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The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews
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Mac HW/Software | Mac OS X/Tips | Scanners | Networking & Misc. | |
| (2013) This page has Mac/OS X (host) user reports on freeware VM VirtualBox, a free alternative to Parallels Desktop and Fusion 2. (Used to run Windows, Linux or OS X server as "Guest" OS's in OS X on Intel-based Macs.) | |
| (Oct 2012) FYI on a conflict with an older Atheros (a/b/g) wifi card causing no SATA drives to be seen during an OS X 10.8 upgrade attempt. (2nd person to note this issue but not common as most DIY upgraders used an 802.11N card such as the Broadcom model that Apple OEM'd with Mac Pros.) | |
| (Jan 2012) 2011 iMac owner notes on his experience with the Sonnet Echo Thunderbolt adapter used with a Sonnet eSATA (6G) Expresscard. Includes notes on eSATA compatiblity/booting and more. (Comments in reply to another site review of the Echo.) | |
| (Jan 2012) Reports from newer Intel-based Mac owners on using SheepShaver in OS X Lion (10.7.x) to run an old Mac OS 9.x/8.x programs that they had no replacements for or preferred over any current alternatives. (Reports added to the original article from 2006 on SheepShaver, used to run Classic/OS 9 apps on intel-based Macs as apple dropped classic app mode.) | |
| (Jan 2010) Page with replies to a reader's request for feedback on Remote AC power switches (for his company server) in the Jan 5th, 2010 news page. | |
| Reader feedback on Lightscribe burning in Snow Leopard - including a tip/fix for problems someone had after SL upgrade. (Labeler app has to be in Apps folder w/Snow Leopard.) | |
| Peacekeeper benchmark test results comparing scores/relative performance of iCab 4.6.1, Safari 4.0.3, Firefox 3.6 alpha, Firefox 3.5.2 and Opera 10.0. Reader's test system was a PowerMac G5 1.8GHz running OS X 10.4.11. (Also includes a sample score from an 8-core 2009 Mac Pro w/Safari 4.0.3.) | |
| iLife 09 user comments, complaints and tips - including iPhoto Face Detection Training Tips. Also includes info on iMovie 09 edits for running on a G4 Mac and workaround for GarageBand 09 lessions with PPC Macs. (Bottom of page also has a listing of links to iLife 09 related Apple support/How-To/Troubleshooting docs.) | |
| (Nov 2009) Mac user reports on Parallels Desktop v5 for Macs, including Tips/Fix for the BSOD problem many upgrading from version 4 had. | |
| A page with reader reports on using Toast 9's optional Blu-Ray/HD authoring support Plugin. If you've used this plugin to burn at video disc (either to BR disc or HD video on a std DVD disc), use the email link on the page to send a report. Thanks! | |
| A MacBook (running OS X 10.4.11) owner sent results of a series of Mac Excel 2008 vs Excel 2004 tests and notes "I have found that creating and editing charts is over four times slower in 2008 as opposed to 2004!". (Excel 2004 runs under Rosetta, Mac Office 2008 apps are Native/Universal.) | |
| Reader tests of ElGato's Turbo.264 USB 2.0 Hardware Encoder vs standard Quicktime H.264 export speed with an iBook G4, Quad G5, Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro and iMac Core Duo. | |
| Reader Feedback on Alsoft's DiskWarrior v4, the first Universal Binary version that also includes other new features. | |
User Feedback/Tests |
CoolBook (registered version) allows an Intel CPU Mac (MacBook Pro, MacBook, etc.) to change the CPU's core voltage setting for cooler running and less CPU Throttling. But there's some doubts about the claims and test results (and who they actually were from...) |
| Reader reports, guides on using Sheep Shaver for Classic OS support for Intel CPU Macs. (Posted 2006, updated in 2012) | |
| Reader reports and tips on Apple's free "Boot Camp" utility to run Windows XP (SP2) on Intel CPU Macs. | |
| Reader report on using Apple XGrid (clustering software) | |
| Drive Genius owner feedback on this disk utility, including defragger. | |
| Reader reports on using Prosoft's Data Rescue utility to recover files from damaged disks. | |
| User feedback on AppleJack, a repair/troubleshooting tool for OS X 10.2.x and 10.3.x. | |
| Reader feedback and tips on using Apple's iWork (Pages and Keynote 2 bundle) | |
| Reader comments on using iDefrag disk optimizer for OS X. | |
Linux on iPod |
Detailed review of installing and using Linux on the iPod. Covers audio, games, file browser and more. |
Feedback on Airport Base 7.3.1 firmware & Airport/Time Machine Update 1.0 | Feedback on the Airport Extreme 7.3.1 firmware update (that added Time Machine Airdisk Support) - also includes tips for initial Time machine backups to USB drives connected to the AE base. |
| Reader reports on Micromat's Techtool Pro 4. Includes tips, notes on use and problem reports from various mac model owners. | |
| Ryan answers questions on current and future features of his Xpostfacto utility for installing OS X on 'unsupported'/legacy Macs, programming on the Mac and other topics. | |
| Mike answers questions on current and future features of his very popular Carbon Copy Cloner, OS X 10.3/panter and other topics. | |
| Reader report on the changes in 10.3/Panther (dev. release) for support of recordable optical drives. (Unlike 10.1.x and 10.2.x, there are no individual "brand" device-plugin files. For info on editing 10.2/10.1/OS 9 burn support plugin files, see this older article. | |
Encoding/Quality |
Reader reports/tips on AAC encoding sound quality. |
on PCI Radeons |
Reader feedback on the hack to enable Quartz Extreme support for PCI Radeons in OS X 10.2/Jaguar. |
Upgraded Older Macs |
Reader reports on Final Cut Pro running on older (Pre-G3) PCI Macs. |
| Reader report on Final Cut Pro 3 script tweaking for improved Real-Time Effects performance. (Interesting) | |
"Lost RAM" Issues/Tips |
(From 2001) A page with feedback on the spring 2001 Firmware updates from Apple that caused some DIMMs to not be recognized. Includes links to a utility that may be able to fix the problem. (Reprogram the SPD chip on the dimm to add CL3 timing that is required by the firmware update, even for CL2 dimms.) |
| (2013) Listing of Apple's "Mac Basics" (aka Mac 101) Guides to OS X from the Finder to File Sharing, importing/migrating data from another Mac or PC and articles for those switching from a PC to a Mac. | |
owner report/tips on Mountain Lion Install |
(Aug 2012) Reader's notes on installing OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on an 'unsupported' EFI32 2006 Mac Pro 1,1. He had other hardware upgrades also (video card, 16GB RAM, SSDs) and included Geekbench scores before/after the 10.8 install. (Includes links to two articles with tips/info on 10.8 installs on Mac Pro 1,1 and running 64bit kernel on EFI32 2006/2007 Mac Pros. |
| (July 2012, often updated) Our page of early core duo Mac Mini info on Core 2 Duo CPU upgrades (socketed CPU model) and OS X Lion install guide/tips. Also includes links/notes on firmware update to 2006 Mac Mini (mac mini 1,1) to 2007 Mini (mini 2,1) EFI firmware update for 3GB RAM support. (3GB is max usable even w/4GB installed. Mini 1,1 limited to 2GB usable.) | |
| (Aug 2010) Tips (required) to get OS X 10.6.4 client working properly (w/ethernet and SDcard slot support) on a 2010 Mac Mini Server model. (Posted after a reader failed to get correct answers from several trips to Apple Genius bars.) | |
| Info/Reports on Problems, Tips and fixes related to OS X 10.5.8. | |
| Info/Reports on Problems, Tips and fixes related to OS X 10.5.7. | |
| Info/reports on Problems, Tips (including Time Machine error fix) from OS X 10.5.6 users. Includes downloads of OS X 10.5.6 updaters (Combo, delta and server) and notes on specific issues with some addons and configurations as well as installation tips. | |
| Info/tips/reports from older Macs with CPU upgrades (and other addons) on runnning OS X Leopard (10.5.x) | |
| Compatibility notes, docs, tips, reports on OS X 10.5 Leopard. Includes reports from PPC and Intel-based Mac owners from an 8-core Mac pro to a 400MHz G4 tower, as well as CPU Upgraded G4 tower owners. Bottom of page includes a listing/links to Apple docs on Installing/Using OS X 10.5, tips/issues with syncing and OS X 10.5/BootCamp 2.0 related docs. | |
| Compatibility notes, docs, tips, reports on the OS X 10.4.10 update. Includes links to downloads of the standalone and combo updaters and apple docs related to 10.4.9. | |
| Compatibility notes, docs, tips, reports on the OS X 10.4.9 update. Includes links to downloads of the standalone and combo updaters and apple docs related to 10.4.9. | |
| Compatibility notes, tips, reports on the OS X 10.4.8 update. Includes links to downloads of the standalone and combo updaters. | |
| Compatibility notes, tips, reports on "lost ram" and more with the OS X 10.4.7 update. Also includes links to downloads of the standalone and combo updaters. | |
| Compatibility notes, tips, etc. on the OS X 10.4.6 update. Also includes links to downloads of the standalone and combo updaters. | |
Info on Twain SANE Drivers |
Feedback from OS X 10.5 users on scanner support (including some working despite not being listed by Canon as 10.5 supported), and troubleshooting tips and notes using the alternative "Twain SANE" drivers for OS X. |
Canon N1220U USB Scanners |
Reader report comparing these two popular scanners. Includes important information for those needing to scan 3d objects, not just flat originals. |
| (Feb 2010) Reader reviews/feedback on various PowerLine network adapters and includes my short review of Netgear's XAVB1004 "Home Theater Internet Connection Kit" that includes a 4 port Ethernet switch. | |
| Feedback on the March 2009 Airport Extreme/Time Capsule 7.4.1 firmware update. Some of us have seen problems with this update, with some users reverting back to the previous firmware version. | |
Feedback on Airport Base 7.3.1 firmware & Airport/Time Machine Update 1.0 | Feedback on the Airport Extreme 7.3.1 firmware update (that added Time Machine Airdisk Support) - also includes tips for initial Time machine backups to USB drives connected to the AE base. |
| First reader feedback on using the $59 (site specials page) Edimax 802.11n PCI card in Macs. These cards are RAlink chip based with OS X 10.4.x and 10.3.x drivers and utility available. Utility also shows signal strength of the 3 antennas used for MiMo (Multiple-In, Multiple-Out). | |
| Mac user reports/performance tests/tips/info on 802.11n Base/routers (Apple Airport Extreme 802.11n, Linksys and D-Link 802.11n models), 802.11n enabler, chipset info on new Macs 802.11n adapters, 3rd party 802.11n adapters (one with mac drivers promised) and more. Also has links to Apple tech docs on 802.11n/Airport Extreme, USB drive support and more. (Includes link to Airport Extreme 802.11N take-apart/internal photos.) | |
| Mac user feedback/tips/performance notes, features, etc. with many brands/models of NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. | |
| Now that there's OS X 10.3.x and 10.4.x drivers for RAlink 2800 series 802.11n adapters, here's a few examples of PCI cards and USB 2.0 adapters based on their chips. One of the PCI cards has a nice triple-antenna "pod" that allows the antennas to be positioned for better reception (not limited to being attached to the PCI card). These are also priced at up to 1/2 the cost of rebranded cards sold as "Mac" models. | |
| Review w/photos of Airport Exress and links for esp ghostscript and hpijs printer drivers a reader used to share his HP Deskjet 3325. (Most USB printers should work with existing OS X drivers.) | |
| Airport Exress owner reports and step-by-step setup guides for Airtunes and WDS with 3rd party bases like Linksys 56G models. Also includes a listing of Apple kbase docs on Airport Express setup and troubleshooting. | |
| Reader reports PCI network cards that work in OS X (and those that don't work). Includes links to driver downloads for several low-cost 10/100 Ethernet cards. | |
(10/100 vs Gigabit, OS 9 vs OS X) |
Reader reports on performance tests with 10/100 vs Gigabit ethernet and various OS versions. |
Quantum Snap 1000 vs AppleShare |
VAR Rod Paine of ASTEC sent a comparison test report of AppleShare versus Quantum's Snap! Server 1000 (NAS). (See links in the article to later updates on performance as well as a 2nd opinion on other than the low end 1000 model of Snap Servers.) |
| Reader review/comments on the EyeTV PVR for Mac. | |
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