some Apple trackpads are electronically activated, they do not click if they do not get power. So, if the trackpad cable is disconnected, battery is dead etc. there is no click. Cannot remember which years this applies to. But I would open it up and check if the flat cable is connected properly.

Those started showing up in 2015. Prior to that they were mechanical with a physical click.

 

[rampancy]

What does "don't click" mean? Is the trackpad not moving mechanically when you press the corners, or is the click simply not registering? If the trackpad can move when you press it, my guess would be that the trackpad switches are worn out. The switches are worn out on my own 2008 MB and I have to use tap-to-click. It seems unlikely on a 2008 MB, but I've dealt with several aluminum MBPs with batteries swollen to the extent that the trackpads couldn't move when pressed.

I amended this in my original post, but what I meant was that the click isn't registering. I've checked my replacement batteries and the dead batteries they came with, and they're not swelling, though it's quite possible that they may have been used with swollen batteries in the past. But the trackpad switches having been worn out makes the most sense to me.

 

[Needleroozer]

I amended this in my original post, but what I meant was that the click isn't registering. I've checked my replacement batteries and the dead batteries they came with, and they're not swelling, though it's quite possible that they may have been used with swollen batteries in the past. But the trackpad switches having been worn out makes the most sense to me.

It might be worth fiddling with the Torx T6 adjustment screw under the trackpad button; sometimes you can fix a misaligned trackpad button that way.

This link has a similar problem and some good pictures of where to look.

SOLVED: Trackpad not clicking properly? - MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011

Given your actions I think its safe to say the trackpad is now damaged. Here’s the needed part MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2009-Mid 2012) Trackpad and the guide to put it in MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Trackpad Replacement Make sure you wipe down the edge of the case where the trackpad...

www.ifixit.com

 

[eyoungren]

There is a four day weekend for me coming up. I anticipate moving monitors and Macs around. Good thing too, because I think I finally settled on the full panaramic desktop wallpaper layout. The center might change perhaps (over time as usual for me), but I like it well enough now that everything but the center is fixed in my mind.

MacPro 4,1 (5,1), Photoshop CC21.

 

[VertPin]

Not sure if this counts as early intel just yet but i am using a late 2013 15" retina macbook pro running mavericks and i got Final Fantasy XIII to work using Wine
View attachment 2313824

This game launched my freshman year of High School. I was really excited for it. It's a good game, but not great imo. I should replay it though...

 

[mortlocli]

Hey, that is interesting. What is the process in installing the 10.9 to the iMac 5,1?

I ended up installing 10.6.8 and Mint 21 to my 5,1.

hey ton..not sure if you had time to look into this..but was cleaning out old stuff on a usb stick today that had NextPostFacto on it which lead me to this - not only 10.9 but 10.10 and 10.11 for Imac 5,1:

A guide of how to install unsupported macOS versions on unsupported macs. An FAQ is listed at the end as well.

A guide of how to install unsupported macOS versions on unsupported macs. An FAQ is listed at the end as well. - FAQ.MD

gist.github.com

El Capitan (10.11)​

Unsupported Macs (Macs that can run it using a patcher)​

Model	System Identifier
MacBook	2,1 3,1 4,1
MacBookAir	1,1
MacBookPro	2,1 2,2
iMac	4,1 4,2 5,1 5,2
Macmini	1,1 2,1
MacPro	1,1 2,1
Xserve	1,1 2,1

Available Patchers​

0403979's OS X Patcher You will not have graphics acceleration with this patcher if you have a Macbook4,1. Support is not guaranteed with this patcher. Use at your own risk.

 

[mortlocli]

Found a way around the boot up prob I was having with a 'SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD'. The cable has a adapter for USB-C to USB-A ..and quite often on my older iMacs the SSD wasn't found. I works well on an Raspberry Pi 400 though. I replaced the cable with one with out an attached adapter ie a USB-A to USB-C cable and got a better result.

But yesterday one of the stores were selling the previous model - a 'SanDisk Portable SSD E30' at a discounted price. Went and got one...no included adapter and boots MX-linux up every time without any probs. (Went back and bought a second one today for my other iMac.)

 

[ToniCH]

I am so happy with myself now! 😎 I had a Sapphire Pulse RX580 in my cMP. Even though I flashed the enableGOP -ROM to my cMP I didn't get the boot picker. So, the RX580 probably had a non original BIOS flashed by the PO. So, I tried to flash the original ROM back into it back in September and something went wrong and I bricked my RX580. 😩 It didn't boot at all anymore in cMP or even PC -machines (it prevented boot with a second GPU too so no way to access it when installed in any of my machines). I thought it is a complete loss and have been searching a new one ever since.

Few days ago I remembered that I have a ch134A -programmer (never tried it before) and started to think that maybe I could order a new rom-chip, flash it and then replace it to the GPU. Today I started to wonder that what if I could reflash the original ROM in situ?! 🧐

After lots of trying stuff out and searching for info I did it! And it was a complete success! The GPU is alive again and now I have the bootpicker too! 😅 One of the drives seems to have some old OCLP-installation from another machine and it even booted to Big Sur!! 😆 Now I need to update the root paches I guess.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I am so happy with myself now! 😎 I had a Sapphire Pulse RX580 in my cMP. Even though I flashed the enableGOP -ROM to my cMP I didn't get the boot picker. So, the RX580 probably had a non original BIOS flashed by the PO. So, I tried to flash the original ROM back into it back in September and something went wrong and I bricked my RX580. 😩 It didn't boot at all anymore in cMP or even PC -machines. I thought it is a complete loss and have been searching a new one ever since.

Few days ago I remembered that I have a ch134A -programmer (never tried it before) and started to think that maybe I could order a new rom-chip, flash it and then replace it to the GPU. Today I started to wonder that what if I could reflash the original ROM in situ?! 🧐

After lots of trying stuff out and searching for info I did it! And it was a complete success! The GPU is alive again and now I have the bootpicker too! 😅 One of the drives seems to have some old OCLP-installation from another machine and it even booted to Big Sur!! 😆 Now I need to update the root paches I guess.

View attachment 2318429

That is awesome. Great job 👍🏼

 

[DouglasCarroll]

It is funny how we are punished for buying our media by constantly being plagued with issues related to HDCP and other DRM items.

1. Need to authorize 1 of 5 computers
2. Need ALSO authenticate to allowing your Device to download items (limit 10) (ZERO idea why this is required when you previously authenticate one of your 5 Mac devices previously)
3. You need to successfully handshake HDCP to play the content you spent your own $$$ to purchase.

Torrent has never been an option for me, as I am a content creator and refuse to take work from fellow creators. That said, having all of these walls to overcome before I can play MY media is frustrating.

I will likely dig out an older AppleTV and just use that as the 2nd input in the Kitchen when I want to watch AppleTV or iTunes media. The Mini is far to useful to put in the back closet.

Use it to
- Watch YouTube
- Watch ripped videos that I have legally pulled from DVD Blu-Ray
- Watch downloaded content that doesn't have or require DRM
- browse websites
- Have access to applications that just don't exist on an AppleTV.
- Give (what Apple calls ready for recycling) another life in my home

This is why I just rip all of my content off of DVD or BluRay and convert it to mp4 files so I can do whatever I want with it without and DRM Bull#$@t. I've bought a few movies on AppleTV and then discovered I couldn't access it unless I had an internet connection or if I downloaded the file locally I couldn't watch it how I wanted...too many hoops to jump through.

Yep, Dvd's or Blurays ripped to mp4's is the way to go.

 

[Raging Dufus]

Getting ready for Christmas, bought my wife a new-ish Mac Mini 7,1 (2014) to replace her old iMac 12,1 (2011). The Mini comes with a fresh install of some version of Mac OS that boots to the setup screen. I don't know which version because I don't want to set it up, I want my wife to be able to do that when she gets her "new" Mac. But I did want to run the new Mini through its paces and check its specs. What to do?

My old MBP was at hand, so I thought I'd use target disk mode. Unfortunately for my plan, the 2008 MBP lacks Thunderbolt and has only USB or FireWire. The 2014 Mini has Thunderbolt and USB, but no FireWire. I had a Thunderbolt cable and a FW800 cable, but no USB cable to bridge the two Macs. But then I looked at the other part of my wife's gift, a Thunderbolt Display for the Mini; and lo and behold, there's a FW800 port on the back!

I'm happy to report that you can boot a newer non-FireWire Mac from an older non-Thunderbolt Mac in target disk mode by bridging the two protocols via a Thunderbolt Display. I suppose you could also do the same via a Thunderbolt dock with the right set of ports, but I had no idea, because this Mini is my first-ever Thunderbolt-equipped machine.

Once again, as happens often for me, an old Mac with FireWire came to the rescue.

 

[wicknix]

Installed the latest BrassMonkey and OverBiteFF (gopher addon) and started playing around with it. Found some nice old radio programs. Currently listening to GunSmoke.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Getting ready for Christmas, bought my wife a new-ish Mac Mini 7,1 (2014) to replace her old iMac 12,1 (2011). The Mini comes with a fresh install of some version of Mac OS that boots to the setup screen. I don't know which version because I don't want to set it up, I want my wife to be able to do that when she gets her "new" Mac. But I did want to run the new Mini through its paces and check its specs. What to do?

My old MBP was at hand, so I thought I'd use target disk mode. Unfortunately for my plan, the 2008 MBP lacks Thunderbolt and has only USB or FireWire. The 2014 Mini has Thunderbolt and USB, but no FireWire. I had a Thunderbolt cable and a FW800 cable, but no USB cable to bridge the two Macs. But then I looked at the other part of my wife's gift, a Thunderbolt Display for the Mini; and lo and behold, there's a FW800 port on the back!

I'm happy to report that you can boot a newer non-FireWire Mac from an older non-Thunderbolt Mac in target disk mode by bridging the two protocols via a Thunderbolt Display. I suppose you could also do the same via a Thunderbolt dock with the right set of ports, but I had no idea, because this Mini is my first-ever Thunderbolt-equipped machine.

Once again, as happens often for me, an old Mac with FireWire came to the rescue.

I am a firm believer that one can never have enough FW equipped old macs. Great Xmas gift

 

[avz]

Installed Catalina on my Late 2008 unibody MacBook. It runs surprisingly fast even on a smaller partition of my main HDD(APFS). For some reason the year and the display size are not showing in About This Mac.

 

[ToniCH]

Getting ready for Christmas, bought my wife a new-ish Mac Mini 7,1 (2014) to replace her old iMac 12,1 (2011). The Mini comes with a fresh install of some version of Mac OS that boots to the setup screen. I don't know which version because I don't want to set it up, I want my wife to be able to do that when she gets her "new" Mac. But I did want to run the new Mini through its paces and check its specs. What to do?

My old MBP was at hand, so I thought I'd use target disk mode. Unfortunately for my plan, the 2008 MBP lacks Thunderbolt and has only USB or FireWire. The 2014 Mini has Thunderbolt and USB, but no FireWire. I had a Thunderbolt cable and a FW800 cable, but no USB cable to bridge the two Macs. But then I looked at the other part of my wife's gift, a Thunderbolt Display for the Mini; and lo and behold, there's a FW800 port on the back!

I'm happy to report that you can boot a newer non-FireWire Mac from an older non-Thunderbolt Mac in target disk mode by bridging the two protocols via a Thunderbolt Display. I suppose you could also do the same via a Thunderbolt dock with the right set of ports, but I had no idea, because this Mini is my first-ever Thunderbolt-equipped machine.

Once again, as happens often for me, an old Mac with FireWire came to the rescue.

Did you figure out the specs? Its otherwise a very nice machine but lets hope it has enough RAM for her as its not upgradeable on 2014 models.

I had to get a "new" machine for my wife as the 8GB she had on her 2014 Mini i5 wasn't enough for her work. Found a late 2012 Mini Server with i7 and 16GB RAM and 2 drives. Perfect! I also got her the 27" Thunderbolt display to and she has been very happy with the combo. 👍 Gave the 2014 to my old mother to replace her old MBA and it was a perfect upgrade for her.

 

[DCBassman]

Have settled (again) on Linux Mint for my MBP 8,2. And I discovered, for this machine anyhow, where the vanishing cursor went. The cursor was there sometimes, and not others. One of those vague little brainwaves told me to take the cursor to the right-hand edge. It kept going! So checked the settings. Because it has two GPUs, Mint has seemingly assumed two displays. By messing around with those settings, I've got it to behave normally. So this will now become my backup machine.
The 2011 21.5 iMac is up for sale. But...that's a nice machine, with upgraded CPU, big SSD, and maxed out RAM. I won't get much more than a base model for it. Dammit, I hate decisions like this. The 2009 27 will have to go instead. But...

 

[Raging Dufus]

Did you figure out the specs? Its otherwise a very nice machine but lets hope it has enough RAM for her as its not upgradeable on 2014 models.

I had to get a "new" machine for my wife as the 8GB she had on her 2014 Mini i5 wasn't enough for her work. Found a late 2012 Mini Server with i7 and 16GB RAM and 2 drives. Perfect! I also got her the 27" Thunderbolt display to and she has been very happy with the combo. 👍 Gave the 2014 to my old mother to replace her old MBA and it was a perfect upgrade for her.

Yep, it's got the max 16GB, which is what I expected. Just needed to make sure before giving the seller a thumbs-up. Hope my wife is as happy as yours!

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Installed Catalina on my Late 2008 unibody MacBook. It runs surprisingly fast even on a smaller partition of my main HDD(APFS). For some reason the year and the display size are not showing in About This Mac.

View attachment 2320345

Does yours lose WiFi coming out of sleep or is that working ok for you?’

 

[ToniCH]

I installed OCLP+Monterey to my cMP's NVMe-drive. Seems to work great and the drive is reasonably fast for such a cheap one (WD Blue SN570).

For some reason my Radeon RX580 is much faster in Mojave than in Monterey (GB5 scores). Maybe hardware acceleration is not working? Need to investigate.

 

[avz]

Does yours lose WiFi coming out of sleep or is that working ok for you?’

It is losing WiFi(iPhone SE(2020) as a hotspot). From my experience legacy WiFi cards work much better with the 4G modem router than they do with an iPhone.